Joke · Ajahn Brahm
The only one who knew the answer
The story — as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)
Of course it's a joke about the kid who came home from school and he told, his dad said, “How did you go at school today, Son?” and his son said, “Dad,today teacher asked a question, “and I was the only one in class who knew the right answer,” and the father was both surprised and impressed, say, “Usually you get detention, usually you get extra homework, “just how come today, you know, you did so well?” and he said, “Oh well, I just knew the right answer, Dad.” Dad said, “I'm so proud of you,” and gave him a $20 note as a reward, trying to encourage him to be smart in the future. So as the kid took the $20 and walked out of the room, the dad said, “Oh, by the way, what question did your teacher ask?” “Who broke the window in the classroom?”
▶ Watch Ajahn Brahm tell it from 40:58 (to 42:10)
A reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)
A boy proudly says he was the only one who knew the answer in class, and earns twenty dollars, until Dad asks what the question was: who broke the window? Ajahn Brahm closes with a gentle line. Learn to be at peace with yourself; you're not half as bad as you expect yourself to be.
In brief (our summary)
A boy tells his dad he was the only one in class who knew the right answer today. Surprised — usually it's detention — the proud father gives him $20. As the boy leaves, Dad asks: 'By the way, what was the question?' 'Who broke the window in the classroom?'
Teaching point
You're not half as bad as you expect yourself to be — a closing joke.
When this story may help
- parenting
- school
Themes
Source & credit
Told by Ajahn Brahm in How to Be Happy in Solitude | Ajahn Brahm | 1 February 2019 · 2019-02-01 · ▶ watch from 40:58 to 42:10 · Buddhist Society of Western Australia
Caption notes: Manual (volunteer) captions; occasional misspellings kept as is.
The narrative is Ajahn Brahm's own telling, quoted from the talk captions. The summary and reflection are Being Mindful Stories's editorial notes. Please credit the teacher and link the original talk. Markdown version