The Way Of Life

On the first day God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give you back the other ten."
So God agreed.

On the second day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks and make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty-year life span." The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?"
And God agreed.

On the third day God created the cow. "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves, and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty and I'll give back the other forty."
And God agreed again.

On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. I'll give you twenty years."
Man said, "What? Only twenty years? Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty the cow gave back, and the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back, that makes eighty, okay?"

Okay," said God, "You've got a deal."

So that is why the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, and enjoy ourselves; the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family; the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren; and the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.


- Aajay Bundela

8 Lies Of A Mother

Born into a very poor family, often there was not much to eat in the house. Whenever there was some food, the Mother would give her portion of rice to the child and say ‘eat this rice son, I’m not hungry.’

As the child grew, the mother started using up all her spare time to go fishing in a river near the house, hoping that from the fish she would catch, she could provide a little nutrition to her child. Every time she caught two fish, she would make a fish soup and give it to her child. As the child drank the soup and ate the fish, the mother would sit beside and eat the bone from what was left. The child felt really sad seeing its mother eating just the leftover bones, so one day it gave a piece of fish to the mother, but the mother said ‘eat this fish son, I don’t like fish.’

As the son was growing up, the mother began working harder to fund his education. She went to a Match factory to bring home used matchboxes which she would fill with fresh matchsticks. This helped her get some money that she could use towards her son’s education. One late winter night the son woke up and saw his mother was still filling the matchboxes by candlelight. He asked her to go to sleep. ‘Go to sleep son, I’m not tired,’ she smiled.

When it was time for the son’s final exam, the mother accompanied him and after dawn, she waited for long hours in the sun for her son to finish the exam. When he came out and ran to his mother, she gave him a cup of tea she had brought for him. He could see his mother was covered in sweat, so he gave her the glass and asked her to drink. But she said ‘Drink son, I am not thirsty.’

After the death of his father, his mother had to take on the role of a single parent, working, trying to meet the expenses, battling starvation. The neighbours, who saw that the family was stuck in poverty, often advised the mother to marry again, but she refused, saying ‘I don’t need love.’

After he finished his studies, he got a job and asked his mother to stop working. But she continued going to the market each morning just to sell a few vegetables. She kept sending back the money that her son sent her, saying ‘I have enough money.’

The son got a big jump in salary and decided to bring his mother with him to America, where he was now living. But his mother didn’t want to bother the son and said ‘I’m not used to high living.’

In her old age, the mother got ill with cancer and had to be hospitalised. The son, who lived oceans away from her, rushed to her, who was bedridden after an operation. She tried to smile, but the son was heartbroken because she was so thin and feeble, but mother said, ‘Don’t cry son, I’m not in pain.’ And saying this, her eighth lie to her son, she died.

- Aajay Bundela