07/12/2024
Monkey and the fish
Once, in a forest vibrant with life, a monkey of sharp wit and restless determination lived atop a great tree by a murmuring river. The monkey, ever vigilant, often surveyed the waters below, its sharp eyes scanning for signs of chaos or misrule. One day, it spied a fish darting frantically among the currents. “How futile,” thought the monkey, its mind sparking with a mix of cleverness and indignation. “Surely this poor creature struggles for breath, drowning in its own ignorance. I must act!”
Driven by its unwavering resolve, the monkey descended with alacrity, its every movement imbued with a sense of righteous purpose. It plunged its nimble hand into the river and seized the fish. “Be still,” the monkey muttered, half to the fish and half to itself, its annoyance flaring at the creature’s flailing resistance. “Do you not see? I am here to save you from this madness.”
With deliberate care, the monkey ascended its tree, the fish held firm in its grasp. Once atop, the monkey laid the fish gently on a sturdy branch. “Here, now you will breathe freely as I do,” it declared, a faint smugness in its tone. But the fish, far from grateful, convulsed in desperate, silent protest. It gasped for water it could not find, flapping itself toward futility. The monkey frowned, bewildered. It watched in silence as the fish’s movements slowed, then ceased.
The monkey, arms crossed, scowled at the lifeless form. “What folly,” it murmured, frustration thick in its voice. “I sought only to deliver you from your suffering. And yet, you could not adapt, could not understand.”
The river, indifferent as always, flowed on below. The fish, who had once glided with quiet purpose beneath its surface, now seemed to carry the very essence of quiet despair, its final moments a plea unheard.
So it is, the tale teaches: each being is bound by its nature, its world. To assume another’s struggle, to impose one’s truth upon them, may well be to mistake their life for their suffering, their essence for a flaw. The monkey’s wisdom was keen, but its understanding narrow; the fish’s struggle was not for rescue, but to remain where it truly belonged.
Translated Sufi tale