FOOLISH FRIENDS
A rabbit and two ducks were
intimate friends. They used to meet on the bank of a river and have detailed
discussions. One day the ducks told the rabbit that they had found a carrot
farm on the other bank of the river. The rabbit was excited and sought the help
of his friends to cross the river, reach the farm and relish the carrots. The
ducks agreed to carry him across the river.
They devised an
ingenious plan to cross the river. The two ducks entered the river and stayed
close to each other. The rabbit carefully mounted on their back and stayed
still, placing his forelimbs on one duck and his hind limbs on the other duck.
Then the ducks slowly swam across the river, staying close to each other. The
rabbit cautiously balanced his body on top of the moving birds.
As they reached the
centre of the river, the ducks saw a large number of fishes swimming together.
In the excitement of finding a delicious meal in the shoal, the ducks quickly
swam to either side to catch the prey. They forgot about the poor rabbit who
fell down into the deep river as the ducks moved away. The ducks remembered
their mission only after they finished their feast. But, by that time the
rabbit had drowned. The foolish ducks were sorry to miss their dearest friend.
They cursed their crazy craving for food.
The Book of Proverbs in
the Holy Bible advises, "Keep
company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid
people, you will be ruined" {Proverbs 13: 20}.
St. John advises, “My
children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love,
which shows itself in action” {1 John 3:18}.
Jesus taught us, “My
commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you. The greatest love
that a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them” {John
15: 12, 13}.
...................................................................................................................
© By: Prof.
Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science &
Technology, Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former Professor, St. Dominic's
College, Kanjirappally, Leo. S. John, St. Antony's Public
School, Anakkal, Kanjirappally and Neil
John, Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally,
Kottayam-686507, Kerala, India.
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