Bandits（土匪，盗贼） had struck again in Fuyang! This time they robbed a dozen people. Then they chopped off（砍掉） their heads and their hands. All the people were frightened by such savagery¹（野蛮，凶残） .

There were floods in Xiangyang. Hundreds of houses disappeared under the water overnight. The inhabitants lost everything, and had no place to go. But they were the lucky ones, the ones who were not drowned immediately or carried off in the raging（愤怒的，狂暴的） flood waters.

As a local official, Li Beide felt he had to do something about the tragedies that struck the people under his jurisdiction²（权力） . As a kind man, he felt sorry for all those unlucky people. As a Taoist（道士） , he wondered what might be the cause behind all these disasters.

"If anybody would know, it would be my Teacher, the great sorcerer（魔术师） Lin. "When he got a chance, Li went to the Er-Xian Temple to visit his Teacher. When he got there, the sorcerer was sitting in meditation³（冥想，沉思） , exercising his powers.

When Li came in, the sorcerer welcomed him. Li asked, "Teacher, I would like to ask the cause behind all the disasters which have befallen our unhappy district of late. Bandits have come like a swarm⁴ of angry hornets（大黄蜂） . They kill and burn. Floods have destroyed the fruits of many years of hard work. Teacher, tell me why."

"I rarely leave this temple," said the Teacher. "I do not follow current events."　　

"But why should these people be subjected to these terrible occurrences?"

The sorcerer heaved a deep sigh. "You reap as you sow. People are selfish and cruel. They only think about their own stomachs, so they kill animals to eat their meat.

"The killed animals are wrathful（愤怒的，激怒的） . When much wrath⁵ accumulates, the peace of nature is disturbed, so the heaven break open and waters flood the land. Some of the animals come back in rebirth as human beings, and murder and rob as vengeance⁶（复仇） for misdeeds done unto them.

"There is no escaping the power of nature. People who have done wrong bring misfortune down upon themselves and upon their families. Those who go against nature bring themselves tragedy."

Although this story dates back hundreds of years, it is especially important for us now, at the end of the twentieth century. Florida is struck by hurricanes and tornadoes⁷. California is shaken by earthquakes, parched⁸（烘干） by drought, and then drenched⁹ by（淋透，湿透） storms. Windstorms and snowstorms destroy property and leave thousands homeless across the nation.

We should listen to the wisdom of the ancients and see how we fly in the face of nature. Killing¹⁰, violence, drug abuse, homosexuality, unsettling（使人不安的） music, alcoholism, lurid¹¹（可怕的） journalism¹², and promiscuity¹³（乱交，混乱） are modern people's entertainment. Is it any wonder that nature can barely tolerate us any more?