Once there was a king who wanted to find the answers to his three most important questions in life. The three questions are: "When is the right time for every action?" "Who is the most important person?" and "What is the most important thing to do?" The king asked his men, but their answers didn't satisfy him. In the end, he decided to visit a wise hermit (隐士).
When he got close to the hermit's hut (茅舍), he ordered his bodyguards (保镖) to wait behind. He found the hermit was digging. He asked the hermit his three questions, but the hermit didn't answer. Seeing how old and weak the hermit was, the king began helping him. He dug for hours, but still didn't get the answers. Just as the king was about to leave, a wounded man ran to them and fainted (昏倒) in front of them. The king helped the wounded man up and took care of him. After the wounded man woke up, he said he had wanted to kill the king but was hurt by the king's bodyguards. He asked for forgiveness (原谅) and promised to serve the king faithfully.
Afterwards, the king repeated his questions to the hermit once more. The hermit replied, "If you had not helped me dig earlier, you would have left and been killed by the man. So the most important man back then was me, and the most important time was when you were digging. The most important thing was to be kind to me. When the wounded man arrived, he was the most important person, and saving him was the most important thing. By doing so, you made peace with an enemy." The king finally had his three answers. The most important time is the present, as it's the only time we have the power to act. The most important person is the one you are with, and the most important thing is always to___________.
①the most important time ②the most important action
③the most important thing ④the most important person
