There is a story about a man who
sold hot dogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers .
He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak,
so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hot dogs.
His sales and profit went up. He ordered more meat and got himself a bigger and
a better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently
graduated from college, joined his father. Then something strange happened. The
son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming
our way?” The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.” The
son said, “The international situation is terrible. The domestic is even
worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad time.” The man thought
that since his son had been to college, read the papers, and listened to the
radio, he ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next
day, the father cut down his order for the meat and buns, took down the sign
and was no longer enthusiastic. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to
stop at his hot dog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly. The
father said to his son, “Son, you were right. We are in the middle of a
recession. I am glad you warned me ahead of time.”
sold hot dogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers .
He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak,
so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hot dogs.
His sales and profit went up. He ordered more meat and got himself a bigger and
a better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently
graduated from college, joined his father. Then something strange happened. The
son asked, “Dad, aren’t you aware of the great recession that is coming
our way?” The father replied, “No, but tell me about it.” The
son said, “The international situation is terrible. The domestic is even
worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad time.” The man thought
that since his son had been to college, read the papers, and listened to the
radio, he ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next
day, the father cut down his order for the meat and buns, took down the sign
and was no longer enthusiastic. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to
stop at his hot dog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly. The
father said to his son, “Son, you were right. We are in the middle of a
recession. I am glad you warned me ahead of time.”
This was how the man lost his enthusiasm and his business died.
What is the moral of the story?
1. Many times we confuse
intelligence with good judgment.
intelligence with good judgment.
2. A person may have high
intelligence but poor judgment.
intelligence but poor judgment.
3. Choose your advisers carefully
and use your judgment.
and use your judgment.
4. A person can and will be
successful with or without formal education if they have the 5 Cs:
successful with or without formal education if they have the 5 Cs:
character
commitment
conviction
courtesy
courage
5. The tragedy is that there are
many walking encyclopedias who are living failures.
many walking encyclopedias who are living failures.
Anonymous
