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One morning, Nasrudin - the great
Sufi mystic who always pretended to be mad - wrapped an egg in a
cloth, went into the town's main square, and called the people who
were there.
- Today there will be an important
contest! - he said - Whoever discovers what is inside this cloth,
will be given the egg inside it!
The people exchanged glances, intrigued,
and answered:
- How can we know? No one is capable
of divination!
Nasrudin insisted:
- That which is inside this cloth
has a yellow center like a yolk, surrounded by a clear liquid like
egg white, which in turn is contained inside a shell which breaks
very easily. It is a symbol of fertility, and reminds us of birds
flying to their nests. So, who can tell me what is hidden here?
All the folk thought Nasrudin was
holding an egg, but the answer was so obvious, no one wanted to
embarrass themselves in front of everyone else.
What if it wasn't an egg, but something
more important, a product of the fertile Sufi mystic's imagination?
A yellow center might suggest the sun, the surrounding liquid could
be an alchemist's concoction. No, the madman was definitely trying
to make someone look a fool.
Nasrudin asked twice more, and no
one dared say something foolish.
So he unwrapped the cloth and showed
everyone the egg.
- You all knew the answer - he said
- And no one dared put it into words.
"Such are the lives of those
who haven't the courage to risk: solutions are generously provided
by God, but people always seek complicated explanations, and end
up doing nothing."
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