Fable (3)

1 It is usual that NBA player’s annual salary is beyond ten million dollars. For example, Yao Ming from China is an NBA player. In the Year of 2004 when he served in NBA for his second season, his income ranked him as one of the nabobs in China. Nevertheless, NBA player’s labor union still negotiates every year with the owner requesting an even better compensation for the players, which is avarice that common people can’t understand, but avarice is prevalent in all ages.

2 Zengzi had been an official for years. He himself said, “When I was an official in the beginning, one hundred and ninety-two liters of rice as annual salary made me contented. Now I felt insufficient to one million and twenty thousand liters of rice. To ask for more salary, I even quarreled with my boss.”

3 Confucius and his disciples heard the story of Zengzi’s salary. A disciple asked Confucius, “Is it a fault to acquire salary by this way?”

4 With a headshake, Confucius signed for Zengzi, one of his favorite disciples. “Of course, it is a fault! If he doesn’t care much for salary, why does he feel sorrowful? A man who works for his ideals won’t sorrow over the level of his salary. The money and salary is like the bird and mosquito flying over him.