Theme: Do not befriend those stronger than you!
Know this:
(1) A few among us proudly declare our friendship with rich persons. Some feel proud to be associated with a thug. Some others seek to have friendship with a person holding an official position, a sportsman or some one popular.
(2) To see a hero in others we should have reduced ourselves in some way.
(3) Every person whom you seek to make friendship with, has grown in his/ her stature by stepping over people who seek to make friendship with them.
(4) Remember that there were no heroes existing in the past. There are no heroes now and there will be none in future. If they exist, the reason is you feel weak. You have reduced yourself in one or more ways and that is the reason you see a hero in some one.
(5) Keep away from people who are known for their power, possessions and positions.
(6) If many people think that a particular person is evil, there should be a reason behind it. Never become friendly with such persons.
(7)Keep away or run away from people who praise you. There are many who make good their life only through flattery.
(8) World History has proven time and again that any country with a friendly relationship with a stronger country could neither preserve its sovereign existence nor ever prosper.
(9) Small plants do not grow under a big tree.
When you were young, a simple story was told to you. Some of you might remember the story. But none of you would have understood the message in the story.
Theme: Do not befriend those who are stronger than you!
Short Story: 03
Monkey’s friend, the Crocodile.
“People who praise you today, will one day bring harm to your life, possessions, and position”, said the mother monkey called Shylaa.
Shylaa continued. “Not everyone who talks sweet, agrees with your views and pleases you is a friend. Moreover, true friendship and love are illusions. They are creation of our minds. They do not exist in real life. In reality, this is not possible. Those who have realized this will suffer a bit”.
“It is quite possible that compared to an enemy, a friend is likely to do you more harm”.“An intelligent person prayed to God - “God, I can presume what harm enemies can do to me. Therefore, I will not be harmed by them and can protect myself. But I do not know what or when my friends will bring harm to me. Therefore, God please protect me from friends.”The husband of monkey Shylaa who was listening to the speech of his wife realized that this knowledge delivered by his wife was meant for him.
Even then, he did not bother. Still worse, he was mocking at his wife’s advice.You may wonder, what made the mother monkey lecture this to her husband. There was an important development in their lives.
The place where the monkeys lived can be called monkey’s bastion. But, occasionally crocodiles surfaced there.
They ate and enjoyed the blackberry fruits that lay on the river banks. The husband monkey on the tree noticed this. He said to the crocodile, “Oh King of the River, do you want more of these fruits?” he asked. The crocodile was delighted to hear this and said, “Yes, I would love some more”. From that day onwards, every day the crocodile came to the bank of the river and the monkey plucked the fruits and threw them down for him.
This marked the beginning of friendship between the monkey and the crocodile. The monkey took great pride in this friendship. The monkey’s wife felt that this new friendship would be harmful for her husband, but he did not bother to listen to her.
Many times the monkey’s wife tried to counsel her husband against this friendship through good advice, but in vain. She gave him one final warning - “I hope that all my repeated good advice has not gone in vain. A good wife is like a good minister, to save or warn her husband before an evil befalls him is her duty. I have done that. I assure you that this new friendship with the crocodile will not bring any good to you. Only time will tell what I said is right. May God help you.”
The crocodile and the monkey continued their friendship for a long time. The monkey continued to give the crocodile the fruits and in turn, the crocodile would heap praises on the monkey. Other animals envied this. The crocodile used to take the fruits for his wife and children too.
There will be a turning point in the life of man and his friends. Similarly, it happened to the friendship between the crocodile and the monkey.
After eating the same fruits for some time, the crocodile’s wife started getting bored. She wanted variety. Her evil mind started thinking, “If the fruits given by the monkey were this tasty, how tasty would the monkey be since it had grown up eating these fruits?” She informed her husband about her desire and suggested to her husband that he invite the monkey and the entire family to their place on a full moon night for dinner and then set up a plan to eat them. Though her husband was shocked at this unusual request, he felt that this was a good idea and even praised her, as he wanted to satisfy his wife’s wish.
“But how will the monkey trust our invitation and come boldly to our house?” asked the crocodile. What is the difference between a human and a monkey? It’s the tail!
Man gives more importance to his friends. Friendship cards are more in circulation than parents’ day cards.
Friends have become more important than parents, brothers and sisters.“If you call him “my friend” three times, the monkey would surely fall in your net”, said the crocodile’s wife. Immediately, they set about putting their plan into action.
The crocodile informed the monkey about the party and the invitation from his family to the monkey and his family. He explained that it was a thanksgiving party. As the monkey’s wife refused to come, the monkey came down immediately from the tree to accept his friend’s invitation. The monkey disregarded his wife’s warning and jumped on the back of the crocodile and started crossing the river.
The crocodile and monkey had crossed halfway. The crocodile was thrilled that his clever wife’s plan had worked. Now that they were in water, he felt that the monkey was trapped with no chance of escape. The crocodile slowly told the monkey about his wife’s desire to eat him and his family.
After the initial shock on listening to this, the monkey recovered. He thought how foolish he had been by neglecting his wife’s warning! He thought of a way to escape.
He said to the crocodile, “Hey, crocodile! You are about to commit a grave mistake. You are aware that the heart is the sweetest part of the monkey, but don’t you know that the monkeys usually remove them and hang them on the tree in the morning till they retire for the day?
If you had informed me earlier, I would have placed my heart back and come. Wouldn’t I do this for my friend?”
The crocodile was reflecting on this.The monkey was persistent. He said, “O’ king of the river, don’t you know that the river queen will be angry if you brought me without my heart?”
The crocodile had no other choice but to trust his friend. He brought the monkey back to its tree. The monkey, relieved of the trauma, promised to bring his heart back with him. That was the last time he ever spoke to the crocodile.
The poor crocodile waited for a long time and left home tired and frightened, wondering how his wife would react for missing the meal.