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A true story: THE IMPORTANCE OF NOT KNOWING IT ALL
A teacher of village health workers who had a college degree was working as a
volunteer in the mountains of western Mexico. One day he arrived at a small village
on muleback. A father approached him and asked if he could heal his son. The
health worker followed the father to his hut.
The boy, whose name was Pepe, was sitting on the floor. His legs had been
paralyzed by polio. The disease had struck him as a baby. Now he was 13 years old.
Pepe smiled and reached up a friendly hand.
The health worker examined the boy. “Have you ever tried to walk with
crutches?” he asked. Pepe shook his head.
“We live so far away from the city,” his father explained apologetically.
“Then why don’t we try to make some crutches?” asked the health worker.
The next morning the health worker got up
at dawn. He borrowed a machete (long curved
knife) and went into the forest. He hunted until
he found two forked branches.
He took the branches back to Pepe’s home
and began to make them into crutches, like this.
The father came up and the health worker showed him the crutches he was making.
The father examined them for a moment and said, “They won’t work!”
The health worker frowned. “Wait and see!” he said.
When both crutches were finished, they showed them to Pepe, who was eager to
try them out. His father lifted him into a standing position and the health worker placed
the crutches under the boy’s arms.
But as soon as Pepe tried to put his weight on
the crutches, they doubled and broke.
“I tried to tell you they wouldn’t work,” said the
father. “It’s the wrong kind of tree. Wood’s weak
as water! But now I see what you have in mind.
I’ll go cut some branches of jutamo. Wood’s
tough as iron, but light! Don’t want the crutches
to be too heavy.”
He took the machete and trotted into the
forest. Fifteen minutes later he was back with
two forked sticks of jutamo. At once he set about
making the crutches, his strong hands working
rapidly. The health worker and Pepe assisted him.
When the new crutches were finished, Pepe’s father tested them by putting his
full weight on them. They held him easily, yet were lightweight. Next the boy tried
them. He had trouble balancing at first, but soon was able to hold himself upright.
By afternoon, he was actually walking with the crutches. But they rubbed him under
the arms.