A thief of time will not be punished. He is not even accountable before the law. But to wasting time now is to steal your own time, your future.
By Abdulloh Abdumominov
Abdullah lives next door and we are close friends. One evening we couldn’t find any fun. We didn’t know what to do, so we started making something out of a big piece of wood and remained busy till night. My dad woke up to a sudden noise.
My father with half-open eyes said, “Yes, Thieves of time! Are you wasting your time?”
I didn’t understand the meaning of my father’s words “time thieves”. When I asked, he fell asleep again.
My friend Abdullah also said: “We must be thieves.” He was trembling with fear.
When the sun came up, he went to his house. I also fell asleep from exhaustion.
In the morning, remembering that I was late for school, I quickly washed my face and hands and hurriedly drank tea. I don’t even remember what I ate in a hurry.
I thought I would be late for school, but the class hadn’t started yet. Soon as I arrived, the teacher came in. We greeted the Master with a bow.
“Dear students! I’m glad to see you. My joy is boundless.”
Just as our teacher was explaining the subject to us, Daniel, one of my classmates, came in:
“Teacher, I’m sorry I’m late today.”
“Daniel, don’t be late. This time I forgave you, but next time I will punish you.”
Teacher continued, “Dear students, you must build a new Uzbekistan, and at the same time justify the trust of your parents, who are ready to sacrifice their lives for you. If you become famous, I will be happy to brag that I taught this student on the street.”
These words of my teacher made a special impression on me and increased my self-confidence.
At this point, all sorts of whispers began in the classroom. “Will you come to my birthday tomorrow?” It sounded like it was obvious that our teacher had heard these words.
“Time thieves,” said the teacher. The teacher’s sharp gaze on the students was full of regret.
“Time Thieves” … I heard that word from my dad when I was playing with a friend. That’s why I’m not surprised to hear that word. My classmates were stunned. Daniel, on the other hand, trembled with fear, as did Abdullah, my friend.
“Daniel, why are you trembling?” said the teacher at that moment.
“You called us thieves, didn’t you?” Aren’t thieves punished for stealing?
“Time will punish thieves.” You are hurting yourself.
“Teacher, I don’t understand the whole point of this sentence, but tell us about the theft of time.”
“Usually, those who steal are punished.” Time thieves are no exception. True, a thief of time will not be punished. He is not even accountable before the law. But to waste your time now is to steal your time, your future. If you spend all your time in science, you will save time and become a better person in the future.”
“Ehh, my friend Abdullah and I are the thieves of our future …” Daniel thought.
The Master’s words encouraged Daniel. At that moment Daniel realized what a “time thief” was. He even came to our house in a hurry:
“Anwar, are you here? From now on, I understand the value of time, right?”
“Yes, Abdullah, you understand, we are not wasting our time, we are just learning. In that future, we will be the kind of people my teacher told me to be.”
“I agree with you. Don’t waste your time! I will always remember that it is a trophy!”
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Abdulloh ABDUMOMINOV, is a 7th grade student in Tashkent, Uzbekistan
