What must I do to become wise?

" A young man came to a sage one day and asked,  "Sire,  what must I do to become wise?"  The sage
vouchsafed no answer.  The youth after repeating his
question a number of times, with a like result, at last left him,  to return
the  next  day with the same question.  Again no answer was  given  and  the
youth returned on the third day, still repeating  his  question,  "Sire what must I do to become wise?"
Finally the sage turned and went down to a near-by river. He entered the
water,  bidding the youth follow him.  Upon arriving at a  sufficient  depth
the  sage took the young man by the shoulders and held him under the  water,
despite his struggles to free himself.  At last,  however,  he released  him
and when the youth had regained his breath the sage questioned him:

 "Son, when you were under the water what did you most desire?"

    The youth answered without hesitation, "Air, air!  I wanted air!"

    "Would you not rather have had riches, pleasure, power or love,  my son?
Did you not think of any of these?"  queried the sage.
 "No,  sire!   I wanted air and though only of air," came the instant response.
"Then,"  said the sage,  "To become wise you must desire wisdom with  as great intensity as you just now desired air.   You must struggle for it,  to the exclusion of every other aim in life.  It must be your one and only  aspiration, by day and by night. If you seek wisdom with that fervor, my son, you will surely become wise."
                                                                                                                Max Heindel
                                                                                           The Rosicrucian Cosmo-Conception

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