JUMPING AROUND THE RED SEEDS

 

“Don’t leave a piece of jewelry at his house

so you can go back and get it later;

he may be with his real girlfriend.” 

Amy Sedaris

In life, we learn some lessons the hard way. One of them is not to offer advice to any one – even our nearest and dearest ones – unless the advice is asked for.

Did I say ‘even our nearest and dearest ones’?

Yes, I did say.

Let me be specific, here. Let’s look around us and see how some of our nearest and dearest ones blindly believe in fake news - divisive, communal, toxic and defamatory news, which is dished out, incessantly, through both mainstream and social media. When we see these dear ones of ours so addicted to this, what do we do? Initially, we try to tell them, “Honey, that’s fake news… That’s harmful… Stay away from it.”

From where does our advice come?

“From our concern, obviously,” we may think.

But, do the other person/s think so?

Chances are more, that our ‘out-of-concern advice’ may simply boomerang on us…

“I know what I am doing; so, stay off!” Does it sound familiar?

And, if we still try to prevail upon them?

Well, this is what is bound to happen:

  

DON’T’ ADVISE A MONKEY

 

It was a cold night. In a jungle, a monkey was jumping around some red seeds, crying, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” He was warming himself mistaking those red seeds to be balls of fire!

From a nearby tree, a little bird saw what the monkey was doing. She said, “My friend, those are not balls of fire… they are just red seeds of our jungle.”

“Shut up, you silly bird,” the monkey yelled, “Mind your own business.” He continued to jump around the seeds, screaming, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The little bird felt sorry for the monkey. She tried to explain to him, once again, “My friend, I am telling you, they are not fire balls… they are our jungle seeds.”

“I have warned you once, and I am warning you again,” the monkey blasted out, “get off my way, you dumb bird!” Then, he continued to warm himself, jumping and shouting, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The bird couldn’t see it, any more. She came down from the tree, sat close to the monkey and pleaded, “Believe me, my friend, they are not balls of fire… They are just red seeds from our jungle.”

“This is the last warning I am giving you,” the monkey breathed out fire, “You better leave me alone before it is too late.” Then, he went on jumping and crying, “Ouch, it is very cold… Ouch, it is very cold!”

“I can show you, my friend, that they are just our jungle seeds,” the little bird bent down to pick up the seeds…

“Go to hell, you dumb idiot,” the monkey grabbed the delicate bird by her neck, “this is what you deserve for being so stupid.” He started smashing the tiny bird hard on the ground... till she was torn into a thousand pieces!

 

Yes, I have learnt this important life-lesson the hard way. No matter how near and dear the other people are to us, as far as believing in utter rubbish is concerned – yes, they make their choices out of their own wisdom. So, if we think the monkey is my dear one and should be brought to his senses… let’s remember the fate of the bird…

Didn’t the monkey declare, “This is what you deserve for being so stupid”?

I just blocked a ‘very dear friend’ of mine for ‘jumping around the red seeds’.

If I am a bird, let me mind my own business.

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic's.: pixabay

Video: DisneySingltVideos