Wisdom and peculiarity

by

Per Jespersen

It was an early morning
in the small village,
where Allison and Deena lived.

The sun was shining
from a clear blue sky.
Everything was so quiet,
that it seemed to become
a lovely and peaceful day.

Allison and Deena
were sitting in the kitchen,
taking their breakfast.
They talked about school.
"All teachers are insane,"
Deena said.
"Especially mine –
he's eating sandwiches
in every lesson.
I hate it!"

"Maybe he's hungry,"
Allison said.
"And besides –
it's not all teachers
who are insane.
Some of them are
only crazy."

"What's the difference,"
Deena asked.
"They are definitely
not normal."

"Yes, they are.
They do a lot for children.
That's what they're
there for."

"And they even get paid
for teaching us,"
Deena continued.
"I think
they make too much money
for doing nothing."

"What are you talking about,"
said Mom,
as she came
into the kitchen.

"The most insane people
in the world,"
Deena said.
"We're together with them
every day."

"Are you together
with insane people every day,"
Mom said angrily.
"I won't allow that.
My children have to
know people,
who are totally sane."

"Jubii,"
Deena and Allison screamed.
"We stay home
from school, then."

"What do you mean,"
said Mom with surprise.

The two girls laughed.
"We were talking
about teachers!"

Mom could not help laughing.
"You'll have to go to school anyway."

"Hey, you said,
that you wouldn't allow us
to be together
with insane people."

"Well, school is an exception."

On their way to school
Allison and Deena
talked about insanity.

"Now, that we talk about it,"
Deena said.
"Insane people are cleverer
than normal people."

"What,"
Allison said.
"You can't possibly mean that!
At any rate not,
when we are talking about teachers."

"Yeah, I mean it.
I've learnt more from teachers,
who are just a little bit unnormal –
just a tiny little bit insane."

"I remember something," Allison said.
"Dad told us once,
that he has learnt everything
from one single teacher
in his school,
and from a man,
who lived in the same street,
as Dad did,
when he was a boy.
The teacher was a scientist,
who didn't know anything
but things concerning his subject.
He didn't even know
how to make a cup of coffee.

He didn't even know,
where coffee beans came from.
But he could teach.

The man in Dad's street
made clogs,
and Dad talked with him
every day.
He told us,
that he was the wisest man,
he'd ever known."

"So," Deena said.
"What you're saying is,
that wisdom and insanity
belong to each other."

"Yeah, in a way.
I can't explain it."

"I know then," Deena said.
"They are two sides
of the same coin."

"Exactly," Allison said.
"So perhaps we should go for --
let's say peculiar teachers."

"Of course.
I have somehow felt this,
for many years,
but couldn't explain it.
All scientists and philosophers
are insane in a good way.
They are real weird.
Society can't do
without weird people.

Allison interrupted,
"Do you have some examples?"

"Sure:
Van Gogh, Mozart,
Einstein, Plato.
The world would be different,
if they had not lived.

"I see," Allison said.
"Long live insanity!
I know, you're right –
take my philosophy teacher.
You wouldn't call him normal,
would you?"

"No way.
But I like him –
and I learn from him.
I guess
we really found out
about something here.
So perhaps
we're not normal, but ---"

" --- at least peculiar.
I love peculiarity!"


Wisdom and Peculiarity
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Opgaver til "Wisdom and Peculiarity


What is wisdom?









What is knowledge?


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Which difference is there between being wise and being clever?


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Try to tell in your own words, what the two girls are talking about:


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Is it right that strange people have changed the world?


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Opgaver til "Wisdom and Peculiarity"
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