Bickart’s Just-in-Time Fables
Volume 1
(First Edition)
John Bickart, Ph.D.
Cover art and Illustrations by Wendy Bickart
Red Shirt Interactive Group
Asheville, NC
Copyright © 2020 John Bickart. Some rights reserved.
This book may be shared for non-commercial reasons. This means that it may be copied as a whole or in part and shared in print or any electronic media as long as it is not sold or used to carry advertising. If copied, the author requests attribution.
1st edition, June 2020
ISBN: 9798646622175
Printed in the United States of America
Acknowledgements
Wendy senses blind spots when I do not. She can empty herself and give everything to what is in front of her. She meets me at every turn and puts a new spring in my step. If not for her, I don't really know which way I would be facing. Aesop taught me to look for the moral to the story as Anderson taught me that the moral to at least one story is that whatever the old man does is always right. Tzu taught me to return to the path, and Socrates and Plato taught me that learning is remembering. Homer taught me the simile, and Aristotle taught me to see the world. Hafiz and Rumi taught me to laugh. Confucius taught me the golden rule, and Buddha taught me that whatever I think is the one answer, it is not this.
With all of this, you would think I’m ready. Nevertheless, the spiritual world within everything and everyone around me keeps reminding me to have fun. I think they are saying that you are never done; and somehow, that’s good.
​
Table of Contents
Volume 1
#1 The Rules … THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW THE RULES CANNOT FOLLOW THEM
#2 The Man of Medicine and the Girl … WHY KEEP TRYING WHEN YOU CAN KNOW
#3 Wishes are like Woodcarvings … WISHES ALWAYS COME TRUE
#4 The Bear and the Tree … ASK IN THE RIGHT WAY, AND YOU MAY GET YOUR ANSWER
​#5 The Two Frogs … DO NOT JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS
#6 The Wolf and her Young … INTENTION CAN OVERCOME INHERITANCE
#7 The Robin and the Girl … IDEAS COME TOGETHER WHILE MATTER FALLS APART
#8 The Beaver and the Bee … MORE TALENT NECESSITATES MORE TRIES
#9 Contagion … BOTH BAD AND GOOD CAN BE CONTAGIOUS
#10 The Seven Wise Men … STEP BACK TO SHED MORE LIGHT ON A PROBLEM
#11 Two Wolves Trilogy
Two Wolves I … EVEN ANCIENT WISDOM NEEDS RENEWAL
Two Wolves II … THE NEW PATH IS ONE OF INCLUSION
Two Wolves III … FORMER ENEMIES CAN BECOME FUTURE FRIENDS
#12 A Tale of One City … WE CREATE THE WORLD WE CHOOSE
#13 Mother Hen and Mother Duck … WE SINK OR SWIM TOGETHER
#14 The Ox and the Mule … WE NEED TO PULL TOGETHER
#15 Our Moment in History … DO NOT LAMENT THE PAST OR WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE - SEIZE THE MOMENT
#16 The Three Tortoises … SEE THE WHOLE IN THE PART
#17 Three Heads are Better than One … THE HEART DECIDES
#18 Playing with Fire … THE POWER OF FIRE IS GIVEN - THE FREEDOM TO USE IT MUST BE EARNED
​#19 The 5 Rules of Living … SEPARATENESS IS A SUBTLE DECEPTION OF LIFE ON EARTH
#20 The Owl, the Fox and the Hare … INSPECTING DOES NOT SEE LIKE BEHOLDING
#21 The Light and the Dark … TRINITY IS A BIRTH, NOT A COMPROMISE
​#22 The Bear and the Crow … SEEK CHALLENGES FIRST, THEN REWARD
​#23 The Fairy Gate … THE WHERE AND WHEN IS HERE AND NOW
#24 The Three Little Cubs … LEARN THE LABEL, BUT KEEP LISTENING
#25 The First Name … LEARN THE NAME, BUT KEEP LOOKING
#26 The First Writing … LANGUAGE REDUCES EXPERIENCE
