Sitting by the river

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“We learn from history that people learn nothing from history” finds one philosopher. “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to live it again” adds another. Try at least to learn this: The change of kings is the joy of fools... This reminds me of a story:


Leech attack CC C. Fisher
The Mullah was sitting as usual, in his favourite spot by the watercourse under the old weeping willow, meditating deeply to the curious difficulty of bathing more than once in the same river.

As he sat, a busy fox slipped into the water.

A whirlpool almost drowned her.

Then the currents tired her.

Exhausted and drenched to the bone the poor beast was lucky enough to grab a hanging weed with her teeth. She kept afloat waiting to gather strength, enough to climb out the riverside. But she was really too weak to rise.

This is when a bunch of leeches found the occasion good to stick unto the fox and feast merrily of her blood.

Witness of such misfortune our good Mullah wished to help.

The wet fox was too heavy and too mad to pull out of the water with only one hand. Hoca was also afraid that he could slip over the muddy edge.

The best he could do was to pull the awful leaches and appease the misery of the poor fox.

Now what do you think?

Through her clenched teeth the fox yelped:

"Stop doing this, fool!"

"Why?" asked Nasruddin, "I'm trying to lessen your ache"

"Why! Why! Don't you see that the leeches on my back are already full? If you take these away, new, hungry ones will come to tax me and suck my blood with fresh appetite, all over again."

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