The Two Pots

A Brass Pot and an Earthenware Pot lived together in a kitchen, and as they were used for cooking, they came to know each other well. One day, a flood threatened the house, and the water began to rise. Both pots realized they would need to escape or be destroyed. The Brass Pot spoke to the Earthenware Pot: "Come, my friend. We must flee this place quickly, for the water rises with terrible speed. I will swim away easily, for metal floats well in water and withstands its power. You should come with me if you wish to survive." The Earthenware Pot, however, replied with reasonable caution: "My friend, I must think carefully about this. It is true that you can swim away safely, but consider my nature. I am made of fragile clay, and if I attempt to flee through the rushing water, I will surely be dashed upon the rocks and broken to pieces. Even if I survive the journey, my porous nature will be saturated with water, and I will be damaged and rendered useless. Therefore, I believe it is more prudent for me to remain here in the kitchen, secure on the shelf, and hope that the waters do not rise high enough to reach me." The Brass Pot, reasoning that his friend's caution was sound, agreed with the logic of this argument. "Your reasoning is wise," he said. "Each of us must act according to our nature and our capacity. What is prudent for one may be folly for another." The Brass Pot departed, swimming away through the rising waters. The Earthenware Pot remained in the kitchen, elevated upon the shelf. Though the flood rose high, it did not quite reach the shelf, and the Earthenware Pot was preserved. In this manner, both pots survived—not through identical action, but through each using reason to determine the course that best suited their nature and circumstances. Thus did both pots understand that reason—the faculty of considering our own nature and capacity and adapting our actions accordingly—is the foundation of prudent action.