Once there was a circle that was incomplete because a large triangular wedge (三角形楔子) had been cut out. The circle wanted to be whole with nothing missing, so it went around looking for its missing piece.
But because it was incomplete, it could roll only very slowly. As it rolled slowly, it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of different pieces, but none of them could fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching. Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with nothing missing. It took the missing piece into itself and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice the flowers or talk to the worms.
To some extent, we are more whole when we are missing something. The man who has everything is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it feels like to dream of something better. There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with(接纳) his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go his unrealistic dreams without feeling like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, who can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.
When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciating it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others could only long for. We can achieve fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.