In a busy neighborhood of Dhaka lived a Bengali boy named Arif. Arif was a little different from the other children. While many boys loved to play football or fly colorful kites, Arif often stopped to listen to the birds. He listened to the sparrows singing in the morning. He listened to the ducks near the river.
And at night, he listened to the crickets hidden in the grass. One question was always in his heart:
“What are they saying to each other?”
One evening he sat beside his grandfather on the bank of the Buriganga River.
The sunset painted the water with shades of gold and orange.
“Grandfather,” Arif asked, “do you think it is possible to learn the language of animals?”
The old man smiled gently.
“Perhaps.”
“And what about the language of all people?”
His grandfather chuckled softly.
“That is even harder.”
Arif looked surprised.
“Why?”
The old man pointed toward the river.
“Look at the water. Every drop comes from a different place, yet they all flow together.”
Arif did not fully understand, but he thought about those words for a long time.
Years passed.
The boy read many books and learned about distant countries. He discovered stories from Hungary, Japan, Brazil, Egypt, Canada, and many other places.
The more he learned, the less interested he became in where people came from. Instead, he wanted to know:
What makes them smile?
What makes them afraid?
What gives them hope?
One day, while walking through a field, Arif found an injured stork. Carefully, he carried it home. For many days he fed it, protected it, and helped it heal. When the stork finally spread its wings and flew back into the sky, Arif watched until it disappeared among the clouds.
And then he understood something important.
Perhaps understanding does not begin with words.
The stork did not speak Bengali. Arif did not speak the language of storks. Yet somehow, they understood each other.
Through kindness.
Through care.
Through love.
That evening he returned to the river with his grandfather.
“I think I finally understand,” Arif said.
“Understand what?” the old man asked.
Arif looked up at the stars.
“It isn’t important to speak every language in the world.”
“Then what is important?”
The boy smiled.
“To keep my heart open.”
His grandfather placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Then you have learned one of the world’s most beautiful languages.”
The river flowed quietly into the night. Birds settled into the trees. Dogs barked in distant villages. And somewhere far away, children in other countries looked up at the very same stars.
They spoke different languages. They sang different songs. But deep inside, they were searching for the same things.
Love.
Peace.
And a place where they could feel at home.
Goodnight Lesson
You do not need to know every language to understand others.
Kindness, compassion, and love are languages spoken and understood by every person—and every living creature—in the world.
Zsuzsanna Csoma
Children’s Book Author
Founder, A Story for Every Heart
Budapest, Hungary.