Once upon a time,
there was a wizard who wanted to punish his experienced apprentice because he was looking down on the others. At first, the wizard thought of a punishment that would teach humility — something that would make the apprentice realize the harm of his arrogance. He even considered shrinking him in front of everyone, so he would feel small like the ones he mocked.
But then, a better idea came to his mind — a punishment that would make the apprentice confront his own ego while also showing fairness to everyone. He hadn’t revealed this plan to the apprentice yet.
Finally, in front of everyone, the wizard said the famous words:
“You’re fired!”
He waited, expecting the apprentice to shrink himself. And indeed, the apprentice reacted just as the wizard imagined. In front of everyone, he said,
“Please, master, don’t fire me. I need this job… I promise I’ll behave better from now on.”
The wizard’s heart felt lighter. The apprentice had already made himself small — not by magic, but through his own words.
The reason I’m telling this story is that sometimes real-life punishments are more effective than magical ones.
