Long ago, deep in the mountains, there was a ‘Life Academy’ where the children of prominent families from all over the country would line up to enroll just by hearing its name.

The director of this place—no, the ‘Great Master’—was a sage of the times who was well-versed in both literary and martial arts.

Under him were over a hundred disciples, a group that, in modern terms, was the ‘top 1% super-elite.’

The disciples considered this rigorous curriculum, which involved waking up at 4 a.m. every day to wash their faces with cold water, memorizing the Analects, and practicing swordsmanship, an honor.

However, every organization is bound to have at least one person. I am talking about the so-called ‘villain.’

For the sake of convenience, I will refer to that disciple as ‘Mr. Park.’

Mr. Park took a nap on the mountain behind the school while the teacher was discussing Confucius's benevolence (仁), and when literature was being taught, he ate all the snacks delivered from the tavern intended for the entire student body by himself;

During martial arts training, he claimed his “joints were bad” and only sought out the prime spots with air conditioning (which would have been the cool shade of a tree back then).

“Is it him or us? Decide!”

Unable to bear it any longer, 99 model student disciples collectively threw off their school jackets and sent a final ultimatum to their teacher.

“Master, isn’t this unacceptable? We have staked our lives here to learn, but the entire academic atmosphere is being ruined because of that one shameless student, Mr. Park.

Either kick out that lazybones, or we 99 of us collectively [ “I’m dropping out!”

What would an ordinary leader have done? Naturally, they would have weighed the ‘cost-effectiveness.’ 99 talented students and 1 failure. The answer was already decided.

But the Master simply smiled kindly and fiddled with his teacup.

“Those who want to go, go; those who want to stay, stay. I do not hold you back by force.”

The result was disastrous. The 99 elite students packed their bags and left, saying, “This academy has no vision.”

In the end, only the Master, who laughed heartily, and Mr. Park, who was still snoring while suffering from a hangover, remained in the vast academy.

10 Years, and a Reversal

10 years have passed since then. What became of the 99 disciples who went down the mountain? They succeeded in all walks of life. They became ministers, large landowners, and famous generals. However, ‘anger’ and ‘comparison’ always lingered in their hearts. They lived harboring bitterness, thinking, “I have to be more successful than that guy,” and “Guys like Mr. Park from back then should all go to ruin.” But what actually happened to ‘Mr. Park,’ who remained on the mountain? For ten years, the Master never once scolded Mr. Park. He simply offered him a bowl of warm rice water when he sobered up and covered him with a blanket when he took a nap.

Mr. Park played hard for the first three years, began to feel self-conscious during the next three, and fell into deep contemplation during the last three.

‘The whole world has abandoned me as trash, so why does that old man treat me like a human being until the very end?’

One morning, Mr. Park saw his teacher’s bent back sweeping the yard.

At that moment, the words ‘love’ and ‘patience,’ which he had not realized even through tens of thousands of books, pierced his heart.

He knelt down on the spot, sobbing uncontrollably. It was the moment that ‘rascal’ was reborn as a true human being after ten years.

The ‘Real’ Reason for Finding the One Lost Sheep

We often think that keeping the 99 sheep is economical and rational.

However, the twist of this story lies here.

The 99 sheep that did not lose their way are actually beings capable of living well on their own, even without a ‘teacher.’

They are already close to being complete and perform their role well wherever they are placed. But the one sheep that lost its way is different.

If you do not reach out a hand to that one sheep, it will fall off the edge of a cliff.

True wisdom does not lie in ‘making the already capable even more capable.’ Rather, it lies in the ‘patience of staying by your side until the very end for someone for whom there seems to be absolutely no solution.’

Values ​​We Are Missing

The Essence of Education: Not injecting knowledge, but waiting for the person to change.

The Dignity of Leadership: A sense of responsibility not to give up on the one person who falls behind, rather than the 99 who produce results.

The Paradox of Life: The fact that the ‘black sheep’ that seemed the most useless was actually the only ‘true disciple’ capable of proving the master’s teachings.

Is there someone around you right now who is disobedient and causing you trouble? Or are you blaming yourself, wondering, ‘Why am I like this?’

Remember. 99 sheep cannot prove a shepherd’s competence. Only the shepherd who finds the one lost sheep, carries it on his shoulders, and returns proves that he is ‘real.’

The Master sent 99 people not because he hated them, but because they were already able to stand on their own.

And the Master held onto Mr. Park not because he was special, but because he had only one Master.

For perhaps, ten years from now, the person laughing the loudest by your side might be that very ‘black sheep’ that is giving you the most trouble right now.