The old woman and The mighty oak tree

[Guest guest]

Once upon a time, there was an old woman whose home sat in the shadow

of a mighty oak tree. One day, the old woman walked into her yard and

became very angry at the oak, she shrieked: you are a bad tree! You

drop your acorns and leaves on my lawn! And all of these little

creatures -- birds, squirrels, ants, a thousand or more creatures --

all live in and on you and they make a mess too and they pay no

attention to me

 

The oak said: I am sorry Respected Ma, please let me offer you my

shade so the old woman stood in the shade, and it was pleasant for a

while but soon she grow weary and said, "Is this the best you can

offer me?" so the oak said, "Here, sit in my branches!"

"Sit in my branches, respected Ma! Be a part of me!" and the old

woman did, but soon that grew boring as well and she jumped down from

the tree and holed up in her own house.

 

But each day she looked out the window, and watched the oak, steadily

growing, with more and more creatures frolicking in its branches And

she grew to hate the oak tree, with a hatred that burn her inside And

she determined to hurt the oak tree But how? She thought of many

ways. Sometimes she would put out birdseed to lure the birds away

from the tree and into her home

 

But most of the birds would only eat a few seeds, and then return to

the oak. And she decided that these birds were the bad ones. A few

birds refused to ever go near her seed at all, remaining steadfastly

loyal to the oak and she decided that these few birds were the worst

ones. But some birds found nutrition in her seeds, and stayed with

her. These birds, she decided, would be her soldiers in the war

against the mighty oak.

 

She would send them to the tree with messages for the other

birds: "This oak tree is tainted and dirty! Come and taste the pure,

fresh seed at Ma's house." But it was so hard. Most of the birds

simply didn't feel that strongly about the whole issue. It was easy

to get them to visit her home, but hard to make them hate the oak as

she did.

 

So she tried it with the squirrels, feeding them acorns, and the

ants, feeding them sugar -- and on and on, but the result was never

what she expected. And the oak's shade and size and droppings

continued to stoke her hatred. Until one day, she seized a shiny axe

and stalked out to the tree and began to chop. But the poor old woman

was just one person, and her axe was very small And she soon

discovered that the tree was growing quicker than she could chop it

she would just finish making a very deep and angry cut, and then

notice -- to her infinite frustration -- that the bark had already

healed over her previous cuts but she kept chopping and chopping and

she kept feeding the animals and every now and then she would stop to

rest from her labor, and -- wiping the sweat from her brow -- cry up

at the might oak.

 

"You are a bad tree! And I will destroy you yet!"

"Maybe you can fool some of those birds and squirrels, but eventually

they will see how right I am! And they will all come to my home, and

you will be left alone! And then you will weaken, and then I will

finish you off!"

 

And with that, the old woman would lift up her axe again, and

continue her chopping Her incessant chopping went on for years As did

her attempts to win over the animals in the tree.

 

Each Spring, when the young animals would arrive, some would

inevitably be curious about the angry woman down below, angrily

chopping at their tree and she would tell them, "Leave this tree, I

am telling you! You do not know it like I do! It is a very bad tree,

and some very bad animals live in it!"

 

Some of the young animals would heed her warning and scurry away in

fear -- but she noticed angrily, many more stayed. And oddly enough,

they seemed to live quite happily and well. They found that it was

possible to love both the oak tree and the old woman and this angered

the old woman very much.

 

Years passed. She chopped and chopped then, one quiet afternoon, the

oak tree spoke to her. Oak spoke to her? And said, "Respected Ma, for

many years I have watched you chopping at me. I have watched you

trying to lure my friends away. And speaking badly of the birds and

squirrels who have chosen me as their home..."

 

"Yes, yes!" the old woman shrieked. "And I'll continue to do so!

There's nothing you can do to stop me!!!!" And she cackled madly.

 

"Very well," said the might oak. "Do as you wish. But may I ask you

one question?"

 

Well okay ... said the old woman. But just one!

 

And the mighty oak said, "Why do you want to kill me?"

 

And the old woman paused. She had hated the oak for so long that she

barely remembered why. Perhaps she could lay down the axe, and simply

get on with her life.

Then she realized: the oak trees, and the need for its destruction,

were her life. And so she replied to the oak tree's question by

saying, "Because you are here."

 

And as she picked up her axe and began chopping again, she wondered

what she would do if the oak tree ever actually fell. The she saw

that there were many other oak trees, stretching as far as her eyes

could see. She smiled. She would always have something to do.

