Once, many students went to study from a wise hermit. They all stayed at his hermitage. The hermit was very wise but he never allowed his students to call him wise. His students obeyed him. However, one day, a student asked out of curiosity, “But why, sir?” The hermit seemed to smile with his eyes, “You cannot be wise. You can just become it by making mistakes.” This surprised and shocked the student! He asked, “How does one become wise by making mistakes?” Another student spoke up, “It turns out that you can’t be a hermit then!” The hermit just smiled in response. However, a third student protested, “Someone who makes mistakes, learns from them, and therefore becomes smarter than others. So, a person should perform his duties, not fearing that he would make a mistake.” The sage smiled wider and nodded. He said to the third student, “Thank you for making me wiser.”
The Hermit’s Wisdom
