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The perfect thief and the art of improvising
I would like to share a story that will help us all draw many lessons from. So, here it goes. Once upon a time, there was a father and son. The father was a perfect thief and skilled in the craft. But, he was getting old and he was no longer strong. One day, the son said, “Why don’t you teach me how to steal?”
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migrator
migrator
Chennai
The father said, “Well, since you asked, I will teach you.”
One night, he took his son on a job. They located one of the most beautiful bungalows in the locality and entered in it in the middle of the night. The son observed as the father picked the locks and stealthily guided them into the house.
When they were in the room with all the valuables, the father said, “Look, here is a precious chest. Open it and get in. Throw me the valuables and I will bag them.”
As soon as the boy jumped in, the father closed the chest and locked it from outside and scurried away. Before leaving the house, he also made a lot of noise and created a ruckus. Once the father was sure that the whole household was awake, he quietly slipped out of the house!
Everyone in the house was now awake and alarmed. The head of the house called for help and asked him to open the chest. It was dark in the room and the maids went to get a candle.
The boy was aware of all this and was mortified with fear and confusion. Instinctively, he also knew that his father would have a good reason for doing this.
So, he calmed himself and came up with a plan. The moment they opened the chest, the boy blew away the candle and starting purring like a cat. This not only tricked the maids but gave the boy an opportunity to jump out and run away.
No sooner had he done this when the others saw him jump out and run. Immediately, they ran after him and soon the whole village was in pursuit. The boy was a good runner but he knew he couldn’t keep up the pace. Along the way, he saw a well. He quickly picked up a boulder and threw it into the well and ran away to hide in the bushes on the other side.
The villagers heard the loud noise and assumed that he had jumped into the well. However, they lay in wait and looked around. Finally, they realised that he must have drowned. In the meanwhile, the boy quietly went to the back and joined the search party!
When the villagers returned empty-handed, the boy slipped out and went home. He was fuming at his father. But to his surprise, his father was beaming with pride. He hugged the son and said, “Now I am sure you will become a perfect thief!”
Morals from the story:
- We cannot be trained for everything. Improvise and learn!
- You are bigger than your fears if you let a calm mind prevail.
- Don’t blame God for problems in life. Treat them as opportunities to toughen up.
- Finally, stealing is a bad idea. Find a better profession.
Kamlesh D Patel is the fourth spiritual guide in the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation. He travels extensively and is at home with people from all backgrounds and walks of life, giving special attention to the youth of today. www.heartfulness.org
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