 

 

To be continued ………

[Guest guest]

"And as she picked up her axe and began chopping again, she wondered

what she would do if the oak tree ever actually fell. The she saw

that there were many other oak trees, stretching as far as her eyes

could see. She smiled. She would always have something to do......"

 

Eventually the story about the Old Woman and the Mighty Oak Tree

reaches the village nearby and far out. The villagers came and they

gather around to watch her. Some would just stand , while others

would bring in their mat to sit or lie down. Several others began to

set up tents. As more and more came to watch, the enterprisings one

began to set up shops selling all sorts of things. Pictures of the

Oak tree, of the Old woman and her axe, and pics of her chopping the

trees becomes the most sellable item. Then the local TV station heard

about it, and decided to feature it in their daily news as live

telecast. Everyday the crew members came to capture the scene of the

Old Woman and her axe chooping the oak Tree.

 

The once quiet village have now transform into a busy and lively

town. People from far out flocks into the village, to watch The Old

Woman and The Oak Tree.

 

And then comes the environmentalist, When she saw the old woman

chopping the oak tree, she contacted the "save the tree"

organisation. They stop her and asked : "Respected Ma, Why do you

want to kill this tree?"

 

She stop for a while and remarked "This is a bad tree. You stay away

from this tree. You dont know this tree as I do. You want to save a

tree, save other tree, leave this tree to me!. I must kill this

tree!" and she continue with her chopping.

 

The crowd began to divide in to several groups. Some started to feel

sympathy for the old woman, and some for the oak tree and several

others just not sure what to do. So they just stood and watch.

Those who sympathise the old women began to see her as a symbol of

determination. A small fragile women against a tall mighty oak tree.

 

The "save the tree" campaigner rally all their supporters to try to

stop the old lady. We must save this oak tree and all other trees. We

must stop this destruction to of our nature! They try to rally around

the oak tree, but as soon as the old lady appear with her axe, she

hurl it around them, and they move away. Nobody dare to come near

her.

 

And so it goes .... years passed, people began to feel weary and fade

away. Only a small crowd still gathers now and then to watch the old

lady and the oak tree. Occassionally they will send news now and then

to the village nearby : Ah! she got a new axe today. What brand!

Where did she buy! How much do you think is the cost of the axe! they

would ask. but thereafter they continue with their own life

 

Meantime the oak tree continue to grow. The little old women continue

with her choppings and she too becomes like all the others little

creatures that have come to seek shelter in the Oak Tree... just like

the birds, the bees and the ants. They have got use to hearing the

choppings and the swearing of the old lady that once she stop

everybody began to get concern. She have becomes so much a part of

the oak tree.

 

....... then one day two travellers came passing by. One of them have

heard about the old woman and the oak tree.

 

The second traveller asked "what do you will happen if one day the

old lady drops and dies "

 

"Nah .... another one will come along and take over her place."

remarked the first traveller. And they both continue with their

journey.

 

THE END

 

Copyright 2004@ Shakti Sadhana.

[Guest guest]

Hi Nora! Thanks for this story. Interesting how commerce builds up

around the strange hatred, and then politics, too. Like that old

Sonny & Cher song says: "And the beat goes on...."

 

Mary Ann

 

, "N. Madasamy"

<ashwini_puralasamy> wrote:

> "And as she picked up her axe and began chopping again, she

wondered

> what she would do if the oak tree ever actually fell. The she saw

> that there were many other oak trees, stretching as far as her eyes

> could see. She smiled. She would always have something to do......"

>

> Eventually the story about the Old Woman and the Mighty Oak Tree

> reaches the village nearby and far out. The villagers came and they

> gather around to watch her. Some would just stand , while others

> would bring in their mat to sit or lie down. Several others began

to

> set up tents. As more and more came to watch, the enterprisings

one

> began to set up shops selling all sorts of things. Pictures of the

> Oak tree, of the Old woman and her axe, and pics of her chopping

the

> trees becomes the most sellable item. Then the local TV station

heard

> about it, and decided to feature it in their daily news as live

> telecast. Everyday the crew members came to capture the scene of

the

> Old Woman and her axe chooping the oak Tree.

>

> The once quiet village have now transform into a busy and lively

> town. People from far out flocks into the village, to watch The Old

> Woman and The Oak Tree.

