Independent Minded Professor
There was a philosophical Professor. He used to tell others that he was independent minded. He was not getting influenced by the remarks or thoughts of any person or personality. He used to tell always that he was not influenced by anybody. His thoughts were always independent. This kind of assumption had made him proud without his knowledge.
Once, the independent minded Professor visited the house of one of his childhood friends. The childhood friend observed that lot of changes had taken place in the character of the Professor. He was no more the ordinary and full of fun loving child he used to be in his childhood. It appeared as if the load of knowledge had taken away all simplicity from him.
Having finished their dinner, the Professor went to his bed in the night. After completing the daily ablutions in the morning, he was to attend a conference the next day. In the morning, he entered the bathroom hurriedly. As he entered the bathroom, he saw written on the front wall in neat handwriting, ‘Welcome! Thank you for having come for a bath. Now please look a little above.’ The Professor looked up. It was written up, ‘Thank you for having looked up. Now, will you kindly look a little to the left wall?’ Smilingly, he looked at the left wall. There was a beautiful picture drawn on the left wall and it was written beneath the picture, ‘Thank you. You have looked to the left. Now, it will be over if you kindly look to the right.’ The Professor looked to the right wall inquisitively. It was written on the right wall, ‘So you have completed the examination. Now, the result of your examination is kept in the bucket placed at the right corner of the bathroom.’
The Professor involuntarily looked into the bucket placed at the right corner. A paper was kept folded there. On opening the paper, two sentences were written on that:
‘You are an ass. Otherwise, would you have looked up and down, left and right like this following instructions of the wall?’
The Professor came out of the bathroom. He had a smile on his face. His childhood friend asked, ‘What happened that you have come out? Will you not have your bath?’ The Professor replied, ‘I have failed in your examination. But, I have passed in another bigger examination.’
He never told that he was independent minded from that day.
