Once upon a time, in a peaceful village, there was a wise teacher who loved to teach valuable life lessons to his students. One fine day, while sitting under a large banyan tree with three of his students, the teacher decided to share an intriguing question.
“Imagine there are two people,” the teacher began, “one is dirty and untidy, while the other is neat and clean. If I ask them to take a bath, who do you think will actually take a bath?”
The first student, quick to respond, said, “The one who is dirty and untidy, because he needs to take a bath to become clean.”
The teacher smiled gently and replied, “No, that’s not correct. The one who is neat and clean will take a bath, because the one who is already dirty and untidy doesn’t see the need to clean himself.”
The students looked confused. The teacher then asked again, “Now, who will take the bath?”
The second student thought for a moment and said, “The clean one will take a bath.”
“No,” the teacher said, “it is the dirty and untidy person who needs to take a bath, because he is the one who is in need of change.”
Finally, the teacher asked one last time, “Now, tell me, who will take the bath?”
The third student, deep in thought, answered, “Both people will take a bath.”
The teacher nodded with a wise smile, but then said, “No, none of them will take a bath. The one who is dirty and untidy doesn’t have the habit of keeping himself clean, and the one who is neat and clean does not need to take a bath because he is already clean.”
The students were puzzled, but the teacher’s words stayed with them.
After a while, the teacher explained, “This lesson is not just about baths. It’s about habits. The one who is untidy doesn’t see the value of being clean and doesn’t have the habit of taking care of himself. The one who is already clean doesn’t need to change, as he already has the right habits in place. But most importantly, if a person does not recognize their need for improvement, or does not make an effort to change their habits, they will not make progress.”
Moral of the Story: Change begins with self-awareness and the willingness to improve. Just like cleanliness, good habits and self-discipline must be nurtured. One who is clean needs to maintain their habits, and one who is untidy must first recognize the need for change before they can improve. True progress comes when we acknowledge our shortcomings and take responsibility to better ourselves, rather than relying on others or external factors.
