Once upon a time, on the outskirts of a big city, there stood an old school. From a young age, girls and boys would come to live in the school and to learn from the teacher. One day the teacher who ran this small school decided to teach her students a lesson. She gathered them around her and spoke: “My dear students, as you can see, I am growing old and slow. I can no longer provide for the needs of the school as I once did. I know I have not yet taught you to work for money, and so I can think of only one thing that can keep our school from closing.
“Our nearby city is full of wealthy people with more money in their purses than they could ever need. I want you to go into the city and follow those rich people as they walk through the crowded streets, or when they walk down the deserted alleyways. When no one is looking, and only when no one is looking, you must steal their purses from them. That way we will have enough money to keep our school alive.” (At this point, Michael and many of his classmates gasped and shook their heads.)
“But Teacher,” the students chorused in disbelief, “you have taught us that it is wrong to take anything that does not belong to us.”
“Yes, indeed I have,” the old teacher replied. “It would be wrong to steal if it were not absolutely necessary. And remember, you must not be seen! If anyone can see you, you must not steal! Do you understand?”
The students looked nervously from one to another. Had their beloved teacher gone mad? “Yes, Teacher,” they said quietly.
“Good,” she said. “Now go, and remember, you must not be seen!” The students got up and left the school building. The old teacher rose slowly and watched them go. When she returned to her seat, she saw that one student was still standing quietly in the corner of the room. “Why did you not go with the others?” she asked the girl. “Don’t you want to help save our school?”
“I do, Teacher,” said the girl quietly. “But you said that we had to steal without being seen. I know that there is no place on Earth that I would not be seen, for I would always see myself.”
“Excellent!” exclaimed the teacher. “That is just the lesson that I hoped you and the others would learn, but you were the only one to see it. Run and tell your friends to return to the school before they get us into trouble.” The girl ran and got her friends, who were nervously gathered just out of sight of the school, trying to decide what to do. When they returned, the teacher told them the words the girl had spoken, and they all understood the lesson.