The Importance of Wisdom

Jack, an ordinary freshman in high-school, finds a peculiar rock on the way to school...

A boy named Jack lived on an ordinary street, in a plain town, with an average life. He was neither tall nor short, smart nor dumb, handsome nor ugly, these things did not bother him especially, but he wished for intelligence.  He thought that if he at least possessed that, none of the other things would matter; for he would know everything.  One day on his usual walk to school he tripped over a rock and landed in some mud. Irritation filled him and he hastily stood up and pulled his backpack and lunch from the muck.  He looked down angrily at the rock that had tripped him and picked it up; prepared to throw it. However something about it made him stop to look it over. It appeared as any other rock, gray in color and about the size of his fist, but one thing about it seemed very strange to him. On one side there were stripes in a bright reddish color as if they had been painted there.  Intrigued, but fearing that he would be late; he shoved the unusual rock in his backpack and continued to school.

              Upon his arrival he heard the bell ring and quickly took a seat in his first period classroom, Algebra.  After the bell finished sounding its annoying buzz, the teacher, Ms. Mildred said, “Time for your test”. “Test?” Jack thought in rising panic “I didn’t know there was a test!”  As he thought this Ms. Mildred came around the room, passing out the unwanted surprise. All the other students started working at once, and the noise of pencils furiously writing filled the air. Jack sat there staring at it, and having no clue what to do he flipped the test over and drew a huge smiley face on the back. Having done this, he lay back in his chair feeling a mixture of both shame and amusement.  At the end of the period the bell buzzed loudly and all the students stood up and went to turn in their tests. When Jack turned in his, Ms. Mildred asked “Jack, why did you not write anything?”  “I did not know how to solve any of the problems” Jack replied as respectfully as he could. “Did you not know there was a test today?” she said condescendingly “No, ma’am I did not” he said. “You need to pay better attention in the future; I am going to have to call your parents about this.”

              The rest of the day trudged on, Biology, Computers, English, and History all went by painfully slow. All he could think about was the test he had miserably failed; if it could even be called failing, he hadn’t even technically done it, but the fault laid on no one but him. Finally, when the last bell rang, he picked up his still slightly soiled backpack and lunch box and headed home.  

About half way there he came across the spot he had fallen earlier that morning and remembered the stone. Curious once more, he slung off his back pack and took out the interesting rock. He again noticed its interesting red stripes and wondered why anyone would expend the effort to paint them and just leave it near some mud. Still holding the rock, he picked up his things and continued home. As he walked he thought of the math test again and what he would say when Ms. Mildred called his parents. “I wish I was as smart as the other kids in my class” he said to himself aloud. Some of them didn’t even study and they still knew what to do.

When he finally arrived home he saw his parents’ cars in the driveway. “Ms. Mildred must have called them already” he thought miserably. His parents did not usually arrive home until very late. His mother worked as a newspaper editor and almost always stayed up late at her office building. His father worked as a nurse and also did not come home until many hours after the sun had gone down. Unwillingly he walked to his front door, unlocked it with the key from under the mat, and went inside.

The lights already were on and his mother greeted him from the kitchen saying “We bought you a burger.” “Thankyou” he said, making his way through the living room to the kitchen. He sat down at the table where his mother and father were already sitting. “Why are you guys home so early?” he asked as casually as he could managed. “Jack” his father said “I think you know very well why we are home early. Now, out with it. What do you have to say about failing your math test today?” “Well, there really isn’t much to say about it.” Jack said “I failed it. There, you happy? I didn’t want to fail it. I simply did not know that it was today.” “Jack” his mother said calmly “We aren’t mad at you, we just want to make sure you are doing your best. If you didn’t know there was a test, ok then. You need to pay better attention in the future and know when there are tests, and study for them.” “Yes Mom” he said glumly. “Now” said his father “Since your mother and I have the evening off, let us at least enjoy dinner together”

After dinner, which consisted of hamburgers and fries, he did his homework and went to bed. He thought it strange that his parents had not done anything to punish him. They hadn’t threatened him with the usual no phone or dessert for a month or anything. It sort of bothered him, did they not want to waste their evening off by punishing him?

