200. Birbal the Philosopher
The emperor was feeling philosophical one evening.
"Why doesn't God just put a stop to evil?" he asked Birbal. "When I want something to top, I make it stop. God could use his powers to put a stop to all evil."
"That isn't how God created us," replied Birbal. "We are each a mix of good and evil, every one of us."
The emperor nodded thoughtfully.
"So," Birbal concluded, "if God were to rid the world of evil, he'd have to get rid of me and get rid of you too."
The emperor smiled, delighted as always by Birbal's wisdom.
Inspired by: A Caravan from Hindustan: The Complete Birbal Tales by James Moseley
Notes: This story is titled "Ending Evil" in the book.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment