[A Short Story from My Heart] On the Matter of Truth by the River
Young Choi, Professor of Regent University
I have always claimed to love the truth—provided, of course, that it does not inconvenience me.
That day, I was sitting by the Mississippi River with my fishing line cast into the water. The current drifted along like a lazy philosopher, and my thoughts followed suit, meandering without much purpose. I hadn’t caught a single fish, but I had no intention of telling anyone. After all, people are far easier to catch with stories than with fish.
Before long, Mr. Jones from the village approached. He was neither sharp enough to notice I had caught nothing, nor naïve enough to doubt that I might tell a lie.
“How’s the fishing today?” he asked.
I lifted my rod slightly and replied,
“Well, the river is still testing me.”
It is an excellent phrase—meaning absolutely nothing while sounding like it means a great deal. Mr. Jones nodded. He was already half caught.
He sat beside me and said,
“I lost a big one this morning.”
I immediately respected him, for the fish that gets away is always the largest.
“How big was it?” I asked.
He drew a large circle in the air with his hands. The circle grew wider and wider until it exceeded even the size of his conscience.
I thought for a moment and said,
“That’s a shame. I caught one even bigger just a little while ago—and let it go.”
Mr. Jones looked astonished. Now he was fully caught.
“Why would you let it go?” he asked.
I paused for a moment, waiting for a convincing reason to arrive. At last, I found one so fine that even I could hardly believe it.
“Well, the creature looked at me and said, ‘Didn’t you claim to love the truth?’ So I let it go. For that one moment, I wished to be honest.”
Mr. Jones appeared deeply moved.
“A noble act indeed.”
I nodded and replied,
“Yes—but I have resolved never to make such a mistake again.”
By then, I had still caught no fish at all, yet we were both satisfied. He was the man who had lost a great fish, and I was the man who had released an even greater one.
And that day, I learned something:
A man may fail to catch fish, but he must never fail to catch a good story. +++
Young Choi, PhD is a Professor at Regent University bringing a rare combination of technical expertise and creative spirit to everything he does. A scholar in AI, cybersecurity, network and telecommunications service management, he has published 37 books including AI and cybersecurity area books, 218 refereed articles, 21 book chapters. Beyond the academy, Dr. Choi is a passionate poet, essayist, and wooden block engraving artist whose reflective writing invites readers to rediscover life’s beauty in quiet contemplation. He lives under the motto: “Study hard and give generously without holding back! (열심히 공부해서 아낌없이 남주자 !)”