Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy trader who went from country to country to sell his goods. His caravan had a hundred bullock carts.
One day, the caravan had to go through a dense forest. At the entrance to the forest, the merchant called all his people together and said, “My friends, the forests are full of fruits and berries that look delicious, but some of them are poisonous. You must be careful. If any of you have questions, ask Me
All agreed and made their way through the forests. Soon the men at the head of the caravan came across a village. There they saw a tree like a mango tree. In the shape and colour of its leaves and the way its branches grew, it resembled the mango tree. But the fruits of this tree were very poisonous. As soon as the men saw that tree, they were very happy.
“What a lovely mango tree!” said one man.
“Yes. How nice and ripe the mangoes are!” said another.
“Are you sure they are mangoes?” asked one cautiously although he was quite hungry.
“Yes, just look at it,” replied another impatiently. “It looks different from the mango that grows on our land!”
The tree was easy to climb. Before anyone could stop them the men climbed the tree and lucked its fruits. They were about to eat them ignoring their leader’s. They were about to eat them ignoring their leader’s warning. But there were others who remembered the trader’s words of caution and waited to ask him whether the fruits were safe to eat.
When the trader arrived, the men asked him whether it was a mango tree or not. After looking at the tree the trader advised them not to touch its fruits.
The other men thanked the trader for his timely warning. “Sir how did you know it was not a mango tree?” one of them asked.
“It’s quite simple,” replied the trader, “First, it is easy to climb this Second, it is very near a village. If they are another type of mangoes, will the villages leave the fruits on these trees? It’s all a question of observation!”
His men were amazed at the trader’s wisdom. Soon the caravan was ready to go on.
Thus, we should observe the situation and understand things wisely. To do so we must learn to be logical and also observe things carefully.