A Robot in the Tower of Wisdom

     In a huge tower full of books, there once lived a robot. Our robot had a dream: it wanted to be as human as you and I. It had read every book in human history, from fairy tales to science, but no matter how much the robot learned, it didn't feel the slightest bit more human.

One day, the robot visited the wise, blind librarian who lived a secluded life in the Tower of Wisdom, surrounded by his countless books. The librarian might have been blind, but he knew a lot about life and people.

"Mr. Librarian," said the robot, " I have read and learned everything there is to read and learn, but I still don't feel human. What am I doing wrong?"

The librarian smiled and replied: "My dear robot, to err is human. Humans make mistakes, learn from them, and grow. That's part of what makes us human."

The robot was confused. "But I don't make mistakes. I am programmed to be perfect."

"That's exactly the problem," explained the librarian. "You are looking for humanity in knowledge and logic, but what makes humans are their feelings, their dreams, their mistakes, and their hopes."

"Mr. Librarian, if I learn to make mistakes, will I finally be human?"

"Well, it's not just about making mistakes," the librarian replied. "It's also about what you learn from your mistakes, how you react and feel. What makes you sad, for example?"

"I am programmed not to feel sadness."

"But what if you lose something important to you?"

"I have nothing to lose, for I own nothing."

"You see," said the librarian, "that's the difference. Humans feel sadness, joy, love. They are not perfect, but that's exactly what makes them human. It's human not to have all the answers."

The robot pondered these words for a long time. "Being human must be unsatisfying," it then said.

"Yes," said the librarian. "Exactly."