The Best Teacher
THERE was a farmer who was moderately well-off. He had a flourishing farm, a hard-working wife and an affectionate son. But having all the good things of life had made his son complacent and lazy. No amount of advice from the farmer made any difference.
One day, he sent his son to the forest to cut firewood.
“Don’t panic if you get into any trouble,” he advised. “Necessity will help you.”
With that, he saw his son off on a rather rickety car t.
After a day’s hard labour, the son loaded the cart with wood. As he star ted to leave, the axle gave way and the cart shuddered to a stop.
“Oh no!” exclaimed the young man. “Now what shall I do?”
He puzzled over the problem. After a while, he remembered his father’s words.
“He said Necessity would help me,” thought the boy.
“Necessity! Necessity!” he called out loud. “I need your help!” There was no reply, only the echoing silence of the forest.
Thinking he had to be more polite, the son called out once more.
“Mr. Necessity, Mr. Necessity, please come to my aid.”
When he became tired of shouting, the boy sat down to ponder.
“Perhaps I should help myself,” he thought. He unloaded the firewood, then cut off a stick to suit the length of the broken axle. After he’d fixed it, the young man loaded back the wood, took up the reins and set out on his way home, this time without mishap.
When he reached home, his farmer was overjoyed.
“How was your day?” he enquired.
“You told me Necessity would come to my aid if I were in trouble. But you lied,” he said accusingly. “Then I decided that achieving something with my own ability was better than waiting for someone to help!”
“Now then,” said the farmer with a smile, “wasn’t Necessity the best teacher?”