There was a young man in the village who’d start a fight with anybody and everybody, and when asked he’d tell that it was an assumption he made when he saw them speak.
He always felt that the whole world was speaking about him, behind his back. He was angry and frustrated with everyone.
I know we’d call it vanity, to think that everyone is speaking about him. Yet for this man it was his sickness. He’d become anxious and worried most often. He felt lonely and angry with everyone and the world around him.
One day he heard that a wise old man had visited his village and had been solving every ones concerns and problems. He decided to take his concern to the wise old man.
He stood last and waited his turn. He did not want to give more stories for the villagers to speak about. He waited for everyone to leave. The wise man had observed this young man through the day.
Finally the wise man called him and asked him how he could help him?. The young man told him that he was upset with everyone in the village because they always spoke behind his back.
He was so worried and anxious all the time that he could not sleep, eat or work. He also said that he kept making mistakes in his day-to-day work as he was always thinking who was speaking about him and why.
The wise old man understood the young man’s concern and asked him to come the next day morning and he’ll help him solve the problem.
He was very happy that he’s going to show how everyone needs to mind their own business. So on the way home he tells a few people as how he’d complained and the wise man is going to sort this out. He also makes a list of people who he suspected.
The next day when the young man came to meet the wise man, he saw two soldiers with huge swords in the hand. Happy that some people are going to get their share, he greets the wise man. The wise man gives the young man a mud lamp filled with oil up to the brim.
He tells the young man to go around the village 5 times without spilling even a small drop of the oil. He also gives the soldiers instructions, that if the young man spills even a small drop to take off his head.
The young man is angry and tries to argue with the old man. However, the wise man goes back to his meditation. So now upset at his new problem, he begins to walk. People of the village come behind him speaking about what he’d said the previous evening. Kids follow him making fun of him.
It’s evening by the time the young man finishes 5 rounds around the city. There are very few people behind him. As he reaches the wise man’s place, the wise man greets him and walks him to the temple nearby.
He asks him to light the lamp and asks him “So, now tell me how many people were speaking about you? How many laughed at you? and what did they speak?”
The young man was tired, however, he looked surprised at the old man and said “no one! I did not see anyone speak about me. I was busy, and had to concentrate on my job so that no oil spilled and i had my head “.
The wise old man smiled and turned around to the crowd that was at the temple and asked the crowd “How many of you followed him?” Many raised their hand and kids mentioned that they called him names too. The young man was surprised and confessed that he didn’t hear any nor see them.
The wise old man then tells the young guy “not to be bothered with others, just look at what you are doing and do it well! What others say and do, is not for us to worry about. It is their problem”
This story stuck with me and whenever I hear gossip about me from someone, I know it’s not my problem. I just have to go on….. doing my BEST!