>

> And then comes the environmentalist, When she saw the old woman

> chopping the oak tree, she contacted the "save the tree"

> organisation. They stop her and asked : "Respected Ma, Why do you

> want to kill this tree?"

>

> She stop for a while and remarked "This is a bad tree. You stay

away

> from this tree. You dont know this tree as I do. You want to save a

> tree, save other tree, leave this tree to me!. I must kill this

> tree!" and she continue with her chopping.

>

> The crowd began to divide in to several groups. Some started to

feel

> sympathy for the old woman, and some for the oak tree and several

> others just not sure what to do. So they just stood and watch.

> Those who sympathise the old women began to see her as a symbol of

> determination. A small fragile women against a tall mighty oak

tree.

>

> The "save the tree" campaigner rally all their supporters to try to

> stop the old lady. We must save this oak tree and all other trees.

We

> must stop this destruction to of our nature! They try to rally

around

> the oak tree, but as soon as the old lady appear with her axe, she

> hurl it around them, and they move away. Nobody dare to come near

> her.

>

> And so it goes .... years passed, people began to feel weary and

fade

> away. Only a small crowd still gathers now and then to watch the

old

> lady and the oak tree. Occassionally they will send news now and

then

> to the village nearby : Ah! she got a new axe today. What brand!

> Where did she buy! How much do you think is the cost of the axe!

they

> would ask. but thereafter they continue with their own life

>

> Meantime the oak tree continue to grow. The little old women

continue

> with her choppings and she too becomes like all the others little

> creatures that have come to seek shelter in the Oak Tree... just

like

> the birds, the bees and the ants. They have got use to hearing the

> choppings and the swearing of the old lady that once she stop

> everybody began to get concern. She have becomes so much a part of

> the oak tree.

>

> ...... then one day two travellers came passing by. One of them

have

> heard about the old woman and the oak tree.

>

> The second traveller asked "what do you will happen if one day the

> old lady drops and dies "

>

> "Nah .... another one will come along and take over her place."

> remarked the first traveller. And they both continue with their

> journey.

>

> THE END

>

> Copyright 2004@ Shakti Sadhana.

[Guest guest]

Thank you Mary Ann. Today afternoon a shy member asked me : What is

the moral of the story?. Struck me actually, because I have never

thought about it at all. And this is what two members have to say :

 

Member one

"I think the story carefully portrays human nature for want of

change

in life... and also the purpose of life... but then its subjective

from person to person that's the crux."

 

"Who is the old woman and the tree?"

 

"Who do you identify with most?"

 

" I could be the tree and also the old woman at times."

 

 

Member two:

"When you spend too much time judging the worth of another you

compromise your own progress when you spend too much time judging the

progress of another, you compromise your own progress the time you

could have spent improving yourself has been wasted disparaging

another. The old woman is guilty of this. The oak tree is guilty of

this. The authors of this fable are guilty of this. All are imperfect

in their own degree"

 

It is suppose to be a chain story, but my instinct this morning just

tells me " kill the story".

[Guest guest]

Actually, what struck me most strongly about this story is its utter

LACK of a moral.

 

To me, it is almost like Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" -- much vain

movement and talk; many small dramas, arguments, accusations, and

misunderstandings; plots and conspiracy theories; shifting alliances

-- but all ultimately meaningless. To paraphrase Scene 5 of MacBeth,

the anger of the old woman and the drama it creates is "a tale full of

sound and fury, signifying nothing."

 

The old woman thinks she knows something, but she sees only a tiny

part. Perhaps the oak tree knows that it sees only a tiny part; but

even so, it too seems to overestimate itself. Both think that they are

actors, but they are merely puppets.

 

The story must end, for a very simple reason: It never began. It never

existed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

, "N. Madasamy"

<ashwini_puralasamy> wrote:

>

> It is suppose to be a chain story, but my instinct this morning just

> tells me " kill the story".

[Guest guest]

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 17:09:35 -0000 "N. Madasamy"

<ashwini_puralasamy writes:

>

> It is suppose to be a chain story, but my instinct this morning

> just

> tells me " kill the story".

 

Yes, kill the story. Get out your ax, and chop away its roots... No,

wait, that sounds like the old woman!

 

I like the story, Nora. Spread it around and see what other people

think.

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

"The story must end, for a very simple reason: It never began. It

never existed."

