When teaching, words are not enough

I visited Mani Bhavan yesterday. That's the house where mahatma Gandhi lived from 1917 to 1934.

I recalled reading about a story of a mother who brought her young son to mahatma Gandhi. She begged, "Pleae Mahatma. tell my son to stop eating sugar."

gandhi paused, then said, "Bring your son back in 2 weeks." Puzzled, the woman thanked him and said that she would do as he had asked.

2 weeks later, she returned with her son. gandhi looked at the youngster in the eye and said. "Stop eating sugar."

Grateful but bewildered, the woman asked. "Why did you tell me to bring him back in 2 weeks? You could have told him the same thing then."

gandhi replied, "2 weeks ago, I was eating sugar."

When we teach, words are not enough; we, too, must teach by example what we've realised through experience.