" "What?" I asked. Not understanding what he was saying, I continued with my grievance. "I thought you were going to keep your end of the bargain and teach me. Instead you want to torture me? That's cruel. That's really cruel." "I am teaching you," rich dad said quietly. "What have you taught me? Nothing!" I said angrily. "You haven't even talked to me once since I agreed to work for peanuts. Ten cents an hour. Hah! I should notify the government about you. "We have child labor laws, you know. My dad works for the government, you know." "Wow!" said rich dad. "Now you sound just like most of the people who used to work for me. People I've either fired or they've quit." "So what do you have to say?" I demanded, feeling pretty brave for a little kid. "You lied to me. I've worked for you, and you have not kept your word. You haven't taught me anything." "How do you know that I've not taught you anything?" asked rich dad calmly. "Well, you've never talked to me. I've worked for three weeks, and you have not taught me anything," I said with a pout. "Does teaching mean talking or a lecture?" rich dad asked. "Well, yes," I replied. "That's how they teach you in school," he said smiling. "But that is not how life teaches you, and I would say that life is the best teacher of all. Most of the time, life does not talk teTyou. It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying, 'Wake up. There's something I want you to learn.' " "What is this man talking about?" I asked myself silently. "Life pushing me around was life talking to me?" Now I knew I had to quit my job. I was talking to someone who needed to be locked up. "If you learn life's lessons, you will do well. If not, life will just continue to push you around. People do two things. Some just let life push them around. Others get angry and push back. But they push back against their boss, or their job, or their husband or wife. They do not know it's life that's pushing." I had no idea what he was talking about. "Life pushes all of us around. Some give up. Others fight. A few learn the lesson and move on. They welcome life pushing them around. To these fevyjeople, it means theyneed and want toJerjnLSomething. They learn and move on. Most quit, and a few like you fight." Rich dad stood and shut the creaky old wooden win- dow that needed repair. "If you learn this lesson, you will grojv_into_a_ wise, wealthy and happy young man. If you don't, you will spend your life blaming a job, low pay or your boss for your problems. You'll live life hoping for that big break that will solve all your money problems." Rich dad looked over at me to see if I was still listening. His eyes met mine. We stared at each other, streams of communication going between us through our eyes. Fi- nally, I pulled away once I had absorbed his last message. I knew he was right. I was blaming him, and I did ask to learn. I was fighting. Rich dad continued.