The good little schoolboy

Once upon a time there was a little schoolboy named Lulu. His parents worked hard to feed the family and pay off the debt on their modest little apartment. His dad had no education and was exhausting himself in the factory. His mom had managed to get a small, poorly paid part-time administrative job. The rest of the time, she did housework.

Lulu wasn't very good at school, but he worked hard every night. It must be said that his parents didn't really give him a choice, as if they wanted to prevent him from living the same life as them. He had several friends, with whom he would have liked to spend more time. But homework and lessons took up a lot of his time. Too much time.

So one night, while he was memorizing "The Tortoise and the Hare" in his room, he had a revelation. I may not be very good, he thought, but if I do like the tortoise, I can reach the finish line first. But Lulu didn't want to be top of the class, because he didn't like school. He had other plans in mind.

From that moment on, every evening he devoted ten minutes of his study time to educating himself on his own. He read about other subjects, such as sports, current events, politics, health, culture, the different countries of the world, economics and finance. Slowly but surely, he was building up a sort of inner library, a refuge that no one could enter.

Thanks to this world of his own, he was able to create virtual journeys, to other continents, to imaginary worlds or even to other eras. The more he learned, the more he became able to dream and put school worries into perspective. At the same time, he became very good at certain subjects, including at school, even if that was not his primary goal.

Soon, the ten minutes a day were no longer enough. Lulu increased it to fifteen minutes, then twenty... He spent more and more time reading about many different subjects and less and less on his homework. He received very bad grades on some subjects, which he easily managed to compensate for with others. His parents were constantly hesitating between reprimands and congratulations. In the end, they were proud of their little Lulu, because at times, he seemed like a genius to them.

Lulu finished school without too many problems. He was far from being the top of his class, but he excelled in certain areas. He spent a few years at university, which he enjoyed immensely. The academic world was a springboard for Lulu's imaginary world, thanks not only to the knowledge that was taught there, but especially to the enormous independence he could enjoy.

And then came the big day when Lulu entered the workforce. At first, it was a new playground, with a lot to learn and new faces to meet. But he quickly realized that he was only using a small part of his many skills. Not only was he starting to get bored, but above all he had the impression that his knowledge and energy were being stolen from him by his employer. While he had studied until now to maintain his virtual world, his skills were here exploited to maintain the universe of another person. Lulu was no longer happy.

So, like twenty years earlier, he began to study every evening for ten minutes. Little by little, some forgotten knowledge resurfaced from the past, notably economics and finance. Even if he had not made it his profession, Lulu had always considered these fields with a certain interest, without really knowing why. So, the ten minutes per evening increased to fifteen, then twenty... The more he read, the more his work seemed boring to him.

He began to save, then to invest. At first, it wasn't much, a matter of a few hundred francs. Lulu nevertheless always remembered La Fontaine's fable. His capital began to grow, slowly but surely. When he was at school, the more he educated himself, the less he worked on his homework. Now that he was in working life, the richer he became, the more he reduced his working hours. His activity rate was shrinking like a piece of shagreen leather. The colleagues around him were beginning to ask questions.

When he reached the age of 50, Lulu announced to everyone that he was retiring. People looked at him with a mixture of disbelief, mockery and dismay. I spent my life studying and working for others, he said, now I will devote the rest of my life to taking time for myself and my loved ones. Behind the facade of smiles, behind his back, everyone thought he had gone crazy.

Yet his parents were right, the good little schoolboy was actually a genius. He had just crossed the finish line first.