I was walking through the streets of our little village, when a
little cat crossed my path. It was one of those
black and white cats. Lost in my thought, I began following it. The cat took me to the house of the
teacher. The
teacher was perhaps the most respected one in our community.
The door of his house opened to let the cat enter. I followed, and saw for the first time the teacher's house. It had a wooden floor that creaked with every step I took. There was little furniture, and almost no destacable object. In the middle of the living room, there was the teacher.
I sat in front of him. As I had been having some problems lately, I thought I'd talk to the teacher and he would help me. He was sitting in front of my, with a mere shadow of worry in his eye. He looked at me.
His gaze was relaxing, and I began thinking about my problem. I could feel the solution unfolding right before my eyes, its simplicity was beautiful.
The cat came to sit right in front of me. I gently patted its head, producing a satisfying purr, so I petted its back for a while. The teacher smiled, and I thought that the cat did, too. I got up, bowed and left.
The solution had been there all along, and I hadn't been able to see it. Why? What did it had to do with the teacher? A gentle female voice came from behind:
-Did the teacher give you a solution?
As I turned around, I saw the lady, although I had recognized her voice. Her looks didn't made her the lady, but her voice and heart did.
-Perhaps, I said. The solution came to me right in front of him.
She laughed.
-You know the best teacher is the one who lets you think by yourself.
I nodded.
-The solution came from yourself, so is that a solution?
-I suppose the teacher would tell me that it is as good as anyone else's.
I paused.
-And what do you think?- I told her
She talked to me. I guess she told me what I wanted to hear, but expressed in a way I could have never imagined, in a way that made sense. I felt my confidence grow.
-But you haven't told me all about it, no?
The lady giggled, turned around and ran away. I was so confused. I decided to go home to think a bit around it. As I was walking, I saw the man in white. He was also very respectable. The others would follow him to hell, they said. He was said to be always right. I decided I would try to get his advice, though I knew that his ways were strange and sometimes you really shouldn't mess with him. As I looked into his eyes, he stopped walking. He came right to me.
-So you talked to the teacher and the lady, and still have doubts.
I felt his words' weight upon my shoulders. He had such confidence, he had to be right.
-Perhaps you think I've got the right solution for you.
He grew bigger with every word he said.
-I think you know by now I have got it. But do you think I should tell you?
Truly, I didn't know. He looked at me with disdain and left. In my mind, I could hear the lady laugh.
I was in the middle of the street. Pondering what the three had told me. The man in white knew the solution, but wouldn't tell me. The lady gave me confidence and told me what I wanted to hear, and the teacher made me find my own solution.
Which one was right? And I realized that choosing between the three was more difficult that finding my own solution, and now there was not anything I could do about it.