Better Cities:Two Halves

Book Information Two Halves
ID	xx0982EE
	25		1.0
Locations
Found in the following locations: Sold by book merchants and found in random containers as loot.

Two Halves

A lesson on partnership.

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The master threw an apple in his palm, turned it around, looking at it from different sides, and said thoughtfully:

"People think their souls are like apples."

"In what way?" his student asked with interest.

"More precisely, halves," corrected the master. "Like this." He carefully cut the apple in two and put it on the table.

"They have such a belief that there is a perfect match for every person. It seems that the gods, before sending souls into the world, cut them in half, into male and female halves. Like an apple. So these halves wander, looking for each other. And find each other? How do you imagine that? What is the likelihood of such a meeting? Do you know how many people are in the world?"

"A lot."

"That's right. But, somehow they will find each other, and what next? Do you think they will make a whole apple and live in peace and harmony?"

"Well yes. Isn't that so?" the student was surprised.

"No, not at all."

The master picked up half an apple in each hand and raised them to his face:

"Here are two fresh souls descending into the world. What does the world do to human souls?" The philosopher took a bite of one half with a crunch.

"The world," he continued with a full mouth, "is not static. It is cruel. It grinds everything down. One way or another. Cuts off a piece, or bites off, or even grinds into a paste." He took a bite of the other half and was silent for a while, chewing.

The student stared at the two stubs and swallowed nervously.

"And now," the philosopher solemnly proclaimed, "they meet!" He joined the bitten halves together. "And so, do they suit each other? No!!!

"Look here now," the master took a few more apples.

"We cut each one in half, put two halves from different apples at random - and what do we see?"

"They don't fit," the student nodded.

"Look further."

Putting the two different halves together, he bit on one side and the other at the same time and demonstrated the result.

"Well, what do we see? Now they form a pair?"

"Yes," the student nodded thoughtfully.

"Now they match each other perfectly, because the world has bitten them not one by one, but together!

"People who love each other become one whole: together they enjoy life and together take the blows of fate, learn to understand each other perfectly, support each other and push to achieve success. And over time, some couples even adopt habits from each other, become similar characters and harmoniously complement each other. The matching halves are not born, but become."