the inimitable mulla nasr eddin strikes again.



this is more readable.

one day mulla nasr eddin was thinking out loud while sitting at the dinner table with his wife.

"how do i know whether i am dead or alive."

"you old fool! if you were dead, your hands and feet would be cold." said his

wife contemptuously.

"ah, thank you, dear, i will remember that."

the next day he was in the woods cutting wood for the fire. it was dead

winter and freezing cold.

suddenly, he noticed that his hands and feet were cold. he thought, "hmmm,

hands and feet cold? i must be dead. dead men don't work. i'd better lie

down."

after a while,
a pack of wolves began attacking his donkey who was tethered nearby.

" aha! if i were alive, you wouldn't take such liberties with my donkey!"

chuang tzu, the genius of the absurd heard about crooked shu.

they said that his feet were wrapped over his shoulders, his chin was stuck in his navel. his pigtail pointed up to the sky. he made his living down by the river washing other people's clothes.

chuang tzu had to see for himself. so he went down to the river. he found crooked shu working.

after watching for a little while he had to ask a question.

he said "crooked shu.... just look at you. what has the creator done to you? you're all twisted around. your legs are over your shoulders, you walk with your hands, your chin is tucked into your stomach, your pigtail sticks straight up into the sky! what a mess you are."

crooked shu looked up from his work and said, "so?"

chuang tzu asked. " well, do you resent it? ...that you are so misshapen and have to earn a living here, doing other peoples laundry?"

" ha," said crooked shu, " how do i know that the next minute the creator may not turn my right arm into a trumpet? then i will play a song. or, for that matter, he may turn my left arm into a rooster. in which case i will crow when the sun rises. resent what? what is there to resent?"