tale 27 learning
Learn languages
(via Skype): Rainer: + 36 20 549 52 97 or + 36 20 334 79 74
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Learning
Once there was a young monkey, who wanted to
learn something about life. Therefore, he asked some older monkeys, but they
couldn’t really answer his questions. So, he left his small village and went
into the mountains. There near a fountain, he saw a very old monkey with grey
and white hair. Our young monkey thought that this grey one had to be so old
that he should know at least something about life.
“Oh, honoured wise monkey!” the young addressed
him, “can you tell me something about life?” The old didn’t even look at him,
just left his paw pointing to a cave.
The young understood that he should go into the
cave. When he entered, he saw some bananas filled with honey and covered with
coconut slivers. He was hungry, so he ate some. Then, he was thirsty and remembered
the fountain. Therefore, he came out off the cave and bend down at the water
to drink. When his lips touched the refreshing wet, he felt a kick in his
rear and fell into the cold pond.
When his head come up to the surface of the water
again, he saw the old monkey with angry eyes but a big smile on his face. The
young understood that he had eaten up the entire old monkey’s food and
therefore was punished. He swam to the other side of the pond, climbed out,
dried himself a bit and went away.
The next day, he went to see the old monkey
again, because he felt he could learn a lot from him. When he arrived, the
old monkey sat on his usual place between the cave and the fountain. The
young bowed deeply in front of him and waited. Then, the old lifted his paw
pointing to the cave and the young went in. This time, he didn’t touch any of
the food but went on further into the cave. It was very dark inside, so he
put his hands in front in order not to run against anything. Nevertheless,
when he advanced, his head hit something. It was a branch of a tree put up
there by the old. Maybe the old wanted to tell him to protect his head over
all. For that day, he thought he had learned enough and left the cave.
Outside, he bowed low to the old and went away.
The following morning, he found the old monkey
near the fountain watching the sky. He bowed low and went into the cave
again. This time, he held his hands in front of his head and went on in the
dark. He could feel the branch with his hands and thought he had already
learned something. Nevertheless, after some steps, he fell over a branch laid
on the floor. A new lesson for today, he thought and left the cave.
The fourth day, the young monkey had brought a
torch in order to find his way through the labyrinths of the cave. It was a
wonderful cave. The old monkey or older generations had painted beautiful
animals and flowers on the wall. It was like a holly temple. He had spent a
lot of time in the cave and his torch went to an end. He could hardly find
the way out.
The fifth day, the young monkey had two torches
and could go a very long way in the cave. When the first torch came to an
end, he lit the second torch with the last spark and came out happily.
The cave had totally occupied his imagination and
he decided to go till the end of the cave. Therefore, the sixth day, he took
many torches with him to help him. When he arrived near the fountain, he
found the old monkey sleeping. The young didn’t want to disturb him, lit his
first torch and went in.
He wandered for a long time and when half of his
torches had burned down, he had to decide whether to go on or back. He
vacillated for a moment, but then went back to the entrance.
The seventh day, he did not come to the cave. The
wish to discover the end and the fear of getting stuck in it fought in his
mind.
Finally, the eighth day, he took as many torches
as he could and when he got to the fountain, he knelt down in front of the
old monkey and asked him whether he had ever gone through the whole cave. The
old looked at him but didn’t answer. They sat there for a long time.
The young’s hands were wet, he was sweating all
over his body. Suddenly, the young got up, lit his first torch and stepped
into the cave. Fast, he rushed through the different chambers and cells, he
already knew. Torch after torch burnt down, but he had decided he would go
till the end.
When his last torch had gone, he sat down for a
moment. What was he going to do now?
After some time, he got to his feet, but he
didn’t take the way back.
On and on he went and doubts came into his mind.
More and more often, he sat down to have a rest.
Unexpectedly, it was like having heard some kind
of sound. Was it real or had he just imagined it? He went on into the
direction of it. He sat down listened, went on. He sensed a kind of fresh air
breeze. There had to be an exit somewhere around there, he thought.
He went on for some more time when he suddenly
perceived a gleam of a light somewhere in the far.
Sometimes, he hit his head of elbows into protruding
rocks, but the light came nearer. He knew he had found the exit. Happiness
grew in his heart.
Actually, the hole was very small and he had to
get some smaller rocks out of his way, but the evening sun shone smoothly
into the exit of the cave. He had been under earth a whole day, he thought.
Nevertheless, when he finally could get out of
the cave, he was rather disappointed. Below him, there was a deep abyss and
the peak of the rocky wall far above him.
It was getting dark and he could not climb at
night. Hunger and thirst
tormented him. He realized that he hadn’t eaten nor drunk all day long.
He decided to stay where he was and have a rest.
The next morning he would decide whether to climb or to try to go back the
way in the cave. Both options seemed rather impossible.
He could hardly wait for the sun to rise and when
he looked around, he was close to tears. He decided to climb because he
calculated that he would probably not find the way back the other entrance of
the cave.
Several times, he slipped and nearly fell some
off the rock wall. It took him two days to come to the bottom.
When he finally reach the foot of the rock wall,
he laid down and totally exhausted fell asleep.
Then, he found some water and food and tried to
find the way back to his valley.
It took him another week to get back to the old
monkey, the fountain and the entrance of the cave.
When he arrived, he had come from the other side
and the old monkey was sitting with his back to him.
The young knelt down and told the old what he had
experienced.
His account ended with: “Sometimes, learning is
sweet, sometimes sour, hard and tender, …………….., but it’s never what it looks
like, it’s always surprising.”
All the time of his story telling, the old monkey
had not moved.
He found out that the old could not understand
him because he was deaf.
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Samstag, 14. März 2020
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