The Wise Turtle of Busan

Siu slipped into a deja vu, as he sensed an unusual connection to the turtle that washed up at the Gwangalli Beach. This was not a casual beach walk for Siu. There were many stocks at stake, the pandemic crawled in like a stranger to the party. Throwing waves of uncertainty like a dice the size of a Rubik’s cube evolving as it rolls.

He was never a fan of the urban signature views of the Gwangan Bridge, the calm of the Buddhist shrine would rather appeal. Neon lights kept flashing throughout the beach streets, with large red and yellow umbrella stalls attracting beach-goers attention, to lure them to have a snack or more. These flashing lights stacked flash images of stock market updates, every cent matters.

Yet this was one of Siu’s favourite spot in Busan; atleast the beach is real, the waves, the sand, the occasional breeze, there is a connection to nature. Being a major port city in Asia with a very fast paced cosmopolitan population, it still holds the essence of South Korea in all its traditional glory.

Deep within the misty Geumjeong mountains, there lied wisdom, untouched by the devotees of the Beomeosa Temple. The legend has it that the wise turtle have played an integral role in shaping the much needed chaos of today’s world.

Siu never bothered to pay a visit to the Geumjeong mountains. He would rather be hooked up with the play station. Hiking mountains was never in his books. Who knew the shrine was indeed a tool to connect with the ultimate source of wisdom ? The Dragon Kings would never have survived their dreams otherwise.

Ones beliefs have the power to influence one’s life decisions in the strangest of ways. The idea of a wise turtle was somewhere in Siu’s mind. Thanks to the Kungfu Panda and some bedtime stories. The turtle that washed up on the shores somehow transfigured into the wise one at least in Siu’s sub-conscious mind. Things were more clear, infact never been clearer.

The answer lies in us, the key to unlock wisdom is in our mind. Somehow we need to search and accept a tool to validate the source, it could be prayer, a walk in the beach or even an apple on your head.