 

Yes! Indeed the story must or should I say, for practical purpose has

to end eventually. But to say it never began and it never exist to me

is illogical and impractical. How on earth then this story are being

related. It did not just appear out of the blue. From nothing then

*** booooooom! **** Something is there. It didn't make sense.

 

There are some people who are affected by this story and reacted very

strongly, to my amusement. Some think they are the old lady, whilst

other says they are the trees. Several others say they can be either

the old lady or the tree at some point in time.

 

Must all story have a moral message. We are the one who create that

moral values within ourselves and attach it to whatever story we

read, and think, "Yes! This is the moral of the story" But is

it?

 

I never regret posting that message. To me it's the right thing

to

do. DEVI's willing I would have say and for those who are curious

as

to where this story emerged? From a simple sentence send to

us: "Stroke by stroke, the little axe will fell the might oak." This

is where it all began.

 

We/I expand it from there from our own personal experiences. It can

be a fiction to some, and very real to several other because when the

first time this tale was relate to me, I feel sad and yet amazed at

how the story just flow out from the narrator naturally. This is not

something he/she creates from his/her imagination, but from an

experience. I believe others who read it too would agree with me.

There is truth in the story. You can never hide the truth, it will

eventually surface.

 

I Feel sad for the old lady, but particularly really sad for the

birds, the bees, the ants, and the squirrels etc that come to seek

shelter at the oak tree. These are the innocent creatures and they

just want to be left alone with their own business of daily living

are somehow caught in the drama of "vain movement and talk; many

small dramas, arguments, accusations, and misunderstandings; plots

and conspiracy theories; shifting alliances" as Devi Bhakta puts

it.

I sympathize with those little birds and ants that are being

manipulated and used. Which reminds of me too of how I too were once

manipulated and used, but what makes us humans different is that DEVI

have given us the brain to think and to have the reasoning power, and

we should be using it instead of just follow others blindly.

 

This is what this story is meant to do: To tell a story! Just tell

the story and lets others decide for themselves what they want to be:

the old woman or the oak tree, or none.

 

I disagree when Devi Bhakta says "but all ultimately

meaningless"

They are not meaningless but the microscopic manifestation of the

world around us. Because this is what is happening around us. Look

again! We cannot pretend that they do not exist, because they do.

 

"The anger of the old woman and the drama it creates is "a tale

full

of

sound and fury, signifying nothing"

 

Anger does signify something. Hatred and anger is often caused by

something, which is much deeper. Somebody does not just wake up in

the morning and decided to get angry, nor does he/she decides to hate

a person out of the blue. There are reasons. I definitely agree with

Sister Usha when she remarked, "we should not close the

doors". Yes

definitely we should not, but when we have choose not to close our

doors we must be prepared to accept all these anger and hatred. The

questions being: do we have enough resources to act as buffer to this

anger and hatred? Should we put a time limit? It is good if this

anger and hatred are being healed, and that so-called divine light we

all talked so much about eventually shining bright. What happen if it

remains dim all the time? What then? Somebody willing to offer an

alternative light? But what happen if this host refuses to accept an

alternative light? We should just let the host be with the dim

light? I don't know because I do not have the answer. We often

talk

about this divine light within us all the time, sometimes I wonder

and I question myself repeatedly: What do mean when we say The Divine

Light Within?

 

"The old woman thinks she knows something, but she sees only a

tiny

part. Perhaps the oak tree knows that it sees only a tiny part; but

even so, it too seems to overestimate it. Both think that they are

actors, but they are merely puppets"

 

In my opinion we are not just puppets but players. Players in this

whole network or I would say the web of things. We are the one who

choose the roles. We are the one who decided how we want to react.

 

Maybe if the tree is a small fragile tree, yes! It will succumb to

the old lady's axe and dies. But it is an oak tree and it grows

despite all the chopping. Eventually we all must grow like the oak

tree, and the old lady with her axe becomes another part of us that

we cannot ignore. She will continue with her chopping but she have

becomes smaller and smaller, like the ants, bees, birds etc that have

come to seek shelter.

 

To "kill a story" is the easiest, but to kill truth? Can we?

