Once, Mulla Nasruddin was travelling through the desert, and saw a holy man. He introduced himself, and the holy man said, “I am a mystic devoted to the appreciation of all life forms, especially birds.” “Oh, wonderful,” Mulla replied, “I would like to stay with you for a while so that we may share teachings. And guess what? A bird saved my life once!” Delighted to hear this, the mystic agreed to share company with Mulla. As they shared their teachings, the mystic constantly asked to hear about how a bird saved Mulla’s life but each time he refused to tell the story. One day, after the mystic had pleaded to hear the story, Mulla finally agreed. He explained, “About six years ago, I had not eaten for three days and was about to starve to death. Then I caught a bird and ate it. And that’s how the bird saved my life.” The mystic was so angry that he left immediately.
Mulla and the Mystic
