A long time ago, there was an ancient clan that had a salve that was passed down for generations that can treat chapped hands. When applied of this wonderful medicine, the hand will be able to withstand the winter breeze, doing their work without any hindrance from the cold. The clan that used it was skilled silk bleachers and applies the salve whenever they have chapped hands. When a merchant passed by and saw what the salve can do, he offered one hundred pieces of gold for the recipe. The clan divulged the secret recipe to the merchant as they haven’t made more than a few pieces of gold all their life from their hard work.
The merchant went to seek an audience with the King, and was appointed a general after claiming he had the skills and secret to defeat the enemy. That winter, with salve applied to the soldier’s hands, the merchant fought with his troop in a great naval battle against the enemy. The merchant’s troop was able to hold onto their bows, swords and spears with the salve applied beforehand and fought against the enemy during the freezing cold. With the salve, the merchant routed the enemy and was rewarded land and an honorable title from the king as a reward of his accomplishment.
The salve had the power to treat chapped hands for either cases, but the merchant gained land and an honorable title while the clan couldn’t escape the labors of bleaching silk. It was all a difference in use. From the merchant’s story, we learn how a difference in use can turn against the tide. The clan who sold the secret cried as they heard of the exploits that the merchant did with their salve. It is all a difference in use, a difference in value.
Chuang Tzu
