Monday, November 23, 2015

Migrant Refugee Crisis – Wisdom Story

Migrant Refugee Crisis

Current developments in the Western World remind me of this story...

HOST and GUEST
Musings on “Hospitality”
A Spoof
By
VIKRAM KARVE

When I was a small boy someone told me a fable.

It was an apocryphal teaching story of an Arab and his Camel.

I remember this insightful fable even today.

Whenever I feel too magnanimous  generous and benevolent  I tell myself this story  and I try to apply the “moral of the story” in my life  whenever the need arises.

Are you a magnanimous, benevolent and hospitable person...?

Then – maybe  you too need to read the story of the Arab and his Camel.


THE STORY OF THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL

It was a cold winter night.

An Arab was resting in his tent.

He had tied his Camel outside.

Suddenly  his camel peeped inside the tent.

“What is it?” the Arab asked his Camel.

“Master  it is very cold outside. Please allow me to put my head inside your tent,” the Camel pleaded.

The kind master took pity on the poor animal – and he agreed to the Camel’s request.

“Okay  put your head inside the tent,” the Arab said to his Camel.

The Camel put his head inside the tent.

A little later  the Camel said to the Arab: “Master  my neck feels very cold. Please let me put my neck inside your tent as well.”

Once again the master allowed him to do so.

Next  the camel asked if he could put his forelegs inside the tent.

Once again the compassionate master agreed.

Then the camel wanted to put his chest  then  his back – and then  his hump inside the tent.

The Arab agreed to all this.

This went on and on.

The Camel asked  and his master  the Arab  agreed to all requests made made by the Camel.

Soon  the entire Camel was completely inside the tent.

But now  the tent was too small for both the Master and the Camel.

They both struggled to remain inside the overcrowded tent.

There was a scuffle  and the much stronger and bigger Camel pushed his Master out of the tent.

Now the Camel slept comfortably in the warm tent  while his Master shivered outside in the freezing cold.

Yes  the Arab  the Master  was pushed out of his own tent by his Camel. 


MORAL OF THE STORY

You should be careful before you extend your hospitality  lest your guests take undue advantage of your magnanimity and generosity.

This fable teaches us lessons  at both – macro  as well as micro levels.


MACRO LEVEL MORAL  The Problem of REFUGEES, MIGRANTS and SETTLERS

Let us see a “macro level paradigm” ramification.

Suppose there is a war ravaged or strife torn country where there is so much violence  that the life of its citizens is in danger.

As a humanitarian gesture  a benevolent neighbouring country may open its borders to allow refugees to come in and live in safety.

Some countries may allow immigration of foreigners as a gesture of goodwill.

In other cases illegal immigrants may enter another country and settle down there.

The “host” country may be charitable not to deport them. 

Many “magnanimous” countries have such “guests”.

Soon the number of these “guests” becomes substantial enough in number to cause demographic change and impose their culture on their hosts.

Now  like the “Camel” in the story  the “guests” may soon throw out the “host” from his own “tent”.

Even if they don’t evict the “host” out of his own “tent”  these “guests” may make life uncomfortable for the “host” in his own “tent” – just like the Camel did to the benevolent and hospitable Arab during the fable  before finally pushing him out of the tent.

Refugees and migrants  legal and illegal – may take undue advantage of their host country  and start dominating the original inhabitants.

Sometimes – like the camel in the story  these immigrants may even succeed in evicting the original inhabitants from their homeland. 


MICRO LEVEL MORAL  “Guests” who overstay their welcome

At a micro level this can happen in your own home.

I have seen so many “guests” who overstay their welcome  and so many who take undue advantage of the magnanimity of their “hosts”.

Let is see a few apocryphal examples.


THE BENEVOLENT HOUSE OWNER AND THE UNGRATEFUL TENANT

I have seen a case where a benevolent big-hearted person rented out his new locked-up house to a friend who was in dire need.

The owner was in a transferable job and served all over India while his friend stayed as a tenant in his house.

Many years later, when the house owner retired and wanted to settle in his own house the ungrateful tenant refused to vacate and the hapless owner had to live on rent in another house.


CUCKOO : STEALING AFFECTIONS  THE MARRIAGE BREAKER “GUEST

I have heard a story, maybe apocryphal, about a guest stealing affections of her host’s husband.

A compassionate caring kind-hearted woman invited a cousin sister to live with her in her home in the city, since her newly arrived cousin sister was finding it difficult to find an accommodation in the city where she had found her first job.

The scheming cousin sister responded by seducing and stealing the woman’s husband.

Finally, the wily cousin sister settled down with the woman’s husband and the hapless kind-hearted woman was turned out of her own house.

Yes, like in the Arab and Camel story, the woman was turned out of her own house (and marriage) by her “guest” - her own cousin sister to whom she had been so magnanimous and hospitable.


LESSON TO BE LEARNT

This fable has a lesson to all of us  that you must not be too magnanimous, benevolent and over-generous in extending your hospitality.

Be careful  otherwise there is a danger that you may become a “guest” in your own “home”.

Before you extend your hospitality to anyone  remember the story of the Arab and the Camel.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
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Disclaimer:
1. This is a spoof, satire, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh. 
2. This story and all stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
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© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
 

This is a revised version of my article was first written by me Vikram Karve more than 10 years ago in 2005 and posted online earlier in my blogs including at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/03/hospitality.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/10/are-you-magnanimous-benevolent-and.html  and  http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2015/07/are-you-good-host-musings-on-hospitality.html

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