It Is Ok To Have A No Ambition In Life ? A zen story

The bell rang and students hurried to their classrooms, including Zawa. It was his first day of school, a place he had never been before. At 15, Zawa was born to Caillou, a woodcutter. They lived on a hill, where Zawa helped his father cut wood. They sold the wood in the city to sustain their family and keep warm. Due to extreme poverty, Caillou couldn't afford to send Zawa to school, despite always dreaming of it. Zawa knew nothing beyond chopping trees and carrying wood.

One day, Caillou told Zawa about his plan to send him to school. Zawa asked, "What is a school?" Caillou pointed to a red building down the hill and explained that it was a place to get an education, which would help Zawa find better work. Zawa, not fully understanding, just nodded. He had never seen any work other than woodcutting.

On his first day in the classroom, the teacher asked each student to share their ambition. Zawa didn't know what "ambition" meant. When his turn came, he asked the teacher, who explained that ambition was something one wanted to achieve in life. Zawa had no idea, having only known woodcutting. He replied that he had no ambition, explaining his daily routine of cutting wood, eating, and sleeping. The class laughed, but the teacher quieted them and stressed the importance of having an ambition, describing it as a sense of direction.

Confused, Zawa wondered why he was being asked to imagine a goal when he felt content with his life on the hill. The teacher insisted he needed to work hard to reach his destination. Zawa asked, "What destination?" The teacher, impatient, said it was the road to his ultimate goal. Zawa questioned why he should strive for a place he didn't want to go. The concept of ambition seemed unnecessary to him. He wondered if it was wrong to be at one's destination without a difficult journey.

The next day, Zawa, prompted by his father's advice to tell the teacher what she wanted to hear, claimed he wanted to be a doctor. The teacher smiled and applauded. As Zawa looked out the window at the rain and clouds, he realized nature didn't follow a plan; it just existed. He saw a gardener shaping the grass and understood that humans change nature, including themselves.

In life, is there truly a path to walk or a goal to reach? Do you shape your life, or do you let it grow naturally? It's okay to have ambitions, but it's also okay to be content where you are. Life evolves continuously, with new discoveries and ways of living emerging every moment.

Caillou laughed at Zawa's intelligent observation and advised him to tell the teacher what she wanted to hear, as she too had ambitions. This left Zawa pondering the meaning of ambition. At school, Zawa claimed he wanted to be a doctor, earning praise from the teacher. Yet, as he watched the rain and clouds, he reflected on nature's lack of direction and humans' need to impose order on it.

Ultimately, Zawa questioned whether there is a true path or goal in life. Whether one shapes their life or lets it unfold naturally, it's important to find balance. Ambitions are fine, but so is finding happiness in the present moment. Life's constant evolution means that new ways of living and understanding emerge every second, reminding us to appreciate both our journey and our destination.