An ancient saying goes, "We have no friends; we have no enemies; we only have teachers."
He placed a screwdriver in my outstretched hand. "My name doesn't matter; neither does yours. What is important is what lies beyond names and beyond questions. Now, you will need this screwdriver to take apart the carburetor," he pointed.
"Nothing lies beyond questions," I retorted. "Like how did you fly on that rooftop?"
"I didn't fly--I jumped," was his poker-faced reply. It's not magic, so don't get your hopes up. In your case, however, I may have to perform some very difficult magic. It looks as if I'm going to have to transform a jackass into a human being."
"Who the hell do you think you are, anyway, to be saying these things to me?"
"I am a warrior!" he snapped. "Beyond that, who I am depends on who you want me to be."
"Can't you just answer a straight question?" I attacked the carburetor with a vengeance.
"Ask me one and I'll try," he said, smiling innocently. The screwdriver slipped and I skinned my finger. "Damn!" I yelled, going to the sink to wash the cut. Socrates handed me a Band-Aid.
"All right then. Here is a straight question." I determined to keep my voice patient. "How can you be useful to me?"
"I have already been useful to you," he replied. pointing to the bandage in my finger.
That did it. "Look, I can't waste my time here any longer. I need to get some sleep." I put the carburetor down and got ready to leave.
"How do you know you haven't been asleep your whole life? How do you know you're not asleep right now?" he intoned, a twinkle in his eye.
"Whatever you say." I was too tired to argue anymore."
Excerpt taken from Dan Millman's Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that Changes Lives