#27 The Point and the Line Trilogy
The Point and the Line I … CONTRACTION AND EXPANSION NEED EACH OTHER
The Point and the Line II … THE WHOLE IS IN THE PART
The Point and the Line III … OPPOSITES NEED EACH OTHER
#28 The Ends of Wishes … THE END OF A WISH IS GRATITUDE
#29 The Human Race … DREAMING CAN BE WAKING
#30 The Fox and the Mule … PRESENCE LEADS TO VISIONS
#31 The Monkey with the Wrench … IF YOU PROJECT YOURSELF BACKWARD, SIDEWARD, AND FORWARD THEN YOU ARE DOOMED TO BE ALONE
#32 The Kangaroo … REFUSING TO LOOK CAN CAUSE BLINDNESS
#33 The Two Mourning Doves … IT IS IMPORTANT WHERE YOU LAND
#34 The Eagle and the Mole … MISTAKES CAN BRING INSIGHT
#35 The Tree and the Toad … THE FORCE THAT LIFTS THE TREE LIFTS THE SMILE
#36 The First Walk … DO NOT PRACTICE STAYING - LEARN TO RETURN
#37 The Bull and the Flowers … UNCONDITIONAL ATTENTION OVERFLOWS INTO SPONTANEOUS ACTION
#38 The First Fable … FABLES ARE WHAT WE USED TO KNOW
#39 Father Pigeon and Son Pigeon … SHOWING IS BETTER THAN TELLING
#40 The Secret of the Rock … SOMETIMES LESS IS MORE
#41 The First Joke … WHAT YOU CANNOT SEE COMING CAN HAVE GREAT POWER
#42 The Four Sons … EVEN THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD NEEDS REVISION NOW AND AGAIN
#43 The First Gift … YOU DO NOT HAVE IDEAS SO MUCH AS THEY HAVE YOU
#44 The Two Pigs … THE WAY TO SYNTHESIS IS ATTENTION
#45 Elementary School … YOU HAVE TO LEARN WHAT’S WHAT AND WHAT’S NOT
#46 Two Groups of Ants … THE COMMUNITY IS WHOLE WHEN THE INDIVIDUALS ARE WHOLE
#47 The Donkey and the Magpie … PERHAPS INTENTION AFFECTS BOTH THE PHYSICAL AND NON-PHYSICAL WORLD
#48 The Boar … YOUR POWER IS REAL - CONFIDENCE IS THE ILLUSION
#49 The Two Crows … FRIENDS ARE NOT PERFECT - BUT THEY ARE IRREPLACEABLE
#50 The Next Humans … WAKE UP
Volume 2
​#51 Oneness … WE CAN BE ONE IN SONG
#52 The First Disregard … THERE IS NO GRATITUDE WITHOUT REGARD
#53 Naming … NAMING CAN SUBSTITUTE FOR KNOWING
#54 The Sleepwalker … WAKING IS A GIFT - STAYING AWAKE IS A TRIBUTE
​#55 The Two Horses … THE LEAST OF US CAN CHANGE THE WORLD
#56 The Three Sisters … CHOOSE YOUR STORIES WELL
#57 The First Artist … THE PHYSICAL WORLD MAY BE A RESPONSIVE MEDIUM
#58 The First Fall … FALLING MAY JUST BE WHAT WE DO BEST
#59 The First Loan … A LOAN NEED NOT HAVE INTEREST
#60 The First Mechanization … MECHANIZATION CAN PREVENT US FROM STAYING IN TOUCH
#61 The Last Intuition … MAYBE WRITING STARTED TO REMIND US OF OUR LOST INTUITIONS
#62 The Three Chipmunks … FEED YOUR CHILDREN ON YOUR DREAMS
#63 The Olive Tree, The Grape Vine and the Dog … LANGUAGE IS IRRESISTIBLE AND IRREPRESSIBLE
#64 The Two Dolphins … EMBRACE THE WHOLE INCLUDE THE PARTS
#65 The Elephant … YOU GROW OLD IN ORDER TO GROW YOUNG
#66 The Two Lovers … OUR GIFT IS OUR TIME - OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS OUR GRATITUDE
#67 The Genius … TO ACHIEVE COMPLEX YET SIMPLE, IMITATE NATURE - REPEAT THE WHOLE IN EVERY PART
#68 Two By Two … WHAT YOU DO TO ANOTHER YOU DO TO YOURSELF
#69 The Two Kittens … GIVING A GIFT ACTUALLY IS MORE FUN THAN GETTING ONE
#70 The Lion and the Mouse … WISDOM IS THE MASTER WE WOULD BE WISE TO SERVE
#71 The First Beings … THINGS START SPIRITUAL THEN BECOME PHYSICAL
​#72 The Bear Cub and the Honey … THINK WITH YOUR HEART
​#73 The First Money … MONEY IS A BEAUTIFUL STORY - THE PROMISE OF A GIFT
#74 The Fox and the Hound … TO LET GO OF THE PAST ASK, “WHAT IS NEXT?”
