$BOB š āTeacher, I have read many booksā¦ but I have forgotten most of them. So, what is the purpose of reading?ā
That was the question from a curious student.
And the teacherā¦ did not answer.
He simply looked at him in silence.
A few days passed.
They were sitting by a river.
Suddenly, the elder said to him:
ā Iām thirsty. Bring me some waterā¦ but use that old strainer you see there on the ground.
The student looked at him puzzled.
It was an absurd request.
How was he going to bring water with a strainer full of holes?
But he didnāt dare to contradict him.
He took the strainer and tried.
Once.
And again.
And one more timeā¦
He ran, filled it, lost all the water on the way.
He tried to go faster.
Cover the holes with his hands.
Change anglesā¦
Nothing worked.
He couldnāt hold a single drop.
Exhausted, frustrated, he sat at the feet of the teacher and said:
ā Iām sorry. I failed. It was impossible.
The teacher looked at him tenderly and said:
ā You have not failed. Look at the strainer.
The student looked at it.
And then he noticed:
That dirty, old, blackened strainerā¦ was now shining.
The water, passing through again and again, had cleaned it.
š¬ And the teacher continued:
ā Thatās how reading is.
It doesnāt matter if you donāt remember everything you read.
It doesnāt matter if the knowledge seems to slip away from your memory like water from the strainerā¦
Because while you read, your mind is being cleaned.
Your spirit is renewed.
Your ideas are oxygenated.
And although you donāt see it, you are transforming inside.
š That is the true purpose of reading.
Not to fill the memoryā¦
but to cleanse the soul.
