14/11/2025
āTeacher, Iāve read so many booksā¦ but Iāve forgotten most of them. So whatās the point of reading?ā
That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The teacher didnāt answer. He just looked at him in silence.
A few days later, they were sitting by a river, suddenly, the old man said:
āIām thirsty. Bring me some waterā¦ but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.ā
The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes?
But he didnāt dare argue.
He picked up the strainer and tried.
Once. Twice. Over and over againā¦
He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldnāt hold a single drop.
Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the teacherās feet and said:
āIām sorry. I failed. It was impossible.ā
The teacher looked at him kindly and said:
āYou didnāt fail. Look at the strainer.ā
The student glanced downā¦ and noticed something.
The old, dark, dirty strainer was now shining clean. The water, though it never stayed, had washed it over and over until it gleamed.
The teacher continued:
āThatās what reading does. It doesnāt matter if you donāt remember every detail. It doesnāt matter if the knowledge seems to slip through, like water through a strainerā¦
Because while you read, your mind is refreshed.
Your spirit is renewed.
Your ideas are oxygenated.
And even if you donāt notice it right away, youāre being transformed from the inside out.ā
Thatās the true purpose of reading.
Not to fill your memoryā¦
but to cleanse and enrich your soul.
