Theme: Tire before you retire!
Short Story 15
Tire before retire
Such moral stories as this, have a lot of message. Let us take just one out of it.
The story goes as follows:
The back drop of this story is a large scenic lake in a village with several trees all along the bund. It was a summer. One can imagine several people enjoying a nice sleep under the trees in the shades provided by the trees.
We the city folk, used to sleeping only inside four walls can never even imagine the pleasures these simple and poor villages enjoy.
The village has a large lake spread over a couple of kilometers in every direction. There were several sprawling trees all around the lake.
It was midday then. The heat from the sun was scorching. Peasants had no work to do during the noon. They sought refuge under the shades of a tree. Cowherds and shepherds left the cattle to gaze and took shelter under the shade of a tree.
There were others who enjoyed the wonderful breeze under the trees and sleeping peacefully.
An elderly person reached the lake and moved from tree to tree looking for a particular person among those who slept there.
A little back ground information to this story is necessary.
An young man was a distant relative of elderly persson. While he himself was known to be a well educated person while the parents of the youngster, were not.
The parents of the young man felt that their son did not pursue a job and life which any normal youth of his age and time did. He spent all his time in fun and leisure. The parents commissioned their learned relative to bring some sense into their son.
The story continues.
After a long search the learned man identified the Young man he was looking for and called him out gently.
It took a few minutes, for the young man who was deeply asleep, to wake-up. It was obvious that he did not like his being disturbed from his sleep. At the same time he had some respect for his visitor. He sat- up and greeted the visitor.
The visitor spent a little while in talking about himself and enquired about the lad.
After a brief silence, he advised the lad seek an employment somewhere.
The lad was quite cool. He nodded in affirmative.
The visitor was pleased.
The lad, his parents observed, was quite abnormal in his behavior. He was detached from his family and was freely wandering like any madman or god man would. The elderly person is a distant relative of this lad and respected by everyone in the family.
He was happy that his job was almost done. The lad questioned the visitor, as what he should do after he is employed.
The visitor became enthusiastic. The lad replied the visitor that he would get married to a girl identified by the visitor’s choice. and live happily.
The visitor was happy that his job was almost done. The lad questioned the visitor, as what he should do, next.
The visitor replied that he would have children.
“After having children, what should he do”, demanded the lad.
Care them, bring them up, educate them, get them employed and married. Then they will have children and so on.
The lad continued. My children would take care of their children as I would be taking care of my children. “What is next for me?”. The visitor concluded,” then, you can relax”. The lad laughed and retorted to the visitor that he is already doing that.
He asked the visitor, if he was sure that the ultimate act in the entire exercise is to relax. He then continued, “ I am already doing it”. “Why should he go through several steps at all?”
The visitor was dumbfounded and left the place as a disappointed person.
Is the argument of the lad right? If not what is wrong? Discuss this story
Theme: No one is superior to any other person, ( all the time and in every situation).
(1) Every one is superior to others some time, in some situations.
(2) No profession is superior to another.
(3) It is our foolishness to link one’s superiority with education, social position and possessions.
Two stories to highlight this theme follows.