Bandits struck again in Fuyang, robbing a dozen people and chopping off their heads and hands. The people were terrified by such savagery.
Floods hit Xiangyang, submerging hundreds of houses overnight. The inhabitants lost everything and had nowhere to go, though they were considered lucky for not being drowned or swept away by the raging waters.
As a local official, Li Beide felt compelled to address the tragedies befalling his jurisdiction. Kind-hearted, he sympathized with the victims. As a Taoist, he pondered the root cause of these disasters.
"If anyone would know, it would be my Teacher, the great sorcerer Lin." Seizing an opportunity, Li visited the Er-Xian Temple. There, he found the sorcerer deep in meditation, exercising his powers.
The sorcerer welcomed Li, who then asked, "Teacher, I seek to understand the cause behind the recent disasters in our district. Bandits swarm like angry hornets, killing and burning. Floods have washed away years of hard work. Please, tell me why."
"I rarely leave this temple," replied the Teacher. "I do not follow current events."
"But why must these people suffer such terrible fates?"
The sorcerer sighed deeply. "You reap what you sow. People are selfish and cruel, thinking only of their own stomachs, killing animals for meat.
"The slain animals are wrathful. When such wrath accumulates, it disturbs nature's peace, causing the heavens to open and flood the land. Some animals are reborn as humans, seeking vengeance through murder and robbery for past wrongs.
"There is no escaping nature's power. Those who do wrong bring misfortune upon themselves and their families. Those who defy nature invite tragedy."
Although this story is centuries old, its message resonates powerfully at the end of the twentieth century. Florida is battered by hurricanes and tornadoes. California is shaken by earthquakes, parched by drought, and drenched by storms. Windstorms and snowstorms destroy property nationwide, leaving thousands homeless.
We should heed the wisdom of the ancients and recognize how we defy nature. Killing, violence, drug abuse, unsettling music, alcoholism, lurid journalism, and promiscuity are modern entertainments. Is it any wonder that nature can barely tolerate us anymore?