The Master and The Disciple
A disciple approached his master and asked him, “What do people need to be happy?”
The master asked, “What do you think?”
After thinking for a while, the disciple said, “I feel that if one’s basic needs are met, they have food and drink, a place to live, a good job with security . . . if a person has all these then he will be happy.”
The master listened to him but did not respond. Instead, he asked the disciple to walk with him.
They walked for a while in silence, until they got to a door and the master asked the disciple to open the door. Inside was a chicken coop, containing many chickens in big cages.
Perplexed, the disciple looked at the master and asked him, “Why are you showing me this?”
The master started firing questions, with the disciple answering him:
Do the chickens get food? Yes
Do they have a house to live in? Yes
Are they safe from cats or dogs? Yes
Do they lay eggs? Yes
Do you think they’re happy?
The disciple looked closely at the chickens but could not tell if they were happy. While he was thinking, the master said, “Come with me.”
They resumed their walk and this time they stopped near a big field. There were lots of chickens in the field roaming freely. They had no one to feed them, but they were foraging in the grass, drinking from a nearby stream, and chasing each other back and forth.
The master asked, “Do these chickens look happy?”
Again the disciple was silent, but he thought the environment here is different, the chickens are living in their natural habitat, eating and drinking nature’s food and water, and they look healthier. In a muffled voice, he replied to the master’s question, “Perhaps!”
The master replied, “Of course, these chickens are happy.” He continued, “The chickens in a coup have all their basic needs met – food, drink, shelter. They have a job and security. Everything there is provided but are they happy? The chickens in the wild though have to find their own food, protect themselves and they sleep in the trees. They are happy. Why do you think that is so?”
The disciple was tongue-tied.
The master said, “In life, we all have to make a choice. We can either live like chickens in a cage or we can live like chickens in the wild. To be happy, you should have the courage to live life freely, take risks, make decisions, and take responsibility.
Are you living caged or living free? Cages come in all shapes and forms – addictions, societal expectations we believe apply to us, circumstances we have convinced ourselves we cannot extricate ourselves from, false assumptions, etc etc. Today, reflect on the cage that is currently giving you false security and take a step to stop existing and start living.
“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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