The Grass Is Blue

 

“The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes.” ~ Winston S. Churchill

Today I will tell you a fable about a tiger, a donkey, and a lion.

Once upon a time, a tiger got into an argument about the color of grass. The donkey said that the grass is blue while the tiger said that the grass is green. Soon the argument became heated to the point that they both agreed to submit the issue to arbitration. They approached the king of the jungle, the lion, with their case.

As they got close, the donkey began shouting, “Your Highness, isn’t it true that grass is blue?”

The lion replied, “If you believe it, then it is.”

The donkey continued, “Tiger disagrees with me! He says the grass is green. Please punish him.”

The lion declared that the tiger would be punished with three days of silence. On hearing this, the donkey jumped for joy and went his merry way, shouting “the grass is blue, the grass is blue.”

They watched the donkey until he disappeared into the forest, then the tiger turned to the lion and asked, “Why have you punished me? You know that grass is green, not blue.”

The lion replied, “Yes indeed, the grass is green. Your punishment has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is green or blue. I have punished you because it is degrading for a brave, intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with an ass.”

The festive season is here again. A lot of us will be traveling to spend the holidays with people we have been actively avoiding all year. Some of those people cannot understand truth, no matter how much evidence is presented to them. They are blinded by ego, hatred, and resentment. They only get into arguments to confirm their beliefs and illusions. Some of them may be near and dear to us. So as you engage with them, FOCUS. Did you go over to unwind and spend time with family or did you go to get into arguments and shouting matches?

Apply the wisdom of the lion and sentence yourself to X days of silence. Be wise enough to see traps before you walk into them – after all, does it hurt you to agree to the grass being blue and making someone momentarily ecstatic? Whether you agree or not, the color of grass does not change and peace prevails. This festive season, choose peace.

“Never argue with an idiot, they’ll drag you down to their level and beat you through experience.” ~ Mark Twain

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