Sometimes a second chance arises. On my return to a gem store in Colombo, Sri Lanka, I met a man whose photograph I’ve wanted since my first visit in November. The name of the store is Lakarcade, and it’s run in cooperation with the government. It’s supposed to be reputable.
In November I was trying to buy a nice birthday present for someone. Because I was in Sri Lanka, a sapphire seemed like the right choice. But I had gone from store to store without finding anything interesting, and I was ready to give up. I had one final option: Lakarcade.
There a salesperson showed me a variety of options, and eventually I found what I was looking for: a piece of jewelry that went beyond a cliché stone in a cliché setting. I found an elegant, artful silver twist, for — as it happened — two sapphires.
But I don’t know anything about gems. What was I buying? Were they quality stones? Were they even real sapphires? On one hand, it didn’t matter very much. They were what I wanted. But it did matter a little. And what if the recipient could recognize a good sapphire?
So I asked the salesperson who was helping me: “Are you a gem expert? Are these nice stones?”
“No,” the salesperson told me. “I’m not an expert. I’m just the salesperson. But this man next to me” — he pointed to his left — “he’s an expert.”
So I turned to his left and asked, “You’re an expert?”
The man to the left smiled humbly and told me: “I’m a keen student.”
Those words reverberated with me as the true sign of an expert and as a lesson for anyone who ever tries to learn anything.
Experts know how much there is to learn, and know that in that context, even the experts don’t know very much. Experts focus on learning, on being students of what they love. This man, in particular, was a smiling, happy example of the power of focusing on the journey instead of the destination.
But it was late and I was tired from all the previous stops, and I hadn’t had dinner, so I quickly bought the jewelry and left.
Ever since I have wished that I had asked the man’s name and taken his photograph.
Fortunately, on my return visit to the jewelry store this time, I encountered the man again. His name is Mr. Ajith Perera, and here is his photo:
Thank you, Mr. Perera, for your help with my purchases, for your expertise, and, much more, for this subtle, powerful, enduring reminder: In life, aspire to be a keen student.
