Wisdom is something that all of us acquire as we get older. Some of us are going to be wise in a ‘street smart’ way and it will allow us to navigate our time in the city and our life living among the masses. There is also a type of wisdom that is often seen in those who do not live around others. That type of quiet wisdom often goes unnoticed but when they are able to use it, it can really be an amazing thing. That was what we see in the following joke about a farmer who used his wise mind in a way that will leave you chuckling.
A shepherd was herding his flock in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of the dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the shepherd, “If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?”
The shepherd looked at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looked at his peacefully grazing flock and calmly answered, “Sure.”
The yuppie parked his car, whipped out his notebook and connected it to a cell phone , then he surfed to a NASA page on the internet where he called up a GPS satellite navigation system, scanned the area, and then opened up a database and an Excel spreadsheet with complex formulas. He sent an email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, received a response. Finally, he prints out a 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized printer then turns to the shepherd and says, “You have exactly 1586 sheep.”
“That is correct; take one of the sheep.” said the shepherd. He watches the young man select one of the animals and bundle it into his car.
Then the shepherd says: ” If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?”
“OK, why not.” answered the young man.
“Clearly, you are a management consultant.” said the shepherd.
“That’s correct,” says the yuppie, “but how did you guess that?”
“No guessing required.” answers the shepherd. “You turned up here although nobody called you. You want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked, and you don’t know crap about my business. Now give me back my dog.”