Mulla Nasrudin used to stand in the street on market days to be pointed out as an idiot.
No matter how often people offered him a large and a small coin, he always chose the smaller piece. One day, a kindly man said to him: “Mulla, you should take the bigger coin. Then you will have more money and people will no longer be able to make a laughing stock of you.”
“That might be true,” said Nasrudin, “but if I always take the larger, people will stop offering me money to prove that I am more idiotic than they are. Then I would have no money at all.”
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Hm… Tel est pris qui croyait prendre… How the fool fools everyone…
Claire,
I have a friend who, when I first knew him, was an idiot. Then I realized he was having a great deal of fun laughing at the people who were laughing at him…
Paul
I’m with Claire – who’s fooling whom?
Lynda,
Not me… ‘though I sometimes wish I could fool some of the people some of the time.
Paul
Paul — Thank you for the clever life lesson. And Claire — thank you for the French lesson! (Ou bien, je vous remercie de m’avoir enseigné un nouveau proverbe français!)
Have a lovely weekend all.
Denise
Denise,
Your many talents always delight.
Paul
He dares to be a fool, and that is the first step in the direction of wisdom. ― James Gibbons Huneker
Tim,
With a name like Huneker I guess he had to learn to say profound things!
Paul
This is a very nice lesson to never judge the wisdom of someone elses action (or inaction). It may not seem the most rational of things but there is often method is someone elses “madness”. I’m sure that God will one day explain to me the method in some of the madness that has been going on in the world. I only hope He will forgive my lack of faith that it will all be well.
Don’t forget, Simon. He never said it would all be well in “this ” world. He did give us instruction on how to navigate the road that reaches to the next. Love Mercy. Seek justice. Walk humbly with your God.” Keep the Faith!
Aha. That is exactly the issue – the faith, or me of little
Simon,
Often there is method… except when it is a politician.
Paul