The Fish, the Scorpion, and Our Everyday Choices

The prompt by Poets and Storytellers for this week is “Why Bother?”

And indeed, with everything happening around us, it is tempting to ask—why do we even bother? What difference can an individual like me, you, or anyone else really make to this world?

This question took me back to an old reflection of mine, and I thought I would share it here in response to this week’s prompt. [ Friday Writings #223: Why Bother?] 

Last weekend, we were at the beach. It was rather empty. Perhaps most people chose to stay home during the holy month of fasting, or simply felt it was too harsh an afternoon to step out.

While our daughter was being gently introduced to the majestic sea—watchful, hesitant, and not entirely amused by its vastness—I decided to take a solitary walk along the shore.

As I walked, I noticed a dead fish lying on the sand. And suddenly, I was reminded of two stories that have stayed with me over the years—the fish and the scorpion. Both, in their own way, have shaped how I look at life.

The Fish Story

A young boy was walking along the beach when he noticed something unsettling. With every crashing wave, hundreds of small fish were being thrown onto the sand—left there, gasping, with little chance of survival.

A little further ahead, he saw a man. Calmly, almost rhythmically, the man would bend down, pick up a hand full of those fishes, and toss back into the sea.

Puzzled, the boy walked up to him and asked,

“Sir, there are hundreds of fish being washed ashore. You’re saving only a few. Most of them will die anyway. What difference does it make?”

The man didn’t answer immediately. He picked up another fish, held it for a moment, and threw it back into the water.

Then he looked at the boy and said,

“It made a difference to this one. It is alive.”

And something about that stayed with the boy-made a big difference.

The Scorpion

The second story is about a scorpion who lived by a pond.

One day, heavy rains caused the water to overflow, flooding the surrounding land. The animals needed to get across to higher ground. The scorpion, unable to swim, approached a frog.

“Please carry me across,” it said.
“I can’t,” replied the frog. “You’ll sting me.”
“If I sting you, I will drown too,” the scorpion reasoned.

Reassured, the frog agreed.
Midway across, the scorpion stung the frog.
As the poison spread and they both began to sink, the frog asked,

“Why did you do this? Now we will both die.”
The scorpion replied,
“What can I do, my friend… it is my nature.”

Two simple stories. Two very different reflections.

One reminds us that even the smallest act can matter—perhaps not to the world, but deeply to someone.
The other reminds us that not everyone we help will act against their nature.

So why bother?

Because the choice to act is ours.
Because even if it changes just one moment, one outcome, one life—it matters.
And because, in the end, what defines us is not how the world responds, but how we choose to show up.

But yes—choose your partners with care, my friends.

Kolkata - The City Of Joy

Someone once told me that a camera does not lie (Photoshop does though). If I click a photograph today and another one after a year, it will show me difference in Black and White (may be in color). The point here is that the differences shows up without any emotional bias as opposed to human eyes.

Calcutta, now known as Kolkata has been very unlucky with the publicity she received in the recent past. It has been mostly bricks and seldom praises, in spite of being the City of Joy.
Today I am posting a series of pictures that I have received by an email from a friend. It will change your perception. These are photographs and they are not supposed to lie! (Kudus to the photographer)

Kolkata is in the heart of every Bengali with all its pluses and minuses. We all dream of settling back there one day.

We too say... next Durga Puja, we will be in Kolkata!

Kolkata is in the heart of every Bengali with all its pluses and minuses. We all dream of settling there one day! We too say... Come next Durga Puja and we will be in Kolkata!

The Barber Theory Of Our Life

My brother has a way of elevating stories to the level of life defining theories. A few of those are so popular between us that these have become part of our life. I would like to share a few of those in the coming weeks will start with the Barber Theory.

Barber Theory: One can do lots of things if he does not have complete knowledge.

Once upon a time there was a barber in a village. He was also the de-facto local surgeon who took care of all the surgical needs of the village. Operating seamlessly through any boils, tumors any other ailment that came across and his hand never trembled. So cheap and efficient was his service that professionally trained surgeon of the area started to get affected as no patients went to see him. He was sad and complained to his peers and friends. One of his doctor friends told him, “Don’t you worry! I will fix it for you tomorrow.”

The very next day the physician went and witnessed the barber in action. Once ther surgery was completed, he asked the barber” how could you perform with so much confidence?”

The barber said “what is the big deal. I do this regularly!”

The Physician explained “if you had cut a little bit extra on the right it would have severed the vein that supplies blood to the right side of the brain. The blood circulation to the brain would have stopped leaving the patient paralyzed.” And he went on to explain exactly where each vein and nerve and tissues and muscles and all the other body components were. He also described in detail what the risks and consequences were if something gone a little wrong.

When the barber went to perform the next surgery, his hand was trembling and he was not sure anymore where to cut and how much to cut. He was worried about the consequences as he was aware of the possibilities and the dangers.

Knowledge makes a big difference! (May be at times, if not always!)

This is in response to Shekhar Kapur’s blog post “A Blackberry addict discovers grassroots enterprise in India” (http://shekharkapur.com/blog/2010/07/a-blackberry-addict-discovers-grassroots-enterprise-in-india/)