We face countless problems in life.
Whenever that happens, we often struggle to find solutions using flashy techniques or complex logic.
However, sometimes a brief insight into human nature is better than a hundred detectives.
Through the story of a remarkable 'psychological warfare' that took place on a trip, I would like to share the wisdom that permeates our lives.
One peaceful morning, a father and son traveling together were thrown into turmoil.
The precious watch they had placed under their pillows had vanished without a trace.
It was clear that the culprit was one of the four employees who had been entering and leaving the room in the meantime.
But there was no evidence, and no witnesses. All four of them vehemently denied it, saying, "It was absolutely not me."
If you were the son, how would you find the culprit in this desperate situation?
Instead of panicking, the son, Cole, smiled and gathered the employees.
Then, he gave each of them a stem of grass of the same length and said:
"This is a mysterious grass that reveals the truth.
If the person who took the watch holds this grass, in five minutes, only that grass will grow a finger's length longer."
Cole told them to stand with their backs turned and waited exactly five minutes.
Five minutes later, the results Cole checked were surprising. The grass of the three people remained exactly as it was at the beginning, but only one person's grass had actually become shorter.
Who was the culprit? It was the person with the short grass.
Overwhelmed by fear and guilt, thinking, 'What if only my grass grows long?', he snapped it off before it could grow.
Our ancestors said, "Heaven knows, and the earth knows."
It may seem like no one knows, but the most terrifying watcher is none other than 'one's own conscience'.
Cole lied that grass would grow, but what responded to that lie was the 'guilt' within the culprit's heart.
While cutting-edge forensic science is excellent, what ultimately moves people's hearts is a deep understanding of their nature.
Instead of intimidating the other person, 'gentle insight' that makes them reveal their true identity becomes the most powerful weapon.
How hellish must those five minutes have been for the culprit?
The price of coveting what belongs to others eventually comes back as the destruction of one's own peace.
This story paradoxically demonstrates the fact that "peace of mind is more precious than the clock under the pillow."
We live every day holding an invisible 'stem of grass' in our hands.
When we deceive someone or feel ashamed of ourselves, our hearts may feel the urge to snap that grass, just like a criminal.
But remember. The most perfect detective is your conscience.
