A young man caught a small bird, and held it behind his back.
He then asked, “Master, is the bird I hold in my hands alive or dead.”
The boy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on the old man.
If the master answered “dead”, it would be let loose into the air.
If the master answered “alive”, he would simply wring its neck.
The master spoke, “The answer is in your hands”.