#75 The Cat and the Mouse … WISH WISELY - FOR SOMETIMES OUR WISHES CAN BE OUR PUNISHMENTS
#76 The Two Heroes … WHETHER LIFE IS A COMEDY OR A TRAGEDY IS DECIDED BY THE ENDING … WHETHER YOU ARE HEROIC IS ANOTHER STORY
#77 The First Teacher … TRUE TEACHERS MAY LOOK LIKE FOLLOWERS
#78 The First Student … WE ALL WANT GRATITUDE
#79 The Genius of Rocks … THE GENIUS OF ROCKS IS THAT THEY DO NOT PUSH BACK
#80 The Bee and the Otter … SEEK THE NEW … REGAIN THE OLD
​#81 The Alpha and the Pup … TEACH YOUR PARENTS WELL
#82 The Next Great Idea … PERHAPS SOME IMPORTANT ANSWERS HAVE BEEN RIGHT IN FRONT OF US ALL ALONG
#83 The Pack Mule and the Pheasant … CROSS THE THRESHOLD … WITH NO DESIRE TO RUN
​#84 The Ghost Writer … WHO AM I?
​#85 The First Cover-up … SOMETIMES IT TAKES UNLAYERING TO SEE THE TRUTH
​#86 Little Bear … DO NOT ALWAYS ASK, “WHY?” - SOMETIMES ASK, “WHY NOT?”
#87 The Crow … SHORT-TERM CONSTRUCTION MAY BE LONG-TERM DESTRUCTION
#88 The Snail … OBSERVATION CAN CURE BLINDNESS
#89 The Elemental Beings … CONVERSATION CAN DROWN OUT INSPIRATION
#90 The Ant … WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
#91 The Traveling Puppeteer … BREAK ROUTINE BY LOOKING FROM ABOVE
#92 The First Great Play … NATURE THRIVES ON OBSERVATION NOT INTERROGATION
#93 The Jackal … QUANTITY CAN HURT QUALITY
#94 The Tortoise and the Lizard … LET GO OF THE MANY WORK ON ONE
#95 The Green Carpet … CONFORMITY IS AVOIDING YOUR SELF
#96 At Second Glance … INNER VISION COMPLETES OUTER VISION
#97 The First Rider … THE DIVIDED SELF GOES NOWHERE
#98 The First Unspoken Words … SOMEONE HAD TO SAY IT
#99 The First Unlayering … EMPTYING - SEE THE ESSENTIAL
#100 The First Three Lessons … TO WAKE UP … INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE RIGHT, TRY COMPASSION
Volume 3
#101 The Old Man and the Tree … SOME THINGS JUST NEED TO BE SAID
#102 The First Favorite … GET BACK TO THE GARDEN
#103 The Traveling Minstrel … THE PURSUIT OF SECURITY … ROBS US OF MORE THAN TIME
#104 The Waiter … WATCH AND WAIT … TO SEE THE CONNECTION OF ALL THINGS
​#105 The Sly Fox … YOU CANNOT BE SOMEONE ELSE
#106 The Three Muskrats Trilogy
The Three Muskrats I … IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE WHAT YOU CANNOT SEE
The Three Muskrats II … SOMETIMES THE MAJORITY RULES OUT POSSIBILITIES
The Three Muskrats III … ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE
#107 Beeing … BECOMING IS THE WAY TO BEING … WE ARE NEVER DONE
#108 The Mountain Goat … FORGET ABOUT YOUR POSSESSIONS - START ANEW
#109 The Village Idiot … UNTIL WE EMBRACE DIFFERENCE … SOMEONE HAS TO PLAY THE OUTSIDER
#110 They … TO DIVIDE AND CONQUER … UNDOES THE SELF
#111 The Donkey and the Crow … WISH FOR WHATEVER
#112 The Buffalo and Her Neighbors … WE CAN’T TRUST OUR LOWER SELVES … BUT WE CAN HAVE FAITH IN THE HIGHER
#113 The Goldfinch … FORGIVE YOURSELF AND WE ALL WIN
#114 The Hive Mind … WHO IS BUILDING NATURE?