[Guest guest]

Dear Nora:

 

I respect all of your points, and the passion and honesty that you've

brought to a tale that, for many members, will seem uncomfortably

close to home. I agree with 99% of what you say, but I'd clarify on a

a few points:

 

*** But to say it never began and it never exist to me is illogical

and impractical. I disagree when Devi Bhakta says it's "all ultimately

meaningless." It is not meaningless, but [rather] the microscopic

manifestation of the world around us. Because this is what is

happening around us. Look again! We cannot pretend that they do not

exist, because they do. ***

 

Perhaps you are right. But my meaning is this: The fable was presented

as a fiction; a story. And a story must have a beginning, a middle and

an end. This one has none. It is never-ending; the characters are

completely dispensible. If one oak tree disappears, the old woman will

simply begin chopping at another one. If the old woman disappears,

someone else will always be there to take up her axe.

 

Furthermore, there is no driving motivation to carry the story --

there is no logical reason given for the old woman's actions. Even her

own explanations shift with circumstances and change depending on her

audience at any given moment -- bringing to mind the phrase once used

by an appellate judge of my acquaintance, who once dismissed a wordy,

thrown-together legal brief as "the incoherent ramblings of an

undisciplined mind."

 

*** I never regret posting that message. To me it's the right thing to

do. ***

 

I think so too. Light and open discussion are the best defense against

those who use miscommunication, dishonest spin, and the credulity of

trusting people as weapons.

 

*** I feel sad for the old lady, but particularly really sad for the

birds, the bees, the ants, and the squirrels etc that come to seek

shelter at the oak tree. These are the innocent creatures and they

just want to be left alone with their own business of daily living are

somehow caught in the drama of "vain movement and talk; many small

dramas, arguments, accusations, and misunderstandings; plots and

conspiracy theories; shifting alliances" ***

 

Yes, I feel bad for them all as well. The old woman seems to have an

excellent mind and an admirable intellect; I wish I could know her as

a friend. But there are too many stratas of fiction overlaying her --

too many protective barriers. My sympathy for and empathy with her

would also be many times greater if not for all of the innocent

casualties caused by her constant acting out of her inner conflicts.

Everyone has conflicts. Not everyone so actively tries to export them

to others.

 

*** I sympathize with those little birds and ants that are being

manipulated and used. Which reminds of me too of how I too were once

manipulated and used. But what makes us humans different is that DEVI

has given us the brains to think and to have the reasoning power, and

we should be using it instead of just follow others blindly. ***

 

Yes indeed. "Come here if you like. Don't come if you don't like. Only

try to see for yourself. Don't blindly accept what others say," as

Guruji advises.

 

*** do we have enough resources to act as buffer to this anger and

hatred? Should we put a time limit? It is good if this anger and

hatred are being healed, and that so-called divine light we all talk

so much about will eventually begin shining bright. But what happens

if it remains dim all the time? What then? ***

 

Yes, that is the problem. Then you have a black hole; a force so

negative that it eats light rather than being illuminated by it. There

is no limit to the duration and intensity of the light one shines upon

a black hole. It will be all be absorbed without a trace.

 

It takes a very great soul to save a very low one. A soul of average

strength may slowly find itself depleted in the effort. And I am not

that strong. I am pretty weak. Still, there are people I am capable of

helping, and there are people whose negative force is simply stronger

than whatever positive force I can muster.

 

When I feel a black hole feeding on whatever light I can offer them;

when I feel myself growing weak and depleted from the effort, then it

is time to use whatever force I have left to break free of the black

hole's gravitational pull. A little while ago, I used the phrase

"smashing the mirror" to describe this breakaway. Most people are

mirrors in a metaphorical sense, reflecting something of yourself back

at you. A black hole (which does indeed bend light rays) is comparable

to a funhouse carnival mirror, distorting the light rays that reflect

off of you and returning them in a twisted, unrecognizable forms.

 

You are not that reflection, howsoever much the black hole/funhouse

mirror would like you to think you are.

 

*** Eventually we all must grow like the oak tree, and the old lady

with her axe becomes another part of us that we cannot ignore. ***

 

Yes, that is the silliest part of the whole thing. The old woman, who

verily DEFINES herself by her opposition (if the enemy is OAK TREE,

then, damn it, she will call herself TREE OAK! *lol*) -- the irony is,

she eventually becomes an almost endearing part of the oak tree's

ecosystem. No one pays more attention to the oak tree than she does.

No one is more obsessed by it -- in a sense, the old woman is paying

her nominal enemy the greatest compliment by her constant attention to

it. As much as her presence and her actions remain an enigma, the oak

tree and its denizens would almost miss her if she was gone. :-p