Here’s the story
I love a good story. I like nothing more than to sink inside a new place, a new world, with new people whom I’ve never personally met, but can still relate to them.
Yes, I love a good story, be it in the written word or through a movie. I think a story is also the best way to teach the world, to influence the world. Somehow a story conveys instantly its moral/learning to the reader instantly which if u tried to convey through an essay would not only be a difficult read, but at best half understood.
Kahlil Gibran is one philosopher whom I love deeply because of the way he uses stories to convey his teachings, his message, and his world view. Sample some of his stories and make your own interpretations of his message. Share your interpretation with me.
War
One night a feast was held in the palace, and there came a man and prostrated himself before the prince, and all the feasters looked upon him; and they saw that one of his eyes was out and that the empty socket bled. And the prince inquired of him, "What has befallen you?" And the man replied, "O prince, I am by profession a thief, and this night, because there was no moon, I went to rob the money-changer's shop, and as I climbed in through the window I made a mistake and entered the weaver's shop, and in the dark I ran into the weaver's loom and my eye was plucked out. And now, O prince, I ask for justice upon the weaver."
Then the prince sent for the weaver and he came, and it was decreed that one of his eyes should be plucked out.
"O prince," said the weaver, "the decree is just. It is right that one of my eyes be taken. And yet, alas! both are necessary to me in order that I may see the two sides of the cloth that I weave. But I have a neighbour, a cobbler, who has also two eyes, and in his trade both eyes are not necessary."
Then the prince sent for the cobbler. And he came. And they took out one of the cobbler's two eyes.
And justice was satisfied.
The Fox
A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, "I will have a camel for lunch today." And all morning he went about looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again -- and he said, "A mouse will do."
The Two Cages
In my father's garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which my father's slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other is a songless sparrow.
Every day at dawn the sparrow calls to the lion, "Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner."
Said a Blade of Grass
Said a blade of grass to an autumn leaf, "You make such a noise falling! You scatter all my winter dreams."
Said the leaf indignant, "Low-born and low-dwelling! Songless, peevish thing! You live not in the upper air and you cannot tell the sound of singing."
Then the autumn leaf lay down upon the earth and slept. And when spring came she waked again-and she was a blade of grass.
And when it was autumn and her winter sleep was upon her, and above her through all the air the leaves were falling, she muttered to herself, "O these autumn leaves! They make such noise! They scatter all my winter dreams."
The Full Moon
The full moon rose in glory upon the town, and all the dogs of that town began to bark at the moon.
Only one dog did not bark, and he said to them in a grave voice, "Awake not stillness from her sleep, nor bring you the moon to the earth with your barking."
Then all the dogs ceased barking, in awful silence. But the dog who had spoken to them continued barking for silence, the rest of the night.
It is so difficult to select just a few. I can just go on with his stories, but I guess if you like these, then just google for more of Kahlil Gibran. All his books are easily available online.
Yes, I love a good story, be it in the written word or through a movie. I think a story is also the best way to teach the world, to influence the world. Somehow a story conveys instantly its moral/learning to the reader instantly which if u tried to convey through an essay would not only be a difficult read, but at best half understood.
Kahlil Gibran is one philosopher whom I love deeply because of the way he uses stories to convey his teachings, his message, and his world view. Sample some of his stories and make your own interpretations of his message. Share your interpretation with me.
War
One night a feast was held in the palace, and there came a man and prostrated himself before the prince, and all the feasters looked upon him; and they saw that one of his eyes was out and that the empty socket bled. And the prince inquired of him, "What has befallen you?" And the man replied, "O prince, I am by profession a thief, and this night, because there was no moon, I went to rob the money-changer's shop, and as I climbed in through the window I made a mistake and entered the weaver's shop, and in the dark I ran into the weaver's loom and my eye was plucked out. And now, O prince, I ask for justice upon the weaver."
