The Difficulty In Listening

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Hand-drawn art by Rupali Bhuva
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La dificultad para escuchar
- por Delshad Karanjia

Nasruddin estaba en la casa de té una tarde cuando entró Arif el * hakim.
“¿Cómo está, Mullah? Espero que usted y su familia estén bien ”, preguntó Arif cortésmente.
"Estoy bien, gracias, Arif, pero estoy preocupado por mi esposa, que parece que se ha vuelto muy dura de oído. ¿Existe alguna cura para su problema? " preguntó Nasruddin.
"Bueno, cierto grado de pérdida auditiva relacionada con la edad es normal", dijo Arif. “Si trae a su esposa a mi dispensario, puedo controlar su audición y recetarle el tratamiento necesario. Pero antes de hacer eso, puede probar esta sencilla prueba. Cuando regrese a casa esta noche, llame a su esposa desde la puerta y vea si lo escucha. Si no es así, intente hablar con ella desde la puerta principal y siga reduciendo la distancia hasta que responda. De esta manera, podrá evaluar la gravedad de su deficiencia auditiva ".
Nasruddin agradeció al médico por el consejo médico gratuito y se dirigió a casa. Nasruddin llamó a Fatima desde la puerta del patio delantero y dijo en voz alta: "Estoy en casa, querida. ¿Qué vamos a cenar? "
Al no obtener respuesta, Nasruddin abrió la puerta principal y gritó: "Estoy en casa, querida. ¿Qué vamos a cenar? "
Como seguía sin obtener respuesta , Nasruddin abrió la puerta de la cocina y repitió en voz alta: "¿Qué hay para cenar, querida?"
Fátima, que estaba revolviendo una olla grande en el fogón, se volvió hacia su marido. "¿Eres sordo, Nasruddin?" dijo enfadada, secándose las manos en el delantal. "Por tercera y última vez lo repito: tenemos estofado de pescado y **pilaf, seguido de ***halva de albaricoque de postre".


Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo te relacionas con la inferencia equivocada de Nasruddin? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal de una vez que juzgaste a alguien, solo para descubrir que el problema estaba en ti? ¿Qué te ayuda a detectar tus errores de inferencia?

Extraído de Enseñar a un caballo a cantar: Cuentos de sentido poco común de la India y otros lugares, por Delshad Karanjia.

*hakim: médico/sabio.
**pilaf: modo tradicional de cocinar el arroz en ciertas zonas de Asia.
***halva: dulce de pasta de sésamo muy popular en la gastronomía de Oriente Medio.
Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to Nasruddin's misplaced inference? Can you share a personal story of a time you judged someone, only to discover the issue lay squarely at your end? What helps you catch your mistakes of inference?

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Add Your Reflection

12 Past Reflections
UE
Sep 28, 2021
haha! So much humour. All along he's been the deaf one and not his wife Fatima. It shows most times how quick we are to judge and condemn others and we fail to look inward within us. We are quick to take off the pebble from another's eye and being blinded to the huge rock that's inside ours.
US
Sep 1, 2021
Nasruddin couldn’t hear his wife’sresponsebut thought shewas deaf.
Many times we land in the similar situation. The most common I catch myself is when I ask the other if they would like to eat or are hungry and most times it’s me who will want to eat.
Bringing my awareness to the present brings me to catch myself if there is a judgement and alsoReflecting on my response do.
AL
Alberto
Aug 29, 2021
How nice to read this. This shows who is deaf...
CS
Aug 26, 2021
I have judged many people as judgemental . And after some silence and time..i realized who is judgemental ...wowww..it is me who is JUDGEMENTAL.
AJ
aj Aug 26, 2021
Sadly, to varying degrees, we all are judgmental. What a sad day! 🙏
KP
Aug 24, 2021
Oh how I love Nasruddin stories! In today's deeply polarized political climate in the US we often experience "not hearing each other" and placing the not hearing on the other. I've found that compassion in seeking to understand the complexity of layers of influence on each one of us and our beliefs helps me to better hear what is said. ♡
NI
Aug 24, 2021
"A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down". In our beloved Mulla Nasruddin's case humor is the sugar that makes the medicine of wisdom and the lesson of humility go down better for all of us.
AN
Aug 24, 2021
Wer kennt nicht diesevorschnellennegativenSchlussfolgerungen ausVorurteil,Anmassung, unrichtigenGedanken, Unachtsamkeit ?
Mit dem Verständnis sichdarinauchselbst zu spiegeln werde ich vorsichtig, achtsam und nachsichtig 🙏

A very big Thank You from the bottom of my ❤️to both very wellrespected teacher Mr David Doane and Mr JagdishP Dave in all high-mindedresponses hereand Ialwaysfeel tremendous gifted on their comments and can t wait read all of them.
Thanks again.
JP
Jagdish P Dave Aug 24, 2021
Namaste Angelie. I thank you fro your kind words. I always look forward to getting weekly thought provoking passagesthanks sent by Somik. I learn not only from the weekly passages but also from reflections on the passages by the readers.
Gratefully,
Jagdish Dave'
DD
Aug 21, 2021
What we see in the other is often more about us than about the other. Alcoholics Anonymous says, 'you spot it, you got it.' As someone said, there's something about that guy I can't stand in myself. We project ourselves onto others, especially our own negative traits. Maybe 25 years ago, I very much hurt a good friendship by my negative judgments and criticisms that had much more to do with me than my good friend, and I'm still sad about the hurt I caused to both of us. I see such happeningsas mistakes of judgment and projections, and I catch them best and before they are expressed outwardly by knowing it's valuable for me to examine what my judgment has to do with me, not with the other. It helps me to remember the times I expressed my negative judgments that caused me and the other hurt. It helps that I've learned that as I look at the other I see me, and to remind myself of that. It helps me to think before I speak.
A
a Aug 23, 2021
Wisdom David! I have to try to remember and utilize this wise truth. Thank you very much friend!
JP
Aug 20, 2021
MullaNasruddin'sbehavior indicates that he had already assumed that his wife Fatima was hard of hearing. On this assumption, he keeps on asking the same question "What are we having for dinner?". The angry tone of his voice was escalating getting louder and louder. He had lost his patience, pushed the door and repeated loudly the same question though he was right there in front of her. He himself behaved as if he was deaf.His misplaced inference made him act foolishly. It was a counterproductive stance. Such a stance caused a lot of headaches and conflicts in close relationships. I have learned from my personal experiencesto listen to the other person without making inferences in advance about the other person. I have learned not to prejudge the other person's stance but to keep my mind open and receptive. This way I relate to the other person amicably and fruitfully. How do we relate to others who have different philosophies and ideologies without judging them is no... View full comment