Will everything we learn come in handy one day?

Sometimes the knowledge that seems useless today opens a knot in life tomorrow; The message that Kalileh and Demeneh emphasize in the story "Student Hunter".

According to the reporter of Mehr, in the old days, there lived a hunter who spent his and his family's time by hunting birds and catching fish. Sometimes he looked for partridges and pigeons in the desert, and sometimes he threw his fishing net into the water to sell his catch to support his living expenses.

One day, in a corner of the desert, he sat by a hill and sprinkled some wheat, rice and millet on the ground. He had prepared his trap and was waiting for the nearby pigeons to come close to eat the seeds and get caught. Some time passed and some pigeons approached the trap; But just at that moment, the loud conversation of two people broke the silence of the desert.

The two men who were having a discussion were approaching the hunter. The fisherman was worried that their noise would scare the birds and all his waiting would be in vain. For this reason, he went to the two of them and asked them to speak more quietly so that the pigeons would not run away.

Those two men were students and they disagreed about a scientific issue. When they heard the hunter's request, they replied that the desert is a public space and they also have the right to study and discuss there. According to them, there was no reason for them to stop their scientific conversation in order for the hunter to reach his work.

The fisherman explained that he had been waiting since morning and three pigeons had just approached the trap. If the birds get scared and run away, all his hard work will be lost. He was a man who lived this way and could not easily pass up his catch.

But the students did not fall short either. They said that they have not eaten pigeon meat for a long time and if the hunter gives them two pigeons, they are ready to remain silent until the birds come closer to the trap. Otherwise, they continue their argument and do not accept responsibility for the birds' escape.

Sayad, who saw no other way before him, made an offer. He said that he was willing to give them two pigeons, on the condition that in return, they would teach him the issue they were discussing. The students accepted and stopped their conversation. In the silence that was established, the pigeons approached the trap and all three were caught.

After the hunter caught the birds, he gave two pigeons to the students and asked them to fulfill their promise. The students looked at him skeptically at first. Their idea was that an illiterate man who is far from school cannot understand a scientific discussion properly. They told him that learning knowledge requires years of study and one word cannot make someone a scientist.

But Sayad replied that he did not expect to learn everything in one day. He knew that knowledge is acquired gradually and every word a person learns may be useful one day.

This answer surprised the students. They found that the hunter, despite having no formal literacy, understood the importance of learning. So they explained to him that the topic of their discussion was the word "neutral"; The term that in this story refers to a creature that is neither male nor female. Their difference was also about how to inherit such a person based on religious rules.

Upon hearing this explanation, Sayad was satisfied with his deal. He had learned a new word; A word that maybe didn't have a specific use for him at that moment, but he remembered it.

A beautiful fish and a thousand coin reward

The next day, the hunter went to the sea to catch fish. He cast his net in the water and waited for hours, but he didn't catch anything until almost noon. He was tired and disappointed and was going to return home empty-handed when suddenly a big fish fell into the net.

The fish was so beautiful and colorful that the fisherman had never seen it before in his entire life. Its silver scales, different body colors and golden fins made him wonder. Instead of selling the fish on the spot or taking it home for food, he decided to keep it alive and offer it to the king as a gift.

When he got home, his wife was also surprised to see the fish. He suggested to take the fish to the palace; Because the king had just built a marble pond and put some beautiful fish in it. Such a gift could attract the king's attention and make the hunter's name famous among other fishermen.

The man accepted his wife's offer, put the fish in a container full of water and left for the palace.

When he reached the palace, the king and his ministers were looking at the newly built pond. Colorful fishes were swimming in the water and a small jeweled ship was moving on the water. The fisherman presented his gift and when the fish was thrown into the pond, its beauty was more visible than all the other fish.

The king was happy to see the gift and ordered to give a thousand gold coins to the hunter. But one of the ministers, who was a calculating and miserly man, was surprised by this forgiveness. He told the king that a fish was not worth such a large reward and that paying such a sum would damage the treasury.

The king replied that he promised a thousand coins in front of those present and he cannot go back from his decision. The minister, who did not want this amount to be paid, suggested a way to change the story.

He said it is better to ask the fisherman if the fish is male or female. If the hunter answers that it is a male, they should ask him to bring the female as well, and if he says that it is a female, they should demand the male. In this way, since the fisherman cannot find another fish like it, he is forced to give up his reward, and the king can give him a smaller amount.

The king agreed to this proposal and asked the hunter if the fish he brought was male or female.

Knowledge that may be useful one day

The fisherman, who had noticed the secret conversation between the minister and the king, realized that this question might be a prelude to withdrawing the promise. He didn't know how to answer; But suddenly he remembered the lesson of the previous day. The same word that he had given two pigeons to get, now came to life in his mind.

He answered calmly: "Sir, this fish is neither male nor female; Rather, it is neutral."

The audience laughed at his unexpected answer and the king liked the hunter's answer. The vizier's plan failed, and the king, surprised by the fisherman's intelligence and timely response, ordered that he be given two thousand gold coins instead of one thousand.

The hunter returned home with more reward than he expected. He knew now better than before that learning, even if it seemed small and insignificant at first, could come in handy in an unexpected situation.

The story of "Student Hunter" in Kalila and Demeneh shows the value of education from a simple and tangible angle. Shikarchi was not a school student, nor was he looking to become a great scholar overnight. He only agreed to learn something against two pigeons; Because he believed that any knowledge can be useful one day.

In this narrative, the important thing is not just learning a word, but the attitude the hunter has towards learning. Unlike the students who did not see the ability to understand in him at first, he believed that knowledge is formed gradually and every small step can be an introduction to the next steps.

This anecdote also reminds us that knowledge does not always remain in classrooms and libraries. Sometimes what is learned in a short conversation opens the way in a real situation; Just like the same word that the hunter learned in the desert and used in the king's palace the next day.

Perhaps the lasting message of this story is this: to learn, we don't need to know everything from the beginning or anticipate the application of any knowledge. It is enough not to underestimate the opportunity to learn; Because sometimes one word, if remembered in time, can change the course of a life.