There is an old tale of Satan walking around in the street of life, sulking in the shadows with his hunting dogs, the little imps of human weakness. A man Ragu came walking down the street and Satan spotted him. He told the imp to go and get him. Quickly, the imp crossed the street silently and lightly hopped on to the man’s shoulder. In his ear, he whispered, “You are discouraged!” The man replied, “No, I am not.”
Louder and more decidedly, the little imp repeated, “Yes, you are discouraged.” Ragu cropped his head and murmured, “Well, I suppose I am.” The little imp darted back to Satan and said proudly, “I’ve got him. He’s discouraged.”
Another man, Ramu passed and this time Satan spotted him and gave ditto instructions to the little imp. The proud demon of discouragement repeated his tactics. The first time he said to Ramu that he was discouraged, Ramu flatly refused to accept it. The second time too, the demon aggressively told him that he was discouraged. This time Ramu denied it even more emphatically. When the demon approached him for the third time, he said something to the demon. The demon got discouraged and came to Satan and informed him that he was discouraged himself.
QUESTIONS
- What did Ramu say to the demon that discouraged him?
- What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
- Ramu replied rather harshly, “Lies, you are a liar, I am not discouraged! Now go away and leave me alone, you liar!”
- Truth burns. Telling a crippled person that he is blind will not bother him. Tell him that he is crippled and he will get wild. Call a dishonest person dishonest and he will get mad. Call a liar a liar and he will flatly refute it and pounce upon you. This is applicable to all the bad qualities of a human being and not for the good qualities. Tell a hardworking person that he is hardworking and he would feel elated. Therefore, when bad qualities are to be pointed out, remember the dictum that ‘Truth burns’. Be tactful in your approach.
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