Friends, Kahlil Gibran a Lebanese-American poet has beautifully presented the following story ….
To protect their cultivated farms from animals and birds, once the farmers in a village created a scarecrow…a false human structure using two wooden sticks placed as a cross. Then they put on an old shirt and a round mud pot over it to look like its head. The white old shirt with two hands spread and the round big head, it looked as if some person was standing and watching over the fields. That was enough for the animals and birds to keep them away from the farm.
Gibran has written, he once asked the scarecrow, “I can understand the farmer whose intention is to keep the animals and birds away. I can also understand the poor animals who don't have any intelligence to see that you are only a scarecrow, a false structure. But, I am unable to understand you. In rains, in burning summer and in freezing winter you keep on standing here…for what?”
It seems Gibran was amazed when the scarecrow replied, “…You will never know my joy…. Just scaring those animals and birds gives me such a great joy that, it is worth suffering rain, burning heat, freezing cold…anything! I know I am not real and there is nothing within me, but I don’t care. My only joy is to scare others…!’”
Moral of the Story ….
Friends, would we like to be just like that scarecrow with nothing inside and even then scaring others, sometimes making others happy or sometimes even humiliating others?
Our struggle for freedom, bliss and truth is not with the outside world, but it is a fight with this scarecrow…which is our own mind!
Is our life only for others? Will we ever look within? Will we ever check within to see if there is any master in the house? Friends, the master is indeed there but perhaps he is asleep but can be awakened.
And once the master is awakened within, one’s whole life can be painted with new colours, new fragrance, new music and new dance….! Only then one can be alive in the true sense, otherwise most of us are just vegetating.
And once the master is awakened within, one’s whole life can be painted with new colours, new fragrance, new music and new dance….! Only then one can be alive in the true sense, otherwise most of us are just vegetating.
Have a Blissful Day Friends!
Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde.
Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde.
very nice interpretation, But I didnt understand the line, Said he, "Only those who are stuffed with straw can know it." does that mean, he is belittling himself? If not straw, it can be stuffed with anything else too...
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ReplyDeleteResponse from Mrs. Sangeeta Hegde
ReplyDeleteThis story basically provides us an important insight that, even we have similar ‘scarecrows’ in our society who have been seriously doing the same to us for centuries.
Such ‘scarecrows’ (who are only stuffed inside with nothing else but a garbage such as straws, dirt & rubbish) have been torturing and scaring us, either in the name of politics or in the name of religion or in the name of education or in the name of morality. We all need to understand that, such people are basically sadomasochists, who are aware that, they are nothing from within except useless rubbish, but take pride and enjoy their life by scaring others.
Instead of surrendering to their tactics, we should learn to lead & enjoy our life at our own terms & conditions, in our own authentic way, to the fullest satisfaction.
I hope I am clear.
Best Regards,
Sangeeta Hegde
It is clear... thank you for the explanation.
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