The range of wisdom

The old professor said:

• The Range of Wisdom means our ability to see everything from the smallest and most trivial to the greatest and most momentous, from the lowest to the most exalted. Now, each of you in turn will stand and name the range of what you can see, from the smallest thing to the greatest, and also say what use you would make of the Range of Wisdom you have named.

One student stood and said:

• Professor, in my view the lowest thing in a house is the toilet and the most exalted is the family altar. The use of this range is to judge how well the people living there manage their household. If they keep everything clean and tidy from the altar down to the toilet, they are capable people.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think the lowest station in society is that of the homeless, and the most privileged is that of billionaire tycoons. The use of this range is to judge whether the government can lead well enough to care for everyone, from the homeless up to the billionaires, so that all of them can live and contribute.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think the product held in least regard is rubbish or waste water, and the product held in highest regard is a smart wireless communication device with artificial intelligence installed. The use of this range is to judge how far a country has progressed in being able to process and make use of everything, so that nothing is left over to be thrown away.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think the illiterate are the least educated and doctorate holders are the most educated. The use of this range is to judge whether a nation's education system can raise the level of education of everyone, leaving no one behind.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think there are cruel people who murder, rob and rape and who sit at the very bottom of society, and there are sages and moral philosophers, full of compassion, at the very summit of humankind. The use of this range is to judge how healthy a society it is possible to create, and which groups make up the greater share of that society.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think breathing air is the most basic need, and taking drugs is the most senseless and harmful need. The use of this range is to judge each person's wisdom in restraining themselves.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think the smallest things are the particles of the atom and the largest is the universe. The use of this range is to find the fundamental principles of theoretical physics.

Another student said:

• Professor, I think the idea of loving people is the most basic starting point, and the power to build a world of universal harmony and love is the greatest of all outcomes. The use of this range is for people to weigh up their ideals for living, so that they are both practical and lofty.

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Whenever you step into a new environment, try to find the smallest and the greatest things in it, to train yourself to cover everything and miss nothing.