In the morning after getting cleaned up and eating breakfast, he went to school. Same classes all over again Algebra, Biology, Computers, English, and History. All of them seemed easier for some reason. He actually understood everything said in Algebra and all the other classes. It was like a light being turned on and everything that he had been stumbling around in, making sense. The last bell buzzed and he started his walk home.

“What a wonderful day!” he thought “I actually knew what those teachers were talking about”. He tossed the rock he had found the day before from hand to hand. He had thought that it would make his journey home slightly less dull. “I wonder if this is an Indian rock. Maybe that’s why it is painted and was lying near that mud puddle. I wish I was the smartest person in the world” he said as he caught the rock, “Then I wouldn’t have to wonder about anything. I would know”

He arrived home, unlocked the door as always and went inside. The house was dark, and he switched on the lights. He made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and took his stuff to his room. As he did his homework he realized it was incredibly easy, “this is like kindergartener work” he thought "Why, is everything so easy?” He had done allot of speculating of what the rock was and his thoughts went instantly to it. “Hmmm… so it’s a wishing rock is it?” He thought “Either that or my teachers have become extraordinarily nice, which is highly unlikely.” He picked up the rock and wished, not expecting anything to happen, “I wish this peanut butter and Jelly sandwich was a cheese pizza” Instantly the sandwich on his desk began to grow, and in a matter of seconds, had shoved his homework off his desk, and was a large cheese pizza. As this had begun to happen Jack had nearly jumped out of his skin. The second he saw the sandwich begin to move, he had leaped out of his chair and ran to the door of his room, throwing down the rock in a panic. “This is absolutely crazy”, he thought, “Just wait until Mom and Dad come home.” After waiting a few minutes from his door to make sure that, what was now a pizza, did not move anymore, he inched his way to his desk. He gingerly picked up the rock on the way there and reseated himself in his chair. He looked at the rock in amazement and carefully set it down on a small unoccupied section of his desk. “I wonder if the pizza is actually edible” he thought. He smelled it to find it smelled really good, steam rose from it as if it had just been taken out of an oven. “Well, if that’s poisonous” he said “It sure seems to be the best smelling poison ever.” He looked at the pizza and saw that it had a bite already in it. “Well, I guess I had already taken a bite of that sandwich.” he thought, “So technically I should now have a bite of that pizza already in my stomach. I haven’t died yet.” He ate part of the pizza and decided to save the rest for his parents, not wanting to wish for another one in case the wishes were limited. “I must actually be the most intelligent person in the world.” he thought, remembering what he had said while throwing around the rock on the way home from school. “I shouldn’t even have to study for my history test tomorrow!” he thought happily.

When his parents finally came home Jack ran to the front door to greet them. “What are you so excited about?” his mother said, “You are usually asleep by this time.” “Mom, Dad, I have to show you guys something!” he said with a huge grin on face. “Ok, ok” they said as they followed him to his room. “You ordered pizza?” his dad said when they reached his room, “I hope you paid for it with your own allowance.” “No” said Jack “That’s what is so awesome!” “You didn’t pay for the pizza?” his mother exclaimed, “Did you steal it? This is not something to be excited about.” “No, no” said Jack “Look!” he held up the rock. “I wished for my PBJ sandwich to turn into a pizza and it did!” “Right…” his father said “Are you feeling ok. You look serious.” “I feel fine. Just tell me what you would wish for if you could wish for anything in the world.” “Fine, I will humor you” his father said, he took the stone from Jack’s outstretched hand. “Think seriously though.” Jack said “I don’t know how many the rock has. I have already wished at least twice.” “Ok” his father said, pausing to think, “anything, eh?” “You can’t be taking him seriously!” his mother said. “Indeed I am not” replied his father “I have no problem humoring him though and he may have a good reason for asking.” “Alright!” said Jack “Enough questioning my sanity. Wish already!” “I wish one million dollars of American currency would appear in the closet under the stairs.” His father said, after a while more of pondering. “You truly did think that out!” his mother laughed. Jack grabbed both his parents’ hands, “Let’s go check under the staircase!” In less than a minute he had half dragged his parents to the closet under the stairs. His father always kept it locked, for he kept his rifles in it. He now drew the key out of his coat pocket and unlocked the door. He pulled the cord attached to the small bulb on the ceiling, the light after a few seconds of lag, flickered on. Jack, who was standing on his tip toes trying to see, nearly was flattened as his father leaped back in shock. After his father composed himself, they all looked into the closet; stacks upon stacks of green bills filled almost the whole back portion of the closet.

