Once there lived an expert archer. He could shoot arrows by various ways on the target. Many people used to just stand and admire his archery skills. One day, he was displaying his skills in middle of a market. Many people gathered around him. Whenever he showcased any special skill of shooting arrows, everyone started clapping and it was attracting even more people. One oil-seller was also selling oil in the market. His attention also went towards the crowd and he also started watching the archer's skills.
Whenever the archer showed any stunt, the oil seller laughed and said, "This is nothing special, but only practice." The archer listened his words each time he showed his stunts. The archer started becoming angry, as the oil-seller did not appreciate his skills even for a single time but only laughed and said the same thing. After his show was over, the archer went near the oil-seller and said, "What do you mean by saying that there was nothing special in my stunts? I am such an expert archer. Everyone just admires my skills, and you were saying it was nothing but only practice!!!"
The oil-seller said, "I was only telling the truth. Actually, all the archery skills that you possess are only because you have practiced them. Whatever you practice, you will achieve higher levels of perfection in it. This is not limited to your archery skills, many people practice anger. They are very expert in getting angry. Within fractions of second, they acquire a lot of anger. Same goes with everything, may it be love, kindness, jealousy or anything. Whatever you practice, you become perfect in it." The archer did not understand and replied angrily, "So you want to say that anyone can do all this if they practice?" The oil-seller replied, "Absolutely!!" Listening this, the archer became even more angry. He said, "So, what do you practice? Is there anything at which you have achieved perfection? I bet I can do anything that you can do, but you will never be able to acquire the great archery skills like me."
The oil-seller took his pot of oil down from his shoulders. Then he took out a coin (Long time ago, the coins used to have a central hole). Then he took out a bottle and put it on the ground. The archer was seeing all this with a confused mind. The oil-seller again lifted the pot, took the coin in one hand and started pouring the oil, right through the hole into the bottle; and not a single drop fell on the ground. After the bottle is filled with oil, he turned towards the archer and said, "Now its your turn to do this!!"
If you have a special skill, then why shouldn't you be appreciating the skills of others. For Example, if I dance very good and someone else sings very well, I won't challenge the other person that your singing is just mere practice, come on show me if you can dance like me! The oil-seller was rude according to me. :|
ReplyDeleteThe thing was that the archer had become quite proud of the talent that he possessed. The oil-seller was not insulting the archer but only wanted to remind him that he should not become too much proud of his accomplishments as an archer. Only dedication and practice is required and he should be humble rather than filling himself with ego over his talents. With too much of ego, the archer would not grow any further. A learner should always keep the thirst of knowledge alive!! :)
DeleteYes you are right, some people achieve success and then waste it wit their arrogance. One should remain as cool and as humble as possible irrespective of the positions they hold.
ReplyDelete