Who Is The Great Teacher?
When I was a kid, my sister gave me a children's book. It's pages were almost torn out, the cover had gone but fortunately, the contents stayed in tact. Without the cover, I could not know the book title and the author. However, as it was the very first book I ever read and owned, it stayed in my memory until now. As a matter of fact I have kept that book until I graduated from high school and moved out from my parents house.
The story was about a boy who wanted to find a great teacher whom might know the answer to all of his questions. He then met an ant. But it was no ordinary ant. It had magical powers and turned the boy to a tiny size just like him.
The boy and the ant wandered in the magic land where all creatures, plants and flowers could talk. The boy asked from one to another if it's a great teacher that knew everything. But each one referred him to another. In the end the boy and his bizarre friend met with an old tree. The tree trunk was huge and looked like a human face was carved into it. That old tree smiled and said: "Boy, there is no such great teacher in this world. Trust me, I have lived five thousand years and I never known anyone that knew everything."
The boy didn't give up yet and asked: "Are you not a great teacher yourself? You have lived five thousand years, you must have learned a lot of things!""
"I only learned few things that are useful to me." The giant tree answered. "If I may give you a piece of advice, you better go home and learn a few things that are useful to you and live your life." As the giant old tree spoke, the boy felt a light breeze and fell asleep.
The boy didn't know how long he had been asleep, but when he woke up, he found his wizard friend on a tree leaf. "I must have dreamt a strange dream," he told himself. But he remembered clearly what the giant old tree had advised him in the dream. The boy looked around and suddenly realized what knowledge he needed more was to solve his school assignment. It was for that purpose he had come to the wood.