The Carrot and the Donkey

Becoming what you think you are

Roger: So much of the time my mind lies about who I am.

Murshid: How?

Roger: Growing up, nobody showed me how to play sports, and I was late to physically develop. Then when I discovered tennis as an adult, I kept thinking I won’t be good because I’m not an athlete. But I’m actually in great shape now. Despite my thinking, I’m getting better at tennis.

Murshid: Yet again you learn that you become what you think.

A man became convinced he had turned into a carrot. He wouldn’t dare go near his own farmland, in fear his donkey would eat him. Thankfully he found his way to a wise mystic in the village, who over time convinced him he was indeed a man and not a carrot. The next week, however, he frantically pounded on the mystic’s door.

‘You’ve got to help me!’ he pleaded. ‘The donkey’s trying to eat me again!’

‘We’ve been over this,’ said the mystic. ‘You yourself said you understand that you’re no longer a carrot.’

‘Well I know that,’ he replied. ‘But try explaining it to my donkey!’

Pin the tale: What misinformation about yourself is your mind trying to convince you is real?