“Hey, Tom. What are you doing bro?” Asked my friend Drew. He is also a successful businessman like me. We both started our businesses at the same time and both are young, successful, hardworking men. However, Drew has more fun than I do. Whenever I see him, he is always on vacation.
“What sup Drew? Again going for a vacation or busy partying, huh?” I asked with humor in my voice.
“Nope dude, just came here to ask you about lunch, are you coming or still working? How much time do I have to tell you to have fun in your life?” He said with a serious tone.
All my friends call me workaholic and why will they not call me that. Drew is also successful but he has fun a lot.
“No D, I can’t just have some work to do. You can continue your lunch without me.”
“Oh no, don’t just tell me you are working again take break from this all bro. I am also as successful as you are right?”
“Yes man we both are.”
“I have fun and you just keep working. You do not even take holiday for Saturday and Sunday. So Why? Have you seen me? How many times have I told you to take a break? Is that right?”
“Yeah I know but I don’t like doing all that stuff, I like to work.”
“Hey, why don’t you go there?” he asks himself thoughtfully.
“What are talking about?”
“Alps”
“What is there?”
“There is a saint there who will help you to think about things other than business and work.”
“I don’t want to go anywhere.” I said annoyingly.
“You will have to. He is a great saint. Just try once it will give you more knowledge. Good for you bro.”
“But that…” he cut me off in the middle by saying and giving me serious look.
“No but and no if. You are going there and that is final. I don’t want to hear anything.”
“Ok for you.”
After a week
Tom was in the Alps now. Climbing the mountains. As Drew has told him, he did it. He feels very exhausted from climbing the mountain. His water has been finished a long time ago and there it is so cold here. The oxygen level is very low up here. One more day before I will reach the top. My body is sore from all this climbing. I get a sound sleep whenever I touch my head to the pillow.
One and a half day later,
I reached at the top of the mountain and I am finding the saint about whom Drew told me. I was roaming here and there finding him but could not find him. After some time I began to get frantic. I searched but no, there was no sign of him.
I thought of searching again tomorrow and now I get some rest.
Next morning I woke up quite late. I hurriedly got fresh and changed my clothes, packed my stuff and went for my search and today I was determined and dedicated to find him.
Near afternoon when I was walking by a huge den like structure, I heard that someone was inside and saying something in hushed tones, I can hear it, as there was no noise out here. I went inside and was very pleased to see the scenario in front of me. There on a raised platform sat a man with long beard and white airy clothes made of cotton, his eyes were closed and his lips were moving in a silent prayer to god. He was very happy that he has found him.
He didn’t want to disturb him so he came inside and sat down near the saint.
But the saint had his sixth sense and knew that someone was there with him and opened his eyes to find a young man sitting near him.
“What are you doing her my son?” Asked the saint to Tom “and what is your name?”
“Sir, my name is Tom, actually, I am a businessman and my friend told me to come here and meet you. He said that you can teach me new things and can help me with my problem.”
“What problem are you having Tom?”
“My problem is as my friends say is that I don’t have fun and I am a workaholic who works every time.”
“Son can you see that kettle and the cup and saucer there?”
“Yes sir, I can.”
“Just fill it how much you want to with tea.”
‘Ok sir”
I started filling the cup with tea. I am thinking that for whom this tea served, for him or me? I filled the cup half and looked toward the saint and asked him that is this ok but he said to fill it more. He filled it until the cup was full and there was no chance for more tea and was going to keep the kettle down on the ground. But the saint told him to keep pouring more.
“I want only this much tea sir.” I said.
He said, “Just keep pouring my son. Do what you are told to do.”
“But sir, there is no more space in the cup.”
“Just do it.”
“Okay”
He poured more tea into the cup and it overflowed and fell into the saucer. He looked up in question to the saint but he had a poker face on.
He kept pouring and quickly the saucer was also full and was overflowing. All the tea overflowed and fell to the dirty ground.
The saint told him to stop and keep the kettle down.
“This was not for you son and nor for me. But a lesson I was trying to teach you. Ok, tell me that what did you carried with you when you came up here to find me.”
“My tent, some clothes, canned food and water bottles which finished really fast.”
“No child you carried your success, your prior knowledge, your prior attitude and there is no place for my knowledge to fit in. if I gave some knowledge where would have gone on the ground like the tea. Your brain must have over flown with knowledge just as the cup was overflowing with the tea.
Whenever you go to a person for gaining knowledge, please dump all the knowledge you have about it and then go. Go to him with an empty cup, my child.
~Ameek Mander
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