Grendel
Member
My Father had a friend called Nasrudin. At least he said he had a friend called Nasrudin. I don't always believe my Father. One day, thru a mixup, a number of cockups and general incompetence all round, Nasrudin found himself appointed to the position of the Kings Portent Advisor. This was an important position and high up in court circles. But mainly it meant, to Nasrudin anyway, a fine robe, comfortable quarters and good food. Great food, food of a quality that Nasrudin had never experienced before. Nasrudin had a passion for the groceries and he could put them away as fast as they were put on the counter.
He grew fatter and rounder and even more indolent than before as month followed month. One day the King called him and asked him what portents he saw for the future. This question caught Nasrudin somewhat off guard. as he had no idea what the future held. Had not given it a passing thought. But Kings are not to be trifled with. He started to mumble a bit about the weather, how war was threatening in the neighbouring states, there was an over supply of dates on a depressed market, and such like other common places. But the King broke in and said, 'Nasrudin, as chief portent teller to myself, the King, I want a bit more from you than yesterdays stale news. If you don't have something positive for me by tonight then I will have your head served to the dogs on a platter'.
As I said Nasrudin had become a plump little fellow, and as the portent of the King's words sunk into his brain, little ripples of terror ran jellylike up and down his pudgy frame.
That night the king called again for Nasrudin and asked him what portents he saw. Nasrudin was petrified, but he turned to the north and said in a loud voice that he saw hordes of uncivilised Huns pouring down towards this very kingdom. They were coming down like wolves upon the fold and their cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold.
The King blanched visibly, and so did all the courtiers too. Nasrudin even scared himself. But he turned implacably to the east, and there he saw battalions of Marmalukes arising from Egypt like a plague of locusts. They too were coming this way.
Now there was great fear and tremor at the king's table and dinner grew cold. But Nasrudin had not finished yet. To the south the Nubians had formed an almighty army and they were marching night and day towards this kingdom, to avenge old wrongs. And to the west? Mongolian Orcs, in numbers to vast to tell ... and they too were determined in their single united purpose to lay waste to the King's Kingdom.
The King collapsed, half the courtiers fainted and the other half ran around banging into each other. Nasrudin hid under a table, fear filled in the belief that the portents he had seen were true. He had fallen for his own sales pitch. When the turmoil had subsided a little, the king, a broken man, looked to Nasrudin and said, 'Nasrudin, how is it you can see such things?'
'It's easy' Nasrudin replied, 'All you need is fear, and', he added, 'it doesn't have to be yours in order to suffer from it'
We all live in fear. Fear is the cattle prod inside us that keeps an eye out for danger, because we are heedless, quick to relax, and otherwise slightly stupid. Fear is our guardian angel. It is an absolutely necessary selection trait that continues working while we go off duty.
Unfortunately, and only in the higher species, those with bigger brains, (I'm afraid I must include man in this group) fear can be taken well beyond it's context. That is the ability to react, to be prodded into action, should danger threaten. But the big brain bastards can see fear in their own imaginations. They look to the north, and all is doom, to the east, the south, the west, and it is a desolation ruled by savages. The curse has come upon them in their mind.
The fact is we have little use for fear today in our activities. No Leopard is in a branch above us, no sabre-tooth cat hidden behind the bushes. But the fear is still there exercising itself on petty things for no good reason, just so that it is fit and prepared. These imaginary fears have real effects on our precarious mental state. Anxiety about the future is engendered in our mother's milk these days. We fear fear itself! We die from the stress alone.
And this in spite of the statistics that 99% of our fears never come true, are never realised. Why have we done this? Why have we engendered fear in our imaginations to the point that anxiety and depression prevent us from enjoying the moment, the now, because we are driven to resolve the unknown future that our fear paints for us. And so each present moment, instead of being given to the pleasures of that moment, is consumed worrying about an imaginary unknown destiny. Would it really matter what our destiny is? We can't alter it so why sacrifice enjoyment, pleasure in the here and now, for something that will most probably never occur, and even if it does we can't cross that bridge till we reach it anyway.
We overdo it because a big brain is no guarantee that the owner is not a fool, and that's the simple facts. We are clever fools, whereas other lesser brained species are not so clever, and correspondingly less foolish. They have very little imagination. They can enjoy the moment. I lean towards them, my fellow monkeys. If you don't enjoy today because you are so consumed with worrying about tomorrow then guess what? Today will end and it will never come again, and nothing will have changed in your giant worried brain by sunset, except that one more precious day will have slipped away forever.
