Guide Through the Mire

Lao Zhou fell into a filthy ditch and struggled for ages without being able to climb out. A passerby came along but didn't reach out a hand. He only said, "Try swimming over that way." Lao Zhou believed him and thrashed desperately in that direction, only to sink deeper. That was where the mud was thickest. Later, he realized the passerby himself was standing at the edge of the ditch, hesitating. He hadn't jumped in to rescue him at all. Lao Zhou stopped counting on anyone. Holding his breath, he sank to the bottom, felt his way along it toward a shallower spot, and finally climbed out. When he turned around, the passerby was still wandering in the same place, muttering, "It stinks so bad. How do I get out?" He crouched by the ditch and caught his breath for a long time, then suddenly understood: not everyone who reaches out a hand wants to pull you up. Some people are looking for a way out themselves; they just happen to pass by you.