A Poor Boatman and a Scholar

Once upon a time, there lived a poor man who made a living by rowing a boat in a village. He couldn't read or write. Every day, from morning till evening, he would row his boat to make ends meet.

One day, a well-educated person, known as a scholar, boarded his boat. The scholar asked the boatman, "Have you ever read about history?" The boatman replied, "No, I haven't." The scholar then told him that not knowing history meant a quarter of his life had been wasted. While they were on the boat, the scholar pointed out the beautiful scenery and asked if the boatman knew about geography. As expected, the boatman replied, "No." The scholar explained that not knowing geography meant half of his life was wasted. After that, they remained quiet for a while.

As the afternoon rolled in, the scholar broke the silence and asked, "Are you familiar with science?" The boatman again replied, "No, I don't know anything about science." The scholar told him that his life was practically worthless – three-quarters of it had been wasted. This time, the boatman stayed silent.

Suddenly, the sky became dark with clouds, and a strong wind called a 'Nor'wester' started to blow. The scholar became very scared. The 'Nor'wester' grew more intense. The boatman turned to the scholar and asked, "Sir, can you swim?" The scholar sadly said he couldn't. The boatman then said, "Our boat is about to sink. Now I realize, all your bookish knowledge won't help us. It's useless in this moment of crisis."