There was a man who had 4 sons
He wanted his sons to learn not to judge too quickly
So he sent them each on a quest
In turn to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance a way
The first son went in the winter
The second went in the spring
The third in the summer
And the youngest in the fall
When they had gone and come back,
The man called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted.
The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son later said it was laden with blossom that smelled so sweet looked so beautiful
It was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them
He said it was ripe and drooping with fruits; full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right
For they had each seen but only one season in the tree’s life.
He had told them that you cannot judge a tree or a person by only one season
And that the essence of who they are and the pleasure,
Joy and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end
When all the seasons are up
If you give up when its winter
You will miss the promise of your spring
The beauty of your summer
Fulfillment of your fall
Don’t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest
And don’t judge life by one difficult season
Moral: Persevere through the difficult patches
And better times are sure to come
Don't judge a person's character too quickly
Judge them wholly and self reflect