Ensō Guild

"Curiosity?" Arjun repeated, skepticism leaking into his voice. "He’s twelve, Kabir. He’s curious about when he can get his iPad back and which YouTuber is trending. You want me to audit that?"

"I want you to audit his agency," Kabir said, sitting forward. "You’ve built a machine, Arjun. A very expensive, high-performance machine. It runs from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. It inputs data, processes it, and outputs grades. But I want to know if there’s a driver inside, or if it’s just on autopilot."

Arjun rubbed the back of his neck. "You make him sound like a robot."

"You tell me," Kabir countered. "Here is the assignment. For the next seven days, you are not a father. You are a spy. You are a silent observer in your own home."

"Okay," Arjun said slowly. "And what am I looking for?"

"Three things," Kabir said, ticking them off on his fingers.

"First: The Gap. Find the moments in his schedule where he has absolutely nothing to do. No class, no homework, no screen time. Maybe it’s ten minutes before dinner. Maybe it’s the car ride between the tennis court and the math tutor."

"He usually plays games on my phone during the rides," Arjun noted.

"Stop that," Kabir commanded gently. "Take the phone away. Tell him the battery is dead. Then watch him. Does he look out the window? Does he daydream? Does he ask you a question about the world? Or does he panic? Does he look like an addict going through withdrawal?"

Arjun grimaced. "I think I know the answer to that one."

"Second," Kabir continued, ignoring the grimace. " The Question. I want you to count how many times in one week he asks you a question that starts with 'Why.'"

"He asks questions all the time. 'What time is class?', 'Did you sign the form?', 'Can I buy this?'"

"Those are logistical questions, Arjun. Those are transaction requests. I’m talking about curiosity. 'Why is the sky blue?' 'Why do we pay taxes?' 'Why did that man on the street look sad?' I want to know if he is engaging with the world or just navigating it. If the number is zero, we have a problem."

Arjun fell silent. He tried to remember the last time Rohan had asked a question that wasn't related to obtaining permission or a product. He drew a blank.

"And the third?" Arjun asked, his voice quieter.

"Third is The Spark. Watch him during his 'buffet' of activities. The coding, the piano, the tennis. Look at his face. Is he in Flow? Is he lost in the act of doing it? Or is he constantly looking at the clock? Is he doing it because he loves it, or because he knows it makes you happy?"

Kabir leaned back, picking up his cold tea.

"Most parents think their kids are passionate because the kids are obedient. They confuse 'compliance' with 'interest.' I want you to figure out which one Rohan is operating on."

Arjun looked out at the city lights. He felt a knot tightening in his stomach. He realized, with a sudden pang of guilt, that he didn't know the answers. He knew Rohan’s grades, his ranking, his shoe size, and his dietary restrictions. But he didn't know if his son was actually awake.

"And if he fails the audit?" Arjun asked hoarsely. "If I watch him for a week and I realize he’s just... sleepwalking through the schedule I built for him?"

"Then we celebrate," Kabir said.

"Celebrate?"

"Because then you know the diagnosis. You can't treat a fever if you don't take the temperature." Kabir stood up, signaling the end of the session. "Right now, you are flying blind. You think you are raising a prodigy. You might be raising a bureaucrat. You need to know which one it is."

Arjun stood up as well. He felt heavy, the alcohol and the conversation weighing him down.

"You really enjoy ruining my peace of mind, don't you?"

"Peace of mind is for people who don't care," Kabir smiled, clapping him on the shoulder. "You care. That’s why it hurts."

Kabir walked toward the sliding door. "Call me in a week, Arjun. Let me know if you find a driver in the machine."