Looking for the tree of immortality

The famous Persian poet Rumi tells us that one day, in a village
in the north of what is now Iran, there appeared a man who told
marvelous stories about a tree whose fruit made whoever ate of it
immortal.
The news soon reached the ears of the king, but before he could
ask the exact location of the such a prodigy of nature, the traveler
had already departed.
Nonetheless, the king was determined to become immortal, for he
wanted to have enough time to turn his kingdom into an example for
all the peoples of the world. When he was a young man he had dreamed
of making poverty disappear, teaching justice, feeding every single
one of his subjects, but soon realized that this was the work of more
than one generation. Still, life had given him a chance and he was
not going to let it slip through his fingers. He called the bravest
man in his court and entrusted him to find the tree.
The man left the following day carrying enough money to obtain
information, food and all that was necessary to attain his objective.
He traveled through many towns and over plains and mountains, asking
questions and offering rewards. The honest people told him that such
a tree did not exist; the cynics treated him with ironic respect, and
some crooks sent him off to remote places just to get some coins for
their information.
After many disappointments, the man decided to give up his
search.
Although he admired his sovereign immensely, he would return
empty-handed. He realized that this meant he would lose his honor,
but he was tired and convince that such a tree did not exist.
On his way back, on climbing a little hill, he remembered that a
wise man lived there, and thought: "I have lost all hope of ever
finding what I wanted, but at least I can ask for his blessing and
beg him to pray for my destiny."
On reaching the wise man's house, he could bear it no more and
burst into tears.
- Why are you in such despair, my son? - asked the holy man.
- The king charged me to find a tree that was unique in the
world, one whose fruit makes us live for ever. I have always
fulfilled my duty with loyalty and courage, but this time I am
returning home empty-handed.
The wise man began to laugh:
- What you are looking for exists, and it is made of the water
of Life that comes from God's infinite ocean. Your mistake was to try
to find a form with a name.
"Sometimes this is called "tree," other times "sun," or "cloud,"
we can call it anything that exists on the face of the Earth.
However, to find this fruit, one must renounce form and seek content.
"Anything that has the presence of the Creation is in itself
eternal, nothing can be destroyed." When our heart stops beating,
even so our essence transforms into nature around us. We can become
trees, raindrops, plants, or even another human being.
"Why dwell on the word "tree" and forget that we are immortal?
We are always reborn in our children, in the love that we show to the
world, in each and every gesture of generosity and charity that we
practice.
"Go back and tell the king that he need not worry about finding
a fruit from some magic tree. Each attitude and decision that he
makes now will endure for many generations. So ask him to be fair and
just to his people, and if he does his work with dedication, no-one
will ever forget him. His example will influence the history of his
people and stimulate his children and grandchildren always to act in
the best possible way.
And he added: "all those who look for just a name will always be
stuck to appearance without ever discovering the hidden mystery of
things and the miracle of life."
"All the fighting that goes on is on account of names: property,
jealousy, wealth, immortality. But when we forget the name and look
for the reality hiding behind the words, we will have all that we
desire - and peace of mind too."

Warrior of the Light, a www.paulocoelho.com.br publication