Head in hands, a young student was sat alone in the hallowed halls of the scholars, his ruminations echoing off the ancient walls.
A sage happened by, ‘what could it be that is bearing down so heavily upon your shoulders, child?’
‘Disenchantment with those that I held close, continually doing less than they should have, at least what I had come to expect from them being my peers and elders. I’d thought jealousy, bickering and vaingloriousness to be beyond them.’
The sage took a seat, ‘you ought to be thankful, for even in the midst of their own stupidity, and quite unbeknownst to them, they’ve delivered to you something rather profound.’
‘And what could that be?’
The sage smiled as he rose, ‘a lesson in what you ought not to become.’
The young fellow found a smile forming on his face then looked up. The sage had long since disappeared…