Fables 1 : Two Monks

Over dinner last night with my dad, he shared the following fable with me.

Two devout monks set out on a journey, and in due course they came to a river. Just as they were about to cross, they noticed a lady who was hesitating to wade into the water.

"Lady, why do you not cross the river?" the first monk ventured.

"I am afraid to get my shoes wet," came the honest reply.

"Would you mind if I carried you across?" said the first monk.

The lady graciously accepted the first monk's offer, and the three of them made it safely across the river. Once over, they bade farewell and went on their separate paths. However, as the two monks continued their journey, the second monk had become sullen, and seemed to be thinking about something,

Six hours later, the first monk asked out of concern. "Why, Monk Number Two, what is troubling you? You are hardly your normal chatty and lively self."

"Well, I was not going to bring it up, but since you asked me... Monk Number One, why did you carry that lady at the river? Are we monks not taught that close proximity with women is forbidden?"

To which the first monk laughed, and replied, "Monk Number Two, indeed I had carried the lady, but I had already put her down at the river bank more than six hours ago! You, on the other hand, still seem to have her on your mind."

It is really difficult these days to find such a succinct fable embedded with so many morals, don't you think?