WISDOM IN WIT AND HUMOR - THE STORY OF THE SWEET CHILLI

HUMOUR WIT WISDOM

THE STORY OF THE SWEET CHILLI

a “MIRCHI” Story

A Teaching Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Wit and Humour are best ways to impart wisdom.

I have learnt more from Teaching Stories than sermons and moral lectures.

Let me tell you one of my favourite Teaching Stories - a “Hirvee Mirchi” story called “Waiting for the Sweet Chilli” 

WAITING FOR THE SWEET CHILLI 

On his first visit to India, a rich merchant saw a man selling a small green fruit which he had never seen before.

The merchant was hungry and the luscious green fruit looked so fresh and appetizing and the merchant was tempted and curious, so he asked the vendor, “What is this...?”

“Hirvee Mirchi. Chillies, fresh green chillies,” said the hawker.

The merchant held out a gold coin and the vendor was so overjoyed that he gave the merchant the full basket of chillies. 

The merchant sat down under a tree.

Then he started to munch on the chillies, eating the green chillies one by one.

Within a few seconds his tongue was on fire, his mouth was burning and tears streamed down his cheeks.

But despite this discomfort, the merchant went on eating the chillies, chewing them one by one, scrutinizing each chilli carefully before he put the piquant hot green chilli into his burning mouth. 

Seeing his condition, a passerby remarked, “What’s wrong with you...? Why don’t you stop eating those spicy hot chillies... ? ” 

“Maybe out of all these chillies there is one chilli that is sweet,” the merchant answered, “I am waiting for the sweet chilli.”

And the merchant continued eating the chillies. 

On his way back, the passerby noticed that the merchant’s condition had become miserable, his face was red with agony and copious tears were pouring out of his burning eyes.

But the merchant kept on eating the chillies, in his search for the ‘sweet chilli’. 

Seeing the terrible condition of the merchant, the passerby shouted: “Stop at once, or you will die. There are no sweet chillies. Haven’t you realized that by now? Look at the basket – it is almost empty. And have you found even one sweet chilli as yet? ”

“I cannot stop until I eat all the chillies. I have to finish the whole basketful,” the merchant croaked in agony, “I have paid for the full basket and I will make sure I get my full money’s worth by eating all the chillies.”

And so, the merchant continued eating the chillies despite his suffering till he had finished eating all the chillies in the entire basket.

Of course, the merchant never found the “sweet chilli” he was hoping for.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Dear Reader:

Read this story once more, reflect on it, and apply it to your life.

Do you cling on to unsatisfying careers, harmful habits, uncongenial people and strained relationships even when your inner voice tells you to let go and move on in life?

Do you pursue unrewarding things hoping against hope for some reward at the end?

Are you a “paisa vasool” type who will do something painful just because you have paid for it?

Sometimes, a relationship is so demoralized by distrust that it is better to terminate it and put an end to the relationship and break up rather than make futile attempts to patch up and continue searching in vain and suffering in pain for the elusive “sweet chilli”.

We know some things are not good for us and we should let go of these things.

But we continue to persist.

First, we hope to find ‘sweet chilli’ and keep on suffering pain.

Then, even when we discover that there is no ‘sweet chilli’, we still continue to shackle ourselves to painful people, strained relationships, harmful habits, negative careers and detrimental things when we should let go, move on, liberate ourselves and be happy. 

Remember there is no sweet chilli.

So is there any point to cling onto painful relationships and harmful things in vain hope of discovering a “sweet chilli”?

Is it not better, instead of clinging on, to let go all detrimental damaging things in your life and move on in life?

Is there any point in clinging on to suffocating inharmonious relationships?

Is there any point in persisting with an unrewarding career?

Is there any point in continuing harmful activities and unhealthy habits?

Is there any point in pursuing all sorts of infructuous, incompatible, negative, deteriorating, dissipating and dead-end situations in life?

Is it not better, instead of clinging on, to let go of all these detrimental damaging things in your life and move on in life?

Or do you believe in keeping on eating “hot chillies” hoping and endlessly waiting for the “sweet chilli” when you very well know that a “sweet chilli” does not exist?

VIKRAM KARVE

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Disclaimer:

1. This blog post is a spoof, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.

2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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