"He Who Knows Others is Wise"
Mr. Wong was a teacher for many
years. He did not make much money and he lived alone. He walked
to school every day carrying his heavy books. He would go into
the schoolhouse ready to teach the kids. It was a small school
and all the kids were in one classroom. It was a small village
school and there were not many kids who went there. Mr. Wong taught
many subjects to the kids. He was always interested in what they
had to say. He learned new things from them all the time. They
always added new ideas to his teaching.
Mr. Wong did his job for a long time and he loved it. He was a
very smart man and when some of the adults wondered why he stayed
a teacher. He could make more money doing something else but he
never wanted to quit his job at the school.
One day the king came to town and was looking for someone to write
a story about him. He was looking for Mr. Wong because he heard
he was very smart and a good writer. The king sent his servants
to go find Mr. Wong and bring him back. Mr. Wong was proud that
the king wanted him to write a story about him. He thanked the
king for choosing him but he could not take the job. He did not
want to leave the school and the kids. The king was shocked that
Mr. Wong would not take the job. This job would pay more money
than he made now. Mr. Wong explained to the king that the money
was not important to him at all. What was important to him was
his teaching. He loved his job and would not leave it. He told
the king, "He who knows others is wise." The both bowed
to each other and the king understood what Mr. Wong meant.
This showed that a person can learn from another person no matter
what the age. You can gain wisdom from listening to other people.