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The Watchmen and the Drunkard

It was a dark night. Two watchmen were patrolling the perimeter of a housing society when they came across a drunkard leaning up against one of the boundary walls. One of them went up to the drunkard, and asked him, “Are you drunk?” The drunkard ignored the question. There was an empty bottle which had rolled down to a nearby drain.” The watchman understood what was going on. He asked again, “What have you been drinking. Tell me, otherwise I will put you in jail”


The drunkard replied, “I have been drinking whatever was there in that bottle over there.” He pointed to the bottle lying near the drain. Hearing this, the watchman got very angry. He said, “ O Drunken man, you know alcohol is banned in this city. Tell me what did you drink?” The drunkard replied, “I drank whatever was there in that bottle.” With stammering words, the drunkard was barely able to speak.


The other watchman now decided to intervene. He asked, “this bottle is empty. Quickly tell us what did you drink?” The drunkard again replied, “ I drank whatever there was in the bottle.” Hearing this, the watchmen realized they will not get the right answer from the drunkard. So they decided to smell his breath so that they can come to know what he had been drinking. One of the watchman commanded the drunkard, “Open your mouth and say Ah.” “Hu”, said the drunkard with a big smile on his face.


The watchman was filled with rage and thundered, “I ordered you to say Ah and you are saying Hu, you scoundrel.” To this the drunkard replied, “I am very happy, why should I say Ah? Ah is for sad people like you guards who keep working like donkeys. People like me are always happy that’s why I will chant Hu.” Both of the watchman knew that Hu was a call to the almighty.


“Don’t give me this nonsense. You can’t show fake spirituality to avoid going to jail. Just stand up now.” Hearing this, the drunkard calmly replied, “I think we are done now. You may leave.” To this the watchman replied, “Enough now, get up and come with us.” The drunkard replied, “You fools, you are trying to steal clothes from a naked man. If I could get up, I would have gone home. If I had any strength, I would be sitting in my shop, doing business.”


After saying this, the drunk leaned against the wall and immediately fell asleep. The two watchmen, confused and tired, left him alone and walked away.


The END



The Learnings


1. The watchman was trying to find fault with the drunkard and arrest him. The drunkard knows his state quite well but he is using his intellect to ward off all the attempts of watchman. A lot of times in our lives, we are in a tough spot. In such situations, its best to acknowledge the position we are in and be practical.


2. The drunkard here is choosing to respond rather than to react to the watchman. He is not getting agitated and is trying to respond in a calm way. Even when the watchman asked him to say “Ah”, he replied with “Hu” which is a call to the almighty. He is working on his own terms.


3. The drunkard does not care whether he is squatting and sleeping at a public place. We are not advising anyone to behave like the drunkard, but there is a learning in terms of being feeling at home at every place. It is being comfortable with who you are rather then where you are.

4. Many times, we are in situations when the world around is telling us what is right and wrong. Its almost like people are shouting, screaming and telling us what to do. In such times, it is important for us to first know our own state. Only we know what our current position is, whether we are in right or wrong. Only our heart knows what the right thing is to do. In those times, we should just close our eyes and let our heart decide the way forward. It doesn’t matter what the society believes, we need to take our own stand.

5. From the perspective of the drunkard, he has not done any crime (being drunk in his view is not a crime). And since he has not done any crime, he doesn’t feel he should be arrested. He feels he is having some harmless fun. Had he indulged in seeing himself as a culprit, he would have been arrested by the policeman. Many times because of the self-loathing or guilt, we do get caught into a difficult position. We are not justifying his actions but trying to understand his perspective.


6. The drunkard tells the watchman that they are trying to steal clothes from a naked man. Many times, we get advice to do things that we know are improbable/impossible at that point of time. It is only us who know the reality of the situation. The drunkard can’t even stand up, how will he come with the watchmen. However, the world at large would not know this. Once the world has been informed of our current state, they would leave us alone like the watchmen leave the drunkard in his state of bliss.


STORY CREDIT: This story has its source in the six volumes of Masnavi by Jalalu'din Rumi, translated by Maryam Mafi

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