The rest of that evening Jack’s parents questioned him thoroughly of where, when, and how he had found the rock. They decided they would pay off the house and store the rock in the bank. “But I found it!” Jack complained, “I could have just kept it a secret.” “Yes” his mother said “But we don’t want you wishing for foolish things. Who knows what dreadful things could happen!” “But I am not foolish!” Jack protested “I wished to be the most intelligent person in the world.” “Did you now?” his father said “That was wise. Your mother and I still hold our ground though; the rock will be stored in the bank for safe keeping. We do not even need to start thinking of the dangers it could lead to.” “Fine” said Jack “At least the most important wish I wanted was granted. Now I will not have to study for anything.” “Possessing intelligence does not necessarily mean that you know everything.” His mother replied “Intelligence means that you know the facts, wisdom means you can apply them.” “Now!” his father said “You have school tomorrow, you better go to bed.” “I should not even have to go to school anymore” Jack said “We can wish for all our needs and never have to work.” “That may sound all good” his father replied “But I do not want to end up like most of the rich people today. Besides, people would ask too many questions, I don’t want our house to become a tourist site. Now go to bed.” “Ok” Jack said and trudged to his room.

The next day Jack’s parents drove him to school. They had decided to take the rest of the week off from work, for they now had enough money to not worry about their next house payment.  Jack, thrilled, enjoyed the drive despite its short length. The day at school flew by; everything was incredibly easy, until history, however. He received his test with confidence, thinking like everything else it would be easy. The first question read, “Apply know facts on George Washington to say whether or not he would likely support Obama care? Explain” “I don’t know!” thought Jack, “How do I not know? My teacher has to know, but he is not the most intelligent person in the world.” He sat there feeling as if he were betrayed. “That rock’s wishes must be faulty!” he thought. He skipped the question to find the rest just as difficult. Dismayed, but determined not to fail, he quickly wrote facts about the things in each question, but could not truly give a good answer. He was still writing furiously when the bell buzzed. “Stop writing.” His teacher, Mr. Edberg said. Jack regrettably set his pencil down and stood up to turn his test in with the other students. After doing this, he returned to his desk to pick up his things and headed to the front of the school, where his parents said they would pick him up. He found their car in the parking lot with them waving to him inside. Once he had stepped in and seated himself they asked him how his day had went. “Good” he replied “Everything at school was incredibly easy! Until history anyway…” “What happened?” his father asked. “The test had tons of very hard questions! One of them asked whether or not Washington would support Obama care. I know who George Washington was and what Obama care is, but how am I supposed to know whether or not Washington would support it? Those are two completely different time frames!” “I told you!” his mother exclaimed “You may know the facts and that is necessary, but you need to know how to apply them.” “But I wished for intelligence!” Jack said “Does not that mean I am already wise?” “It means that you knew as a fact that intelligence is important.” His mother replied, “But it does not mean for certain you are wise. Intelligence can become useless if the person possessing it does not have wisdom.”

The End

What happened?

Jack learned how to become wise without the help of the rock. He never failed another test again and grew up to be the top of his high school class. He went on to college to become a great Lawyer who knew all the facts of the law and applied them to each case with the best of his ability. His wisdom and intelligence combined helped him to jump from ordinary to extraordinary.

              

Author's Note

This short story is supposed to teach a lesson.

I hope you are able to get something from it.

enjoy!