Then the prince sent for the weaver and he came, and it was decreed that one of his eyes should be plucked out.
"O prince," said the weaver, "the decree is just. It is right that one of my eyes be taken. And yet, alas! both are necessary to me in order that I may see the two sides of the cloth that I weave. But I have a neighbour, a cobbler, who has also two eyes, and in his trade both eyes are not necessary."
Then the prince sent for the cobbler. And he came. And they took out one of the cobbler's two eyes.
And justice was satisfied.
The Fox
A fox looked at his shadow at sunrise and said, "I will have a camel for lunch today." And all morning he went about looking for camels. But at noon he saw his shadow again -- and he said, "A mouse will do."
The Two Cages
In my father's garden there are two cages. In one is a lion, which my father's slaves brought from the desert of Ninavah; in the other is a songless sparrow.
Every day at dawn the sparrow calls to the lion, "Good morrow to thee, brother prisoner."
Said a Blade of Grass
Said a blade of grass to an autumn leaf, "You make such a noise falling! You scatter all my winter dreams."
Said the leaf indignant, "Low-born and low-dwelling! Songless, peevish thing! You live not in the upper air and you cannot tell the sound of singing."
Then the autumn leaf lay down upon the earth and slept. And when spring came she waked again-and she was a blade of grass.
And when it was autumn and her winter sleep was upon her, and above her through all the air the leaves were falling, she muttered to herself, "O these autumn leaves! They make such noise! They scatter all my winter dreams."
The Full Moon
The full moon rose in glory upon the town, and all the dogs of that town began to bark at the moon.
Only one dog did not bark, and he said to them in a grave voice, "Awake not stillness from her sleep, nor bring you the moon to the earth with your barking."
Then all the dogs ceased barking, in awful silence. But the dog who had spoken to them continued barking for silence, the rest of the night.
It is so difficult to select just a few. I can just go on with his stories, but I guess if you like these, then just google for more of Kahlil Gibran. All his books are easily available online.
posted by philosopher stoned | 1:23 AM
3 Comments:
man all these are beautiful stories. so bubling with insights.
since you asked, heres my take on these stories. when i write it in my own words, these stories loose thier majic and sound so jaded. but here's my take on them anyways.
war
is this actually titled 'war' or is that a mistake from your side? i have read something similar to this in Nietzsche's writings. he says that the will to power is a natural human tendecy. he looks at punishment as an example of that. he says when the victim uses the justice system to punish the wrong doer, the victim derives pleasure from the fact that it is he who is making the wrong doer suffer. punishment is, according to nietzsche, just another example of the natural human tendency to gain power over someone else. in this story the supposed victim who got his eyes poked out derives pleasure in punishing someone else. i think what gibran is saying is that it doesnt matter if the person being punished has done any wrong. justice is about exerting power over someone else.
fox
unless you know yourself you cant know what you want. this story goes one step beyond the 'know thyself' line. but i still prefer 'know thyeself' to this one.
two cages
without freedom, the rich and the poor are the same.
blade of grass
is this saying that our cirsumstances affect our perceptions? is this sying that as we grow up we forget who we were? or is it sayng that oldage makes up bitter?
full moon
is this about religion? is it aboutnoble goals getting corupted? is it about the fact that even an idiot can at times say the right thing? is it about unless you know what you want not matter how favorable the cirucmstances, you will keep mising it?
blade of grass - my take on it was that be careful of when u criticise someone, for tomorrow you will be in his position doing the same thing that he is doing. You know the way to my house in GK is one way. Every now and then if someone is coming the wrong way, and it doesn't suit us, we will shout down the man and force him to back up cos he is on the wrong way. And yet we come by that same wrong way almost every time we enter our house. So its double standards. But basically my takeaway from this story was be careful of whom you criticise, for tomorrow you could be him.
Blade of grass according to me is basically what bach also says - u preach best what you most need to learn. The dog kept preaching for silence when that was what he needed to learn to do the most.
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