Wisdom For Sale

Wisdom for Sale
A poor Brahman* boy lost his parents in a terrible flood. He was
left alone, an orphan with no home and no job. He didn't know
what he would do or how he would live. But he was a very smart
boy and had learned many things from his father, so it didn't take
him long to think of a great idea. One day he walked into town,
hired the smallest, cheapest place he could find in themarketplace, and opened a store. He spent the little money he
had on paper, ink, and a pen. Over his store he put a sign saying
"Wisdom for sale."
All around him in the busy marketplace merchants owned
large, attractive stores selling things that people needed, like cloth,
meat, fruit, and vegetables. The Brahman boy stood outside his
little store all day, calling out, "Wisdom for sale!Good prices!
Wisdom of all kinds! Wisdom!"
People passing his store, who had come to buy supplies for
their homes and families, thought he was odd but amusing too.
Instead of buying his wisdom they crowded around, laughing at
him and shouting.
"If you're so wise, boy, why do you have such a tiny store and
why do you wear such old, dirty clothes?"
"Oh wise one, can you make my wife stoptelling me what to
do?"
But the boy was patient.
One day a merchant's son was walking through the
marketplace and heard the boy shouting, "Wisdom! Get it here!
Good prices!" He followed the boy's voice through the colorful,
noisy crowds until he came to his tiny store. This merchant's son
was very rich, but also very stupid. He didn't understand what
*Brahman: the highest social level offollowers of the Hindu religion
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the boy was selling. He thought it was something he could eat or
hold. He asked the Brahman boy the price per kilo.
The Brahman boy answered, "I don't sell wisdom by weight. I
sell it by quality."
So the merchant's son put down a rupee and said, "All right.
I'd like a rupee's worth of wisdom, please."
The boy's face suddenly became very serious.
He put therupee in his pocket and told the merchant's son to sit down.
Then he also sat down. He looked carefully at the merchant's son's face
for a moment, then up at the sky. Then he took out a piece of
paper, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and
wrote. When he had finished, he folded the paper, waved his hand
over it three times, stood up, and gave it to the merchant's son.
Onthe paper were the words, "It is not wise to stand and watch
two people fighting."
The boy told him in a serious voice, "Keep this with you
always."
The merchant's son was very excited. He quickly went home
and ran into the house, shouting, "Father, you won't believe what
happened to me today. Come quick and see what I've bought!"
When his father read the paper, he couldn't believe his eyes.He
screamed at his son, "You stupid boy! I can't believe my son paid a
rupee for this nonsense! Everyone knows you shouldn't stand and
watch two people fighting! Who sold you this garbage?"
His son then told him about the boy and his little store.
The father immediately went to the store.
"Aha! There you are!" he shouted, when he entered the tiny
store and saw the Brahman boy.
"Yes, here Iam," replied the boy. "And who are you?"
"I'm the father of the fool who bought this piece of nonsense
from you!" He threw the piece of paper at the boy. "You're a thief
and you've cheated my son! Yes, he's a fool, but you're a thief!
Return the rupee he paid you or I'll call the police!"
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The Brahman boy read the paper and said, "If you don't like
my goods, you can return them. Give meback my goods and I'll
return your money"
"I've just returned your goods. Now give me my son's rupee
or I'll call the police!"
"Sir, you have not returned my goods. You've only returned
the piece of paper. If you want your money, you must return my
wisdom. You must sign a document saying that your son will
never use my advice, that he will always stand and watch two
people fighting."...