Once upon a time, there was a rat, who
lived on a farm.
One day, the rat was peering around
the corner of a room, just in time to see the farmer opening up a new package.
The rat can't believe his eyes: inside
the package was a rat trap!
"This is serious," the rat
thought to himself.
So he calls a council of all the
barnyard animals. He called together the chicken, the pig and the cow. And he tells them,
with great fear and trembling, "There's a rat trap in the house!"
But the chicken says, "You know,
I don't ever go in the house. So I don't see how this rat trap has anything to do with me.
But, good luck, rat."
The pig says, "Oh, Gee, rat, I
really *feel* for you. It's just too bad that this rat trap has been set up. Gosh, I
really hope you don't get hurt. I'll be praying for you. Be warmed and filled." :)
And finally, the cow says, "Well,
I'm way too big to be captured by a rat trap. This doesn't concern me at all."
So the rat goes away dejected that
none of the barnyard animals want to help him. But late that night, the rat hears a
*snap!*
And then, after a pause, a *shriek!*
The farmer turns on the lights to see that a snake had gotten caught in the rat trap.
The farmer's wife, in the middle of
the night, reached down (thinking she would catch the rat) and had been bitten by the
snake!
The farmer rushes her to the hospital
where, unfortunately, she dies.
He comes home the next day, absolutely
inconsolable. No one can make him feel any better.
So his family did the thing that all
families do when somebody feels bad.... they made him a big heaping bowl of chicken soup!
:)
And then, the next day, more of the
man's family came by to console him. But there was not enough food for everyone, and so
they decided to have some delicious pork chops. :)
And the next day was the funeral. And
you know how many folks come to a funeral!
There were hundreds of people at the
man's house, and not enough food. So, of course, they all had some really delicious beef
steak. :)
And the moral of the story is, of
course: that if there is a rat trap in the house, it really really affects everyone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In our world, suffering anywhere is
something we should be concerned about. It will NOT do to be chicken, or a pig, or a cow,
that says, "Be warmed and filled."
