"Our city has the best cuisine in the entire world, it is the epitome of cleanlines, the people are soooo hospitable," is how one of my acquaintances would ramble on everytime we would meet. It's annoying when you know some one is faffing and you can't do anything about it but down a zillion espressos to wipe out the dazed expressions from your face.
One day it just got on my nerves to an extent that I realised that I had to do something about this. I decided to reply back in the only way I know_by telling a story, This is what I wrote and I hope that it drove home the point:
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There was once a beautiful valley dotted with trees. Unfortunately in winters, the entire flock of birds would leave this paradise behind and head to a warm summery place to forget the harsh pains of cold. But, one mother bird forgot a little egg in the nest. When the egg finally hatched, the tiny birdie couldn't find any of its brethren near by. Since it had never known what its kin looked like and couldn't find any of its kind in the valley, it thought it must be one of a kind. It made friends with insects and foal to drive away its loneliness. Slowly as youth dawned upon him, his wings began to soar around him. Gradually his instincts guided him towards the right way to carve his path into the sky. The fact that he was a special child slowly became a matter of pride and fromn then onwards arrogance. He thought no one could fly higher than him or preen feathers better than him.
Then winter ended and summer followed. The flock of birds returned, soariing high with their well-warmed wings. The birdie was shocked..his illusion was broken. Neither was he the only one of his kind nor did he fly at the greatest height. Sporting a bruised ego, he sought to go to a place where he could hide his face. As he made his way out of the valley, a cuckoo stopped him. "Son...do you not remember me. I am your mother. I missed you so much, and am really sorry that I left you behind. But where are you heading to?" He told her the entire story. She laughed.."Of course you are special and one of a kind. Everyone is different from within, it doesn't matter what you look like..but the way you think. And you have to realise what you can do best. Others can fly, others can preen..but dear little son..you can sing. Wwhat is a cuckoo without a voice!" she explained.
The herd of cuckoos gathered around their newfound member and told him, "You must realise your own uniqueness and with that also realise that there is something in others that makes them unique as well. You may have one gift, the others may have a different one. You don't need to shout from the treetops anbout it, because if you are good, others will realise it. Remember modesty and self realisation are the key to a peaceful life!"
2 comments:
Well, I think that we're misinterpreting our friend's comments about the city here and actually trying to analyse it way too seriously than it deserves to be. As such the story that follows doesn't make too much sense to me.
Our dear friend might have made those comments because he really believes that his city serves the best food and that the people are MORE hospitable than anyone else on earth. Though that need not be true at all, it didn't show that he was boasting, just that he's proud of the city, the people and their hospitality and felt that it's the best place on the planet. Don't we feel that our home is the best place on earth? We need not go to every place on earth and taste the food of every other city to say that!
Simple comment, it doesn't require such a harsh reaction or interpretation.
Kushal.
Well, everyone is proud of their city, their homes in their own unique way. But to put down someone else's city to highlight your own is just not done. It can be a wee bit irritating to hear someone go on and on about how her town is in so many ways ahead of yours...it doesnt show any love for the city, my friend, it showcases a deeply embedded inferiority complex which she tries to pass off as superiority. Sometimes it is these never ending conversations that throw so much insight into a persons character
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