Make intimate love, eat good food, drink good wine, enjoy sunshine and good music ... your fears abandon.
Carpe Diem. Nothing less.
Read more: http://acuppateanyarn.proboards.com/thread/1134/terrible-book-review-arthur-blair#ixzz58Z3k0yjJ
He grew fatter and rounder and even more indolent than before as month followed month. One day the King called him and asked him what portents he saw for the future. This question caught Nasrudin somewhat off guard. as he had no idea what the future held. Had not given it a passing thought. But Kings are not to be trifled with. He started to mumble a bit about the weather, how war was threatening in the neighbouring states, there was an over supply of dates on a depressed market, and such like other common places. But the King broke in and said, 'Nasrudin, as chief portent teller to myself, the King, I want a bit more from you than yesterdays stale news. If you don't have something positive for me by tonight then I will have your head served to the dogs on a platter'.
As I said Nasrudin had become a plump little fellow, and as the portent of the King's words sunk into his brain, little ripples of terror ran jellylike up and down his pudgy frame.
That night the king called again for Nasrudin and asked him what portents he saw. Nasrudin was petrified, but he turned to the north and said in a loud voice that he saw hordes of uncivilised Huns pouring down towards this very kingdom. They were coming down like wolves upon the fold and their cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold.
The King blanched visibly, and so did all the courtiers too. Nasrudin even scared himself. But he turned implacably to the east, and there he saw battalions of Marmalukes arising from Egypt like a plague of locusts. They too were coming this way.
Now there was great fear and tremor at the king's table and dinner grew cold. But Nasrudin had not finished yet. To the south the Nubians had formed an almighty army and they were marching night and day towards this kingdom, to avenge old wrongs. And to the west? Mongolian Orcs, in numbers to vast to tell ... and they too were determined in their single united purpose to lay waste to the King's Kingdom.
The King collapsed, half the courtiers fainted and the other half ran around banging into each other. Nasrudin hid under a table, fear filled in the belief that the portents he had seen were true. He had fallen for his own sales pitch. When the turmoil had subsided a little, the king, a broken man, looked to Nasrudin and said, 'Nasrudin, how is it you can see such things?'
'It's easy' Nasrudin replied, 'All you need is fear, and', he added, 'it doesn't have to be yours in order to suffer from it'
We all live in fear. Fear is the cattle prod inside us that keeps an eye out for danger, because we are heedless, quick to relax, and otherwise slightly stupid. Fear is our guardian angel. It is an absolutely necessary selection trait that continues working while we go off duty.
Unfortunately, and only in the higher species, those with bigger brains, (I'm afraid I must include man in this group) fear can be taken well beyond it's context. That is the ability to react, to be prodded into action, should danger threaten. But the big brain bastards can see fear in their own imaginations. They look to the north, and all is doom, to the east, the south, the west, and it is a desolation ruled by savages. The curse has come upon them in their mind.
The fact is we have little use for fear today in our activities. No Leopard is in a branch above us, no sabre-tooth cat hidden behind the bushes. But the fear is still there exercising itself on petty things for no good reason, just so that it is fit and prepared. These imaginary fears have real effects on our precarious mental state. Anxiety about the future is engendered in our mother's milk these days. We fear fear itself! We die from the stress alone.
And this in spite of the statistics that 99% of our fears never come true, are never realised. Why have we done this? Why have we engendered fear in our imaginations to the point that anxiety and depression prevent us from enjoying the moment, the now, because we are driven to resolve the unknown future that our fear paints for us. And so each present moment, instead of being given to the pleasures of that moment, is consumed worrying about an imaginary unknown destiny. Would it really matter what our destiny is? We can't alter it so why sacrifice enjoyment, pleasure in the here and now, for something that will most probably never occur, and even if it does we can't cross that bridge till we reach it anyway.
We overdo it because a big brain is no guarantee that the owner is not a fool, and that's the simple facts. We are clever fools, whereas other lesser brained species are not so clever, and correspondingly less foolish. They have very little imagination. They can enjoy the moment. I lean towards them, my fellow monkeys. If you don't enjoy today because you are so consumed with worrying about tomorrow then guess what? Today will end and it will never come again, and nothing will have changed in your giant worried brain by sunset, except that one more precious day will have slipped away forever.
Make intimate love, eat good food, drink good wine, enjoy sunshine and good music ... your fears abandon.
Carpe Diem. Nothing less.
Read more: http://acuppateanyarn.proboards.com/thread/1134/terrible-book-review-arthur-blair#ixzz58Z3k0yjJ
