How well do I know you?

A little boy sat transfixed by the view of a mountain which he could see from his classroom window. He often sat starring at it, finding himself imagining walking it’s slopes, drinking in it’s streams.

He heard little of what was being said in the classroom, instead daydreaming, working out ways he could travel there. He knew the mountain so well he could recall all it’s details and he drew it with such reverence.

Others failed to share his fascination, hungry instead for the knowledge which flowed from the teacher. As the little boy studied his view of the mountain others learnt of valleys, stream and lakes and how they are formed. They learnt how erosion affects the landscape and that both nature’s ecology as well as man has shaped much of what we see.

One day the school was taken on an outing and the little boy was so excited because they were going to his mountain.

He boasted long and hard about how well he knew the place, telling everyone of what he knew. He held court and loved it.

Eventually they arrived at the mountain, but from a side the little boy did not know. He was lost and confused. He recognised some of the landmarks but  saw things he had never imagined. The other boys had forgotten him and laughed together as they talked of erosion, mountain chain formation; hunting for things they had read about but not seen.

The teacher came over to the boy and said, “It is all very well learning one aspect but there are always others points of view to take into consideration. Look and listen to what the others say, look for yourself and learn the different views of the mountain. Learn the whole truth, and then think about how much more you have learnt today.”