There is NO Monopoly of Knowledge: Tortoise and the Gourd of Wisdom.

When I was a kid, I was told several folk tales about the wisdom of the animal - Tortoise. This one I am about to share has some lessons to teach, please read till the end. Thanks...

Many years ago, one day, in the animal kingdom, the tortoise who claimed to be the wisest of ALL decided to collect all the wisdom in the kingdom, put it in a gourd(calabash), cover it and climb up high a tree, so he will be the undisputed wisest of all, having all the wisdom. So, he got a gourd, collected all the wisdom, covered it, hung it on his neck, and headed to climb a tall tree. Getting to the tree, he encountered a serious challenge climbing it, with the gourd hung on his neck, “placed in front of his chest", each time he tried to climb the tree, he ends up falling to the ground. There he was, struggling with all the wisdom in the kingdom he had collected, "tortoise-the wisest animal". 

While he was still at it, a "small insect" passing by the tree saw him struggling and ranting to climb the tree, the small insect said to the tortoise, "why not look for an alternative in climbing the tree? or instead of having the gourd in front of you, it will work better if it is behind you". The tortoise reluctantly agreed to do what the "small insect" said, he placed the gourd behind him, and to his surprise, it worked. The tortoise was able to climb the tree with the gourd placed at his back, behind him. 

The irony of the "wisdom of the tortoise" is that, though he claimed to be wise, and have collected ALL the wisdom in the kingdom, leaving every other animal foolish, yet he being wise struggled to climb the tree with a gourd he hanged on his neck, until a "small insect" came to advise him, on where to place the gourd so he would be able to climb the tree. 

The morale of the story: One cannot claim to know it all. You can learn from the littlest person in your group, office, society, at home, even one can learn from little children, the bottom line is, be humble enough to listen and learn, because no single one-person or individual can know it all.😁