The Bridge

“Sage,” the Listener addressed Oh, “what is the secret to being a Leader?” 

 

    “Why do you call me Sage?” asked Oh, “I am called Oh.”

 

    “Because you are all-knowing and wise, Master,” answered the Learner.

 

    “The knowing that I possess is that I know very little. I know that knowledge is not wisdom. Wisdom is the merging of experience and knowledge. What I may have accrued is experience, maybe much experience, which may lead you, then, to call me old.”

 

    Not intending to be disrespectful, the Novice quickly replied, “You are not old, Sage. You are knowledgeable and experienced, hence, wise.”

 

    “I am just a Bridge,” Oh replied.

 

    “Just a Bridge?!” the Student asked, a bit confused.

 

    “That is so. I am merely a bridge. A bridge between the unknown and the known. Knowledge is created when one connects the unknown with the known,” Oh responded. 

 

    “Oh…,” said the Student, seeking to understand.

 

    “Yes, that is who I am. A bridge. A bridge between the unseen and the seen. It has been said that where there is no vision the people perish. Vision is the fruit of purpose based on values.” 

 

    “But what of experience, then?” asked the student.

 

    “Experience is the opportunity to transform knowledge that, applied, creates power, Young One,” Oh responded. “The capacity of power is generated when knowledge is appropriately and effectively applied. And becomes wisdom when it is shared.”

 

    Almost challenging Oh, the Youngster inquired, “But what if it isn’t applied, Master?”

 

    “To know, but not to do, is not to know,” replied Oh, “and know that the highest power is in giving.”

 

    “Oh…,” said the Learner, pensively.

 

    Acknowledging what the Learner had said, Oh asked, “Do you now know me, since you call me Oh?”

 

    Not quite grasping the question Oh had just ask, the Learner replied, “Almost, Master. You, then, are also a bridge between knowledge, wisdom, and power.”

 

    “That is so, Learner,” Oh continued. “My experience in connecting the unknown and the known, envisioning the unseen and the seen, and understanding knowledge deeply enough to create wisdom has empowered me to become a bridge that can create power. The highest power of all is love. The essence of love is unconditional giving.” 

 

    “Oh…,” said the Student, thinking deeply about Oh’s reply. “You are a Bridge.” 

 

    “I am a Bridge between You and Your Best Self,” asserted Oh.

 

    “But, Sage, one who knows all of these things and connects them in the form of someone else, who serves as a Bridge, is called Leader.”

 

    The Leader smiled….

 

    “Oh…!” said the Follower.

 

 

The distance between not knowing and knowing is an Oh!