The Life-Changing Tale: The Wood Merchant

There was a woodcutter who took a job cutting down trees and was paid according to the number of trees he cut. He loved this work.

On his first day, he cut down 18 trees, impressing his employer who admired his work ethic. Determined to do better the next day, he aimed to cut down more trees.

However, on the second day, despite putting in all his strength and effort, he managed to cut down only 15 trees. He attributed it to the hot weather and hoped to do better the following day.

The third day, he went out to cut more trees, pouring all his physical and mental energy into the task. But by the end of the day, he only cut down 5 trees. He felt truly disheartened and decided to quit, thinking he wasn't fit for the job.

The employer asked him, "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" The woodcutter replied that he didn't have time to sharpen his axe as he was busy cutting trees.

This story teaches us that the true reason for his declining productivity might not have been a lack of motivation, physical strength, or dedication. Many people might feel inadequate for a task because of similar reasons, but it might not be the actual cause.

This tale is much like asking ourselves, "When was the last time we sharpened our axe or learned our last lesson?"

Many people believe that learning something once is enough to apply it for a lifetime. This is a highly mistaken belief because our world changes rapidly. As we've seen with the clear instances of COVID-19 causing many to falter, natural disasters like floods, political issues, and numerous wars happening in our world.

Thinking that learning something once is enough to last a lifetime can be extremely dangerous for those who hold such beliefs.