A SUFI story tells of a time when Nasrudin ferried an eminent scholar across a turbulent river. As a way of distracting himself from his fears as they passed through some particularly rough water, the academic pointed out that the ferryman had spoken incorrectly. He asked Nasrudin if he had ever studied grammar. When the mulla replied that he had not, the pedant commented critically, “Then half your life has been wasted.”
Minutes later, the currents grew dangerously stronger. Nasrudin asked his well-educated passenger if he had ever learned to swim. The scholar admitted that indeed he had not. Sighing, Nasrudin said wryly, “Then all of your life has been wasted. The ferryboat is sinking!”
Power and powerlessness depend on the situation.