Can the teeth survive alone?

 Can the teeth survive alone?

       牙齒可以獨自生存嗎?

*Tortoise and the Bird

When the bird saw the tortoise, the tortoise had just slipped into a stone pit accidentally. He tried very hard to climb out, but the stone fence was taller than his body,  he can only fell upside down each time. He tried desperately to turn over with his long neck to support the body. And he fell again. 

The bird said, "Sir, can I  help you?"

The tortoise said, "Oh please, can you bring me a stepping stone? If I can step a little higher, I am sure I can climb out."

The bird said, "Oh yes, I will."

She flew immediately away to search for a stepping stone. When she came back, she spitted out a piece of small pebble the size of a sand from her beak. That was all she could carry. 

The tortoise said, "Oh, I am sorry, I ought to know a stepping stone is too heavy for you."

The bird said, "Never mind, I will go again."

The bird had flew an unknown number of times. She carried back only a small amount of sand. The tortoise tried to pile up the sand, but it was futile. The bird wanted to go again though she was very tired. 

The tortoise said, "Oh, please don't . It is too much for you. I don't want to waste your life to save me. I will try some other means to do that. "

The bird said, "You just wait a little more. I will go again."

The tortoise said, "Oh no, I will dig sand from the ground. " The tortoise used his strong beak to dig on the stone ground, the stone did loose some sand for him. However, he was bleeding heavily after a few trials. 

The bird said, "Oh no, that won't work. Let me go to find some more sand for you. "

Without waiting answer from the tortoise, the bird flew quickly away. The tortoise could only shout, "Don't, it would kill you."

When the bird flew back, the tortoise pleaded with the bird in tears. He said, "You are an angel. But I don't want to exchange my life with yours. I will not go out even you bring back a ton of sand. I shall never step on your sand."

The bird said, "You are an angel too. I will stay here together with you. "

When they were looking at each other with tearful eyes, no one can tell whether they were sad or happy. They were both trembling like some electric had shocked their minds. 

And suddenly a sparkle sprang from their eyes almost at the same time. 

The bird said, may be we will try other things. 

The turtle said, "Yes."

The bird flew again. She brought back a piece of branch. And then another piece of branch. Then another. She was building a nest near the stone wall. She brought back a large piece of foam plastic finally. 

When the turtle was out of the trap of the stone pit, both of them were in a very special ecstasy. The bird danced on the back of the turtle. 

The wise pair had became very good friends forever. 

*  The old Confucius can never get out from his trap of mind:   The tortoise is not your lover,   the tortoise is not your brother,    why help him? Isn't it too naive to die for him?

We are more than brothers, we are lips and teeth. Teeth cannot survive without lips. Its so simple yet the fools can never understand.

屈原  《天問》

鴟龜曳銜，鯀何聽焉？

(鴟和龜拉扯出來的故事，鯀明白了甚麼？)

捨己為人的鯀

(網上故事)

上古時代，天帝見人們經常犯錯，於是命水神 共工降下洪水警告百姓。天帝的孫子鯀看到凡間洪水滔天，不忍人們流離失所，於是決心拯救蒼生。他想：天帝有一樣寶貝──「息壤」，是一種能夠生長不息的土壤。只要用息壤吸乾洪水，並堆疊成堤壩，人們不就可以安居樂業了嗎？

　　鯀到天帝那裏偷取了息壤，把洪水止住了。可是天帝發現寶貝被盜，他怒極了，就命令火神 祝融把鯀殺掉，奪回剩餘的息壤，結果洪水再次泛濫起來。

　　鯀的屍體停放了三年都沒有腐爛，天帝很是奇怪，於是派一個神仙把屍體剖開看個究竟。奇跡發生了！一條巨龍竟從鯀的肚子裏跳了出來。原來鯀就算是死了，他解救天下蒼生的心願還在。他在肚子裏孕育了他的兒子，那就是後來繼承他的遺志治理洪水的禹。天帝被父子倆不屈不撓的意志所感動，不但把息壤賜給禹，還命神龍幫助他。

　　誰料水神 共工卻與禹對抗，用洪水把大地都淹沒了。禹與天下眾神合作，命大黑神龜背起息壤，而他就把息壤投向大地，疊成了許多陸地和高山。他又用神龍的尾巴劃分地界，率領人民沿界綫開闢江河，把洪水引入大海。幾經艱辛，人們終於得以重建家園。

註：

鯀可能是個英雄，不是儒家描繪的負面形像。