#115 The Chicks … PERHAPS THE CHILDREN WILL SAVE US
#116 The First Blindness … TO BEAUTY OR NOT TO BEAUTY
#117 The School for Squirrels … GET TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER
#118 The First Mistake … DO NOT FEAR MISTAKES … THERE ARE NONE
#119 The Raccoon and the Chipmunk … LET IT GO
#120 The First Everyday … IT’S GOOD TO MARRY YOUR PARTNER … IT’S NOT GOOD TO MARRY YOUR EXPECTATIONS
#121 The Old Badger and the French Hen … DO NOT MISS OUT ON LIFE’S LITTLE PLEASURES
​#122 The Koala Kingdom … IS SHARING REALLY INCONCEIVABLE?
​#123 The Oven and the Radio … WHERE DO INTUITIONS COME FROM?
#124 A Modern Visits an Ancient … SOME THINGS USED TO BE BETTER IN OLDEN TIMES
#125 An Ancient Visits a Modern … SHOULD WE REALLY CONTINUE THIS WAY?
#126 A Modern Visits the Future … FUTURE SCIENCE MIGHT BECOME GREAT FUN!
#127 The Cat Sailor … MOST ARE LOOKING FOR LOVE
#128 The Monkey Villages … TECHNOLOGY IS AN ART … THAT WILL IMITATE WHATEVER YOU OBSERVE
#129 The Owl … STRIVING ISN’T ENOUGH … YOU MUST BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE STRIVING FOR
#130 The First Plants … COULD SOME MYTHS BE REAL?
​#131 The First Reasoning … PERHAPS EVERYTHING IS ALIVE
#132 The Lamb Prodigy … YOU ARE YOUR OWN BEST TEACHER
#133 Speaking in Fables … LEARN TO SPEAK IN FABLES
​#134 The Nightingale and the Oak … EXPECT MIRACLES
#135 The Two Squirrels … IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE - OR DISTURB - A CHILD
​#136 One Man … YOU AFFECT OH-SO MANY OTHERS
#137 One Girl … YOUR OWN HAPPINESS … IS ALREADY A GIFT
#138 The Lens … WHAT LENS ARE YOU LOOKING THROUGH?
#139 The Prophet … HOW DOES ONE WALK ON WATER?
#140 The Two Red-tailed Hawks … IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT BORDERS
#141 Mama Deer and Her Fauns … LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF HOPE
#142 The Lion and the Flea … WHAT IS GOOD TODAY MUST TRANSFORM … TO STILL BE GOOD TOMORROW
#143 The Fit Survivor … MAYBE THE FITTEST DO SURVIVE
#144 The First Verb … BELIEVE, THEN INTEND, THEN BECOME
#145 The First Homo Sapien … CONNECT TO NATURE ONCE AGAIN
#146 The New Idea … PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO TRANSCEND OUR TECHNOLOGY
#147 The Fox and the Mole … BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SOMETHING GOOD
#148 Enlightened … GROWTH IS COMPLETELY UP TO YOU
#149 Recreation … WHAT DO YOU WANT TO CREATE TODAY?
#150 Better … AWAKE TO A NEW DAWN
from the back cover
