01/11/2025
âTeacher, Iâve read so many books⌠but Iâve forgotten most of them. So whatâs the point of reading?â
That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The teacher didnât answer. He just looked at him in silence.
A few days later, they were sitting by a river, suddenly, the old man said:
âIâm thirsty. Bring me some water⌠but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.â
The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes?
But he didnât dare argue.
He picked up the strainer and tried.
Once. Twice. Over and over againâŚ
He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldnât hold a single drop.
Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the teacherâs feet and said:
âIâm sorry. I failed. It was impossible.â
The teacher looked at him kindly and said:
âYou didnât fail. Look at the strainer.â
The student glanced down⌠and noticed something.
The old, dark, dirty strainer was now shining clean. The water, though it never stayed, had washed it over and over until it gleamed.
The teacher continued:
âThatâs what reading does. It doesnât matter if you donât remember every detail. It doesnât matter if the knowledge seems to slip through, like water through a strainerâŚ
Because while you read, your mind is refreshed.
Your spirit is renewed.
Your ideas are oxygenated.
And even if you donât notice it right away, youâre being transformed from the inside out.â
Thatâs the true purpose of reading.
Not to fill your memoryâŚ
but to cleanse and enrich your soul.
ctto
