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Despite being
very intelligent
and having all
the conditions
to learn,
Matthew didn’t
like studying.
It was a
sacrifice for
him to leave his
games and go on
to school.
He liked to walk
through the
woods picking up
fruits, play
with his toys or
play soccer with
his friends and
neighbors.
He never had
time to do his
homework. At
school, he
didn’t pay
attention to
what the teacher
said nor did he
copy what was
written on the
blackboard.
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At the end of
the year, as
expected, the
result of such
behavior:
everybody, but
Matthew, was
approved.
He got very sad,
cried, but it
didn’t work. He
had to do that
grade again and
try to make the
most of it this
time.
However, Matthew
kept on leading
the same life,
not caring about
studies.
On his birthday
he received a
whipping top as
a gift and got
interested about
it. He rolled
the cord
carefully around
the top and
later let it go
sharply, and he
got happy as he
saw the toy
spinning round
and round.
One day,
observing the
toy as it spun,
he told his
father, who read
the newspaper:
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– The whipping
top is funny,
isn’t it, daddy?
How come it
keeps spinning
and never leaves
the place?
His dad, who was
worried about
his son’s
behavior, said:
– That’s true,
son. And did you
know that it
happens not only
to whipping
tops?
– How come,
daddy? – Matthew
asked as he
didn’t
understand what
his father said.
– Yes, my son.
So it happens to people that keep
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spinning
round
and
round
and
never
move
too.
Never
learn
anything
because
they
don’t
care for
the
world
around
them.
They are
egoist.
Just
think
about
them.
And, in
this
case,
they are
people
who
don’t
think
not even
in their
own
good, or
else
they
would
understand
that
just by
learning
that
they’ll
move on
in life. |
Matthew looked
at his father
and then at the
whipping top,
which kept
spinning.
He got quiet,
thinking...
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He understood
the lesson.
On the following
day, for his
mom’s surprise,
no one needed to
call him to go
to school. When
she woke up,
Matthew was
ready.
He had his
breakfast and
left for school.
From that day
on, Matthew
started
studying. He did
his homework and
then he got a
book to read.
And, like this,
he had a lot of
time to play and
have fun.
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He never forgot
the whipping top
lesson, and when
someone didn’t
want to study,
he warned: |
– Do you want to
be like a
whipping top,
which keeps
spinning without
moving on?
Aunt Célia
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