When I was a kid, a family friend told me a story that stuck with me. Though simple, it shaped my views on work and personal responsibility. Here is a condensed version:
In a village, a famous teacher trained two brothers. The older brother grew frustrated, believing the teacher favored his younger sibling by giving him more responsibilities. One day, he confronted the teacher.
“Teacher, why do you favor my brother over me for important tasks? I am more experienced and stronger.”
The teacher didn’t acknowledge the question. “I have a task for you,” he said. “Go to the village center and find out the price of rice.”
The older brother sprinted to the village, asked the vendor the price, and returned within three minutes. “It’s three dollars per pound for white rice,” he reported.
“And for brown rice?” the teacher inquired.
The older brother, caught off guard, ran back to the vendor. He returned and said, “It’s four dollars per pound for brown rice.”
“Is there a discount for buying 50 pounds?” asked the teacher.
Once again, the older brother ran to the vendor. He came back, panting, and said, “Yes, two and a half dollars per pound for brown rice in bulk.”
“What about white rice?” the teacher asked.
Exhausted, the older brother admitted, “I didn’t ask.”
The teacher then called the younger brother and asked gave him the same task. “Go to the village center and find out the price of rice.”
After a few minutes, the older brother thought: “I run faster than my brother and was already back by this time. Surely, the teacher will see my value now.”
A few moments later, younger brother returned and reported:
“Teacher, the price is 3 dollars per pound for white rice, 4 dollars per pound for brown. If we buy 50 pounds, both are two and a half dollars per pound and 100 pounds is two per pound for both. We might want to hold off because new stock arrives in two days and it’ll be fresher. The vendor also sends his regards.”
The teacher turned to the older brother: “When given a task, understand the bigger picture and seek to solve the problem, not just the task at hand. Strength and speed alone is not sufficient.”
A common retort when I tell this story is that the teacher should have given the older brother the broader context with the task.
My response is that if you just want to follow orders in work & business, you can, but your growth and impact will be limited.
When you are curious and exercise good judgment, you can almost always arrive at broader context by yourself. That context will allow you to solve problems more effectively and have more fun.