MONKEY RETURNS

Pic.: Sheela Krishnamony

This is my childhood story. Every time I read it, it makes me peaceful… I have told this story many times before in my blog and in our PD sessions…  I wish to tell it, once again, today.

In a village, there lived this milkman. Every day, he walked near and far to sell milk in the village. With whatever money he earned, he was content and lived a simple yet happy life with his family. And, as years passed by, a thought began to trouble him: “I am getting older and tired… I won’t be able to go around the village like this for long… The family needs are increasing… my daughters have to be married… and, at this rate, it would be hard for me to face my future.”

Thus, with the hope that he could make some quick money and secure his future, the milkman started to add some quantity of water in the milk, which went unnoticed in the beginning. As  time went by, the water quantity in the milk began to increase, and, his customers began to complain. But, by now, the greed had taken strong roots in this milkman… He could not live with the thought of earning less. Insecurity had taken over him… and, he continued to live like that despite the bad name he had now earned for himself…

Then, one afternoon, while returning home, the tired milkman decided to take a short nap under a tree. He had placed next to him his money pouch. When he was fast asleep, a monkey picked the pouch, sat on the tree branch, and started doing something interesting: he dropped one coin on the ground and another into the deep well below. Monkey kept doing it till the pouch became almost empty… When the milkman woke up, he was shocked to see what the monkey was doing. But, by now, the monkey-job was already finished… Milkman’s half the booty had gone into the deep well… while the other half was lying there on the ground…

As he bent down, heart-broken, to collect whatever was lying before him, the milkman heard a voice inside his heart: “Become wise now… The money that you had earned by adding water in the milk, has gone where it belonged – into the well; the money that you deserve is lying before you…Gather it  and go home.”

It seems, the milkman paid heed to this voice… and he did not have to worry any more about his future… All was taken care of, including his old age and daughters’ marriage!

What has prompted me to tell this story, today?

It seems, there is a global crash in economy… In seconds, the investors’ wealth has been wiped out by over seven-lakh crores of rupees... and, worse is: that's just the beginning of an unfolding scary-story!

There is this milkman in all of us… who, constantly worries about his old age and his future uncertainties… Insecurity prompts all of us to do what this milkman had done… make some quick money with the hope that it would make our future secure…

As I conclude this piece, a wise line comes back before me:

“In life, true security does not come with our big bank balance;

it comes with the understanding,

that we can be secure even without our big bank balance!”

I love this monkey… I tell you, he keeps coming back to pick my pouch every time I worry about my future and try to secure it… by taking some shortcut to my secure future!

GERALD D’CUNHA