Finally, a good response! Thank you Taiji Monkey.

Actually, I think this is a better use of this forum.

However, while your boss might have a point, it falls into a form of intellectual quicksand that can result in knowing nothing - which is the point I guess...

But, like it or not, these stories and parables have meanings passed on for generations. They serve as guideposts, if you will. Pointing towards the next steps on the road, and do actually have a consistent meaning and interpretation. That is the point of a parable.

Poetry may deserve your bosses interpretation, but applying that to the parable is perhaps a misunderstanding of what your boss means.

Nontheless, I would still counter that TWS interpretation is so far off base, and creates a rather misguided line of thinking, that it could be called incorrect. Even in the arena of Zen.