At an exhibition of the world's greatest swordsmen, the third-place fencer took the stage. A fly was released, and with a swift arc of his sword, he cut it in half. The crowd cheered. Next, the second-place contender sliced a fly into quarters. A hush fell in anticipation of the world's greatest swordsman.
His blade descended in a mighty arc—yet the insect flew on, unharmed! The crowd was aghast. The master had seemingly missed completely, but he wore a serene smile.
"Why are you so happy?" someone yelled. "You missed!"
"Ah," replied the swordsman, "you weren't watching carefully enough. The fly lives, yes—but he will never be a father."