Doesn’t it seem as if arguments and general acrimonious discourse are the order of the day? Someone, some where, always seems to be angry and ready to do battle over anything and everything. Its very unhealthy.
We all know that individual who never cedes a point and who will argue simply for the sake of argument. No matter how many facts you present them with and no matter how much irrefutable evidence they see, they just won’t admit that they’re wrong — they won’t even admit they may be partially wrong. Its just those types of people who, however much they may not mean to, suck the life and positivity from the air around them.
The fable of “don’t argue with a Donkey” is a valuable lesson in knowing when to simply walk away and let the ignorant wallow in their own land of delusion:
Fable: Don’t argue with Donkeys.
The donkey said to the tiger: “The grass is blue.”
The tiger replied: “No, the grass is green.”
The discussion heated up, and the two decided to submit him to arbitration, and for this, they went before the lion, the King of the Jungle.
Before even reaching the forest clearing, where the lion was sitting on his throne, the donkey began to shout: “Your Highness, is it true that the grass is blue?”
The lion replied: “True, the grass is blue.”
The donkey hurried and continued: “The tiger disagrees with me and contradicts and annoys me, please punish him.”
The king then declared: “The tiger will be punished with 5 years of silence.”
The donkey jumped cheerfully and went on his way, content and repeating: “The grass is blue”…
The tiger accepted his punishment, but asked the lion: “Your Majesty, why have you punished me? After all, the grass is green.”
The lion replied: “In fact, the grass is green.”
The tiger asked: “So why are you punishing me?”
The lion replied: “That has nothing to do with the question of whether the grass is blue or green. The punishment is because it is not possible for a brave and intelligent creature like you to waste time arguing with a donkey, and on top of that come and bother me with that question.”
It is futile to argue with the know-it-all and fanatic, because they simply are incapable of learning anything new and can’t open their mind wide enough to absorb new facts. These people don’t care about the truth, reality or what is morally right, they only care about the victory of their false beliefs and their warped illusions.
People in this life who lack the capacity to embrace truth and reality are almost always angry people who have an unhealthy ego and are filled with bitterness and resentment.
When ignorance screams, intelligence does well to fall silent at some point, because ultimately, our personal positivity and peace are worth more than doing battle with the ignorant.
“Beware of ignorance when in motion; look out for inexperience when in action, and beware of the majority when mentally poisoned with misinformation, for collective ignorance does not become wisdom.” — Wiliam J.H. Boetcker
