One day, an old professor met a young man who asked him, “Do you remember me?” The old man said he did not. Therefore, the man told him that he had once been his disciple. The professor asked him, “Ah, yes? And what do you do now?” The young man replied, “I am a teacher.” “Oh, how wonderful, just like me,” replied the old man. “Yes. I actually became a teacher because it was you who inspired me to be like you.”
The old man was curious and asked him to explain how it was possible, and the young man told him the story:
“One day, a friend of mine came to school with a beautiful new watch, and I stole it from him. Soon my friend noticed the theft and immediately complained to our teacher, and it was you. Then you told all of us in class: “A watch belonging to one of your friends was stolen during today’s class. Whoever stole it, please return it.” However, I did not want to give it back, so nobody moved. Then you closed the door and told us to get up so you could search through our pockets, one by one. However, before that, you had told us to close our eyes. We did that, and you searched through one pocket at a time, and when you came to me, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching through everyone else’s pockets, and when you were done, you said, “Open your eyes. I found the watch.” After that, you never said anything to me, and you never revealed the name of the culprit to the rest of the class. That day, you saved my dignity forever. Otherwise, that would have been the most embarrassing day of my life. Thereafter, you never mentioned anything to me about the theft. Although you did not yell at me or give me a moral lesson, I learned the lesson, nonetheless. Thanks to you, I realized that was how a real educator should act. Can you recall that event, professor?”
The professor replied: “I remember the case of the stolen watch very well and that I searched the pockets of all the students, but I do not remember that it was you, nor could I have known. Because, you see, as I was searching your pockets, I kept my eyes closed too.”
Student – Frater 273 | Reflections on Thelema
https://frater273.com/2020/12/25/student/