One day, Mullah Nasruddin and his son were travelling to the next town. Nasruddin preferred to walk while his son rode the donkey. On the way, they passed a group of bystanders, and a man remarked, “Look, that selfish boy is riding on a donkey while his poor old father is forced to walk alongside. That is so disrespectful. What a horrible and spoiled child!”
Nasruddin’s son felt embarrassed, so he got off the donkey and asked Nasruddin to get on it instead. His son started walking beside him and the donkey. Soon they passed another group of people. “Oh, that’s detestable!” one of them exclaimed. “That poor young boy has to walk while his abusive father rides the donkey! That horrible man should be ashamed of himself for the way he’s treating his son. What a heartless parent!”
Nasruddin was upset to hear this. He wanted to avoid anybody else’s scorn, so he decided to have both himself and his son ride the donkey at the same time. As they both rode, they passed another group of people. “That man and his son are so cruel,” one bystander said. “Just look at how they are forcing that poor donkey to bear the weight if two people. They should be put in jail for their despicable act. What scoundrels!”
Nasruddin heard this and told his son, “I guess the only way we can avoid being ridiculed by anyone, is for both of us to walk.”
“I suppose you are right,” the son replied.
So they got off the donkey and continued on foot. But as they passed another group of people, they heard them laughing. “Ha, ha, ha,” the group laughed rudely. “Look at those two fools. They are so stupid that both of them are walking under this scorching hot sun and neither of them is riding the donkey! What morons!”
Moral – Well, If you keep doing what other people want, neither would you be happy nor will they stop judging you.
More fun and interesting Mullah Nasruddin stories, here.