involve a traveler cominginto a town beset by famine. The inhabitants
try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them
togive him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there's no
food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn't need
any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share
with all of them.
The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a
cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag,
dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew
extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the
villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would
be with just a littlecabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to
share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage,
carrots, onions, and beets-indeed, a substantial soup that feeds
everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of
deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of
our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out
others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often
deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast.
This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas,
love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to themto
ourselves, when in truth we make the world,and ourselves, poorer
whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to
see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to
draw them out and inspire them to give, thuscreating a spread that
none of them could have created alone.
Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? Ifyou come forward
and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The
reward is a banquet that can nourishmany.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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