Neither ingenuity nor knowledge is truly valuable unless it contributes to the well-being of life.
A Bee and a Spider once debated who was the better artist. The Spider boasted of her mathematical skills, claiming that no one knew more about lines, angles, squares, and circles than she did. She argued that her webs were masterpieces of art, unmatched by any other creature, and entirely of her own making. The Bee, however, countered that her ability to extract honey from even the simplest weeds should be seen as a talent. She pointed out that while she collected nectar from flowers, her work did not diminish their fragrance. Furthermore, she argued that the regularity and usefulness of her combs, combined with the sweetness of her honey and the versatility of her wax, made her work far more valuable than the Spider’s flimsy webs. Ultimately, the Bee asserted that the worth of any art should be measured by its usefulness.
