Who will shake the bag when the world turns into laboratory mice?
The old farmer’s repeated behavior caught the attention of the agricultural engineer. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked him, “Why are you hitting the bag?” “If I puncture it, they will escape, and I will lose everything I have gathered.” Once a discussion turns into fanaticism, believing a lie becomes easy. As soon as the rain stops, the umbrella becomes a burden. When the sun rises, the first thing a person extinguishes is the candle. Buy one watermelon for three dollars, or buy three for ten dollars. In modern administrative and political literature, there is a story called “The Mouse Bag,” which I believe is derived from German folklore. It takes place between an elderly farmer and an agricultural engineer on a train. The elderly farmer made a living catching mice, collecting them in a bag, and selling them to research centers in the capital. Newspapers Astronomy Press Releases One day, he boarded a train heading to the city, placed his bag between his feet, and sat quietly. However, from time to time, he would shake the bag. This behavior caught the attention of one of the passengers, an agricultural engineer, as the old man would periodically bend down, shake the bag violently, hit it with his hand, and repeat this action at intervals. The engineer could not suppress his curiosity, so he asked, “Why are you hitting the bag, and what is inside?” The hunter-farmer smiled and said, “There are dozens of mice inside. If I leave them undisturbed for too long, they will realize they are trapped. They might stop fighting each other and start cooperating to gnaw through the bag and escape. In that case, I would lose everything I have gathered.” He added, “Therefore, whenever I sense they are calming down, I shake the bag to confuse them. They then assume the threat comes from those inside with them, so they resume attacking each other and forget the real problem: the issue is not the mouse next to them, but the bag confining them.” At the end of the story, there is a footnote: The story may seem simple, but it raises a question larger than the bag itself: How often do we also get distracted by infighting among ourselves, while failing to notice who made us believe that our enemy is the person standing beside us? How often do we divide over trivial issues, becoming enemies due to differences in opinion, sect, or affiliation, while the issues that truly affect our lives remain outside the scope of inquiry? When differences turn into hatred, it becomes easy to forget who holds the power. When debates turn into fanaticism, it becomes easy to believe that the problem lies with the other, rather than in the reality that unites us all. When we drown in minor battles, we may fail to notice that someone else continues building their interests away from the noise. The most dangerous thing that can happen to a person is not differing with others, but losing the ability to think while differing. Therefore, do not be a mouse fighting the one beside it, forgetting that there is a bag confining them both. In a world where noise increases, the most aware person may be the one who looks around and asks: Who is making us fight, while he continues to walk calmly? The Umbrella, the Blind Man’s Cane, and the Sun As soon as the rain stops, the umbrella becomes a burden no one wants to carry. Similarly, on the day a blind man regains his sight, the first thing he discards is the cane that supported him for years. Also, when the sun rises, the first thing a person extinguishes is the candle that guided him through the darkness. Thus, loyalty ends. Do not be surprised if you feel different; you live in a society that considers the sheep herder ignorant and the dog owner educated. The Watermelon Seller and the Clever Young Man An elderly watermelon seller put up a sign that read: Buy one watermelon for three dollars, or buy three for ten dollars.
A young man drove past a vendor and was stopped by the sign. Deciding to teach the vendor a lesson in economics, he got out of his car, bought one watermelon, then disappeared for a moment, returned to buy a second watermelon, and a short while later came back to buy a third. At that point, the young man turned to the elderly watermelon vendor and said, “I bought three watermelons from you for nine dollars, and I didn’t pay you ten dollars, so I don’t think you’re cut out for business.”
Law
Investigative Journalism
The elderly watermelon vendor smiled at him and thought to himself, “How strange people are. Every time they buy three watermelons instead of just one, yet they never stop trying to teach me how to do business.”
