The philosopher and the god

The philosopher was well known among his students as a person who questioned everything around them.

"I want my pupils to question," he told his students, who rallied round him to learn more on philosophical matters. When a student asked a question he was calm and serene in his tone.

"Master, why is that some people are cruel and some kind?" A student would ask. The teacher would in the first instance say:

"That's a good question. So try to answer one by one." The pupils would try their best to seek answers.

"Cruelty is caused by the bad association. If a person lives in a human habitat where there is no cruelty to humans and/or animals of all sorts, there would be spread of kindness.

The philosopher teacher would smile innocently and say that's a good starting point. But where on earth do you get an absolutely kind and peaceful place? Once again the students would try their best to seek possible answers.

"Go forth and find for yourself an ideal place where kindness and peace begins. If you find such a place let me know." The students try to perceive what the philosophic teacher is trying to say. When the discussion sessions to come to a temporary end the teacher leaves his students bidding farewell with the intention of meeting on the following day.

Once when the teaching sessions were over, the philosopher decided to walk alone into a forest. The birds were chirping on the trees. The sunshine was not too hot. He found that he had walked a long way from his village on to the border of the adjoining village.

"I'm tired and I must rest a while under a tree." He thought and stayed for a while under a spreading tree. The tree was full of small huts. But it was too tiring for him to climb or drag a branch and pluck those nuts. At that moment he also felt hungry.

"It's lunch time, and I have completely forgotten as to what I should eat." He thought. Then he looked around to see whether he could get at some edible fruits to eat and skip a regular lunch. He could not get at any likeable thing to eat.

"Oh what a grove this is. I'm too tired and hungry. But I am under a tree full of nuts unreachable. Why didn't god become merciful enough to create some edible fruits like cucumber and pumpkin on a tree like this?

In certain ways the god's creations are unfair, aren't they, He questioned himself. He wished some of his students would take the matter seriously. But he was not at a teaching session. He forgot that fact. He was questioning himself.

"See how hungry I'm at the moment. Why can't god provide me with a cool cucumber closer to my head, so that I may pluck it? Why can't god create a sweet melon just above my head, so that I cannot pluck it and eat? God is certainly unfair. Why can't this tree provide me with a sweet meat?

There are quite a number of trees around, but I can't pluck a single fruit born on those branches. I have been teaching my students to question. What, why, when, how and many more ways of questioning. But now that I'm isolated I find that questioning alone will not take me anywhere. So I must question the god. That would be the ideal question.

Oh god, tell me why don't you provide me with something to eat right at this moment? I'm so hungry."

A calm breeze blew across the grove. The trees swayed to sides. Some birds flew away. Several nuts from a branch of the tree dropped down to the lap of the philosopher.

"Oh my god," said the philosopher, "my request is answered. But what sort of nuts are these? I am lucky that this tree didn't wear large fruits which hurt me.

He took one on to his palm and wondered what it could be.

"Is it all right to eat one of these?" He wondered.

"Is it going to be a poisonous one?"

He had not seen such a fruit. So he tried to taste it by munching a piece.

"It's so sweet." He felt the taste of it.

"It can't be poisonous." He thought and started eating one by one. Then he thought.

"Oh I am lucky that cucumber and pumpkin were not there on the trees. If one pumpkin had fallen on my head I would have been injured. So how lucky I'm to sit under a tree which had given me nuts, sweet and small."

The philosopher teacher rose. He thanked god and went away saying: "Oh god, you alone had answered my question."