At an exhibition of the world's best 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. Then 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 greatest swordsman had missed completely, yet he smiled.
"Why are you so happy?" someone yelled. "You missed!"
"Ah," replied the swordsman, "you weren't watching carefully. The fly lives, yes—but he will never be a father."