(A discussion)

If you were to choose between the two: a chest full of wisdom(books) or a chest full of treasure, which one would you rather take? Let us say you're not allowed to take both.


They say that wisdom is greater than treasure. But is that really the case if you are to be torn between the two?

I saw a passage whereas a professor and a student were arguing and the professor asked the student to choose between treasure and wisdom(books).

'I'd take the treasure,' the student answered.

The professor laughed. 'If I were you I'd take wisdom(the books).'

The student smiled. 'People take what they don't have.'

(I don't remember who wrote this story, but it was in Spanish. And I can't remember is if it was books or just simply wisdom. But let's be realistic, you can't just stumble upon a chest that contains wisdom and when you open it, you gain the wisdom. Let's just simply say books, books of wisdom. And the treasure means a lot of money. (You know, golds and stuff)



The student indeed has a point. If someone already has something and none for the other, then it would be better to take something he doesn't have.

But his response that 'people take what they don't have' is rather flawed. (I think he just said that to spite the professor.)

I say 'our choice of things solely depends on our own personal choices and preferences. And it doesn't matter whether that choice is reasonably okay or not to other people.'



Now, if that answer is flawed then what should it be? Although it's not entirely flawed and just needs a little fixing. It will be: 'if given the chance, people always tend to take what they lack'




That explanation should suffice, but let's take it a bit further.

Let's say a stupid person, a smart person, a poor person, a rich person, an old man, an old man already full of wisdom, just an old man, and a dying man.

How do you think their answers would differ?