Can you make head or tail of this?

There once was a man. This man was walking in a valley. It is not our place to be asking why. While walking he stumbled upon a stone. He was clumsy that way. Under the stone he found a rolled up piece of paper tied with twine. He unrolled the paper and read:

Go to the river bank.

The man was curious and so kept walking towards the sound of rushing water, until he came to a rapidly flowing river. He was at the bank. What next? On the other side of the river he saw a twinkling light. He decided to try and cross the river. He could swim but the river current was very strong. He feared death by pounding, slicing, and drowning, possibly all at once.

But the light was shiny and the man was but a man with a weakness for shiny things. So in he went.

The water was very cold. He was pulled under many times. He tried swimming deeper to see if the current was weaker. It was not. Just as he was about to give up hope and dedicate his body as fish food, something hooked his arm and he was dragged to the surface.

The next thing he knew he was on the river bank. Somehow he had been pulled across. He looked around. There was a hut off in the distance.

He got up and made his way there, tripping frequently on stones. They had no messages for him, the uncooperative sods.

When he got to the hut he opened the door and inside there was an old man and that man was bald and the old man said:

You have come so far but for a twinkling that is a mere reflection of light. Is that which drives man to strive but an illusion, a trick of the light?

The other man replied:

You pulled me out of the river just to ask me that?

The old man said:

I need the answer.

The wet, valley traversing man said:

What the fuck dude. Just give me the shiny thing and quit asking all these fucking questions. I have to get back to my car. My wife will be freaking out. This is the longest piss break ever.

And the old man said:

Thanks. Just wanted to clear that up.

Then he pressed a button.

What the hell does all this mean? You tell me.