Positivity VIII

Sometimes when we try our best to be positive we meet hurdles, hiccups and grief that hinders us from receiving the joy and hope in our hearts that things will get better. It is almost too easy to fall in the trap of swimming in our own fancies and sorrows. Especially if we lose a dear one, our job, money or material possessions. But here is an interesting story I would like to share to perk up your day. I truly believe God is not a God who does nothing but watches the spectacle of us living in pure entertainment.

There once lived a king in Africa who had a good friend who went everywhere with him since they grew up together. The fascinating thing about this friend was that he liked saying "this is good" in almost every situation be it negative or positive.

So one random day the king and his friend decided to go hunting. His friend had been in charge of the guns and had meddled with one of them in such a way that the safety trigger had been accidentally faulty. When the king took that very same gun and open fired, he ended up with the mishap of shooting one of his thumbs off! His friend saw the entire scenario and replied in his usual form "this is good!" Incensed the king reprimanded the friend in pure fury and told him that it was "not good!" and sent the latter to jail.

A year later, the king found himself hunting in the woods again. However this time he went too far out to the point that he got captured by cannibals and they took him to their village. They gathered wood, tied the king and waited to roast him. In the middle of doing so the cannibals discovered that the king had a thumb less. Being superstitious, they decided not to eat him because he wasn't a perfect specimen. It was their tradition to not eat anyone less than whole. Hence they untied the king and sent him on his way

Remorse filled the king when he recounted the events that had led to his release from his captors. He decided to release his friend from prison and went to the dungeons to see to it. There he hugged his friend and told his friend that indeed "it was good" that he had lost his thumb, because he had preserved his life. However he apologized for having kept the friend in prison in suffering the entire year.

To which the friend heartily replied "No it's good!"

The king was incredulous and did not understand.

"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you." replied his friend.

The king had lost a thumb but kept his life. His friend had been locked up but had he not been, he would have been eaten. But on first glance who would be able to understand the pain of losing a thumb? Or to be locked up by a very good friend? Our ability to be positive will bring us the happiness we long for, so let us not be too convinced when things go wrong that we are doomed.:)