Little toy cars in different sizes and models were scattered in the brightly colored playroom. The set up was designed such that, each boy is entitled to have only one car of his choice.
One little boy in particular decided to have two cars. One was red sports car bearing the most expensive brand and the other one was a plain but functional toy car.
He then asked himself, “Which car should I choose?”
“I love the red car but I also love the simple one. The sports car will run the fastest while the simple car may not be as fast as the other one,” he thought.The boy stared at both cars and was so confused which car to choose until his teacher affectionately tapped his shoulder.
“Son, you have to choose which car to take. One little boy may be looking for his toy car because you have taken them both,” said his teacher.
The little boy again took a good look at the two toy cars on his hands. Finally, he said to the plain car, “Is it okay if I choose the red car?”
He looked up at his teacher, kissed the plain car and gave it up. As his teacher took the plain car away from him, he stared again at the red sports car on his hands. Without the plain car, his red car looked bare. And then, he felt empty and incomplete.
He ran to his teacher and asked, “Teacher, can I please have the plain car back and keep them both?”
“That is not possible, son. You see, every little boy in this room should only have one toy car for him to love and to keep. And in your case, you have chosen the red car. If you decide to keep them both, there will be one boy in this room who will be waiting and looking for one of the cars. One of the cars may be very plain to you but for one particular kid in this room, the plain but functional car is the world to him.”
J
2007 August
