For a long time, a boy wondered why his friend was always the first in the class, whereas he could only rank the 21st. At home, he asked his mom, "Am I more stupid than other kids? How can I always fall behind? I just can't come up with an answer." His mom was aware that her son's selfrespect(自尊心) had been hurt by the ranking system, but she didn't know what to say to help him.
She tended to say that intelligence was different and that her son's friend was really smarter. But that would upset her son.
The boy and his friend went to high school that year, but no matter how hard he tried, his friend stilloutdidhim. But the boy's mom was proud of him for his hard work. It was around this time that she decided to take him on a trip to the seaside. During the trip, she at last found an answer for him.
Today, the boy no longer cares about the ranking. He doesn't have to, for he himself is now the top of the class — at the top national university. When invited to speak in his old high school, he mentioned a valuable childhood experience, "Once, during a trip to the seaside, my mother and I were lying on the beach. She pointed to the sea and said to me, 'Do you see the seabirds fighting for food out there? When a wave comes near, the little birds rise quickly. The clumsy(笨拙的) seagulls are far slower and have to struggle to get away from the wave. But these clumsy seagulls have the biggest, strongest wings, which allow them to travel the farthest. When the season changes, they leave for foreign shores, leaving the little birds behind. Son, I have a feeling that you are one of those seagulls.'"
