English Original
A master once traveled to India on foot. In a market, he saw a large basket of bright red, elongated "fruit" being sold for only two rupees per kilogram – an exceptionally low price. He purchased a kilogram and began eating it.
Immediately, he experienced intense burning: his eyes watered, his mouth and throat felt on fire, and his face turned red. He coughed, choked, and gasped for air.
Despite this, he continued eating. Bystanders shook their heads, explaining, "You're crazy! Those are chilies! They are condiments, not fruit to eat by the handful."
The master insisted, "No, I can't stop! I paid for them, so I will eat them."
This story mirrors a common human folly. We often persist in unproductive relationships, investments, or endeavors solely because we have already invested money, time, or effort into them. Even when intuition and bitter experience clearly signal failure, we continue, fearing our past investment will be wasted.
The lesson is clear: Sometimes, the wisest choice is to cut your losses and move forward, rather than stubbornly continuing down a path that leads only to more loss.
中文翻译
一位大师曾徒步前往印度。在一个市场里，他看到一大筐鲜红色的细长“水果”，售价仅为每公斤两卢比——价格低得离谱。他买了一公斤并开始吃。
瞬间，他感到剧烈的灼烧感：眼睛流泪，嘴巴和喉咙像着了火，脸也变得通红。他咳嗽、窒息、喘不过气来。
尽管如此，他仍继续吃。旁观者摇头说道：“你疯了！那是辣椒！它们是调味品，不是可以一把一把吃的水果。”
大师坚持说：“不，我不能停！我付了钱，所以我就要吃掉它们。”
这个故事映射了一种普遍的人性弱点。我们常常仅仅因为已经在某段关系、某项投资或某个努力中投入了金钱、时间或精力，就固执地坚持下去。即使直觉和惨痛的经验都已明确预示着失败，我们仍因害怕过去的投入白费而继续。
教训很清楚：有时，最明智的选择是及时止损，继续前进，而不是固执地走在一条只会带来更多损失的路上。