An 80-year-old man was sitting on a bench along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a sparrow perched nearby. The father asked his son, โWhat is this?โ The son replied โIt is a sparrowโ.
ย ยAfter a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2nd time, โWhat is this?โ The son said โFather, I have just now told you โItโs a sparrowโ.
After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3rd time, What is this?โ At this time some expression of irritation was felt in the Sonโs tone when he said to his father with a rebuff. โItโs a sparrow, a sparrowโ
A little after, the father again asked his son the 4th time, โWhat is this?โ This time the son shouted at his father, โWhy do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times โIT IS A SPARROWโ. Are you not able to understand this?โ
A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary:
โToday my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a sparrow was sitting on the window my son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a Sparrow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated I rather felt affection for my innocent child.โ
