A man had a beautiful dog. He had invested in it. He fed it so well. The dog had grown fatter than any dog in the village. He could wash it.
It did not eat from the ground. It had a special plate just for it. The man had loved the dog more than his family members. Other dogs could go hunting with their owners, but the man could not take his dog for hunting. It was a special dog.
It came a year when there was severe hunger in the land. Life became very hard for everyone. People could only feed on the blood of their animals. They would begin with the blood of the animal until they would reach to kill the animal. Many relationships became weak. Despite the hunger, the man’s relationship with his dog remains strong.
But one day, something unbelievable happened. The only calf of the man’s cow whose mother was killed the other day got disappeared. The man looked for it all over the place. No one knew where it could have gone. The worst part of it was that the dog disappeared too. The concluded the dog might have eaten it.
The only beloved dog which had never gone hunting went hunting that day. It brainstormed on how to help its owner during that severe hunger. It went very far and killed five gazelles. The dog struggled the whole day to bring them close to their home. Though it took it the whole day, it managed to bring them all.
When the dog came home, it was seen with blood all over its body parts. Those who saw it assumed it had eaten the only calf they were looking for. They ran quickly to the owner, the best friend of the dog and reported it.
The man without thinking immediately rushed to his spear. He picked up his spear and went to kill the dog. Just very far the dog saw its owner and ran to meet him for the good news it brought. It could run to where it had left the gazelles and then run back to the owner. Upon its coming back to the man, the man speared it and it died.
Before he even finished killing his dog, the lost calf appeared. Everyone was shocked. It came to their minds that the dog must have brought food for them. They went to where the dog used to run and found five gazelles dead. There was nothing they could do other than cry.
The man being overcome by guilt took a rope and hanged himself. He could not forgive himself; the danger of a single story.
The man killed his innocent dog because of listening to a single story. He did not wait to hear from the dog. He assumed every dog can eat a calf. He knew the story of other dogs but he did not know the story of his dog. He forgot that his dog understood his kindness and went hunting to rescue the family from hunger. But this man only focused on himself. He thought everything he knew was correct. Finally, he learned bitterly that it was not everything he assumed to be true was true. Are you like him?
Once upon a time, a man decided to go to a far country to bring food. He decided to leave though he had newly married a woman. He shared a bed with her just once and he left.
When the man reached his last destination, he went to the home of one of the richest men in that city. He narrated everything to the rich man. The rich man decided to offer him a job. When they were discussing his payment, he preferred that his money be kept until the time he left. The agreement was made and he started his work.
After working for 24 years, the man decided to go back to his wife. He was given his money and left. He reached home when it was midnight. Before knocking on the door, he heard two people talking in the room. He could recognize the voice of his wife but the other voice was a man’s voice. He got very annoyed and called his wife out. He beat her almost to death and sent her away.
The following morning before meeting anyone, he went to the chief and decreed a divorce because his wife committed adultery. The chief called his in-laws, his wife and other people to witness the divorce. The wife was asked why he committed adultery when she was officially married to her husband. The woman explained that she conceived the first night they slept before he set for his journey. The boy had gone big and became a man, then 24 years old. The man became ashamed of himself; the danger of a single story.
This man never thought twice. He negatively judged his wife without hearing first from her. He concluded in his mind that every woman cheats on her husband. He did not know that his wife was different.
A man had a very committed secretary. The secretary was very honest in her work. The man and his secretary shared an office. One time one thousand US dollars disappeared from their office. A thief came without their notice. But since the man did not know how the thief came in, he concluded that his secretary stole the money. He fired her. The lady went and got another job. After a month, the real thief was caught. The man regretted firing his committed secretary; the danger of a single story.
People have the assumption that when things get lost in the office, it is the secretary. So, the man joined the majority and fired his secretary though he knew that his secretary was very honest and could not do so. He was deceived by the belief that no one can be trusted. It is not every secretary that steals.
People reach us with news about others. What do we tell them? Do we start to condemn them even without hearing from them? Some many relationships had broken down because of focusing on a single story. We have lost so many people because of listening to a single story. There must always be the second part of the story.
Think twice before you condemn anyone. You just don’t know the second story. Wait to hear from the other person. Be patient to know more about anything. We always conclude things because we prejudge a lot. We blindly think we know the second part of the story. But we actually don’t know the second story until we hear it.
One time a major general decided to test people. He decided to go to a place where he was not known. He told his bodyguard to dress very smartly. He bought the best suit for his bodyguard. He dressed simple just like any common man.
They went to attend a big function. When they reached, his bodyguard was given a seat. The workers in that place started to chase him away. They poured all the curses on him. He accepted to just stand as the function continued. His bodyguard continued to sit since it was a planned thing.
Before the gathering finished, he called his other bodyguards. They all came with their vehicles. When they arrived, everyone was shocked to see army vehicles but there was no way to run away. The soldiers jumped down and started to arrest all the workers. They were all taken to the cell and tortured properly. After being tortured, the major general revealed to them everything. They were very sorry that they judged him on his dress; the danger of a single story.
We are in danger of judging people according to how they dress. Someone may not be in suit, but it does not mean the person is poor. We should stop judging from outside. Of course, we advise everyone to dress smart, but we should not level everyone the same. Someone may not buy very expensive clothes, maybe because he/she does not have money at the moment. He/she may buy it when he/she gets money.
Someone may not be driving a big car now. We cannot conclude that he/she will never buy a car. Mark also that some people drive other people’s cars. Maybe the suit I put on is not mine. Maybe the nice watch I wear belongs to someone else. Maybe the smart house I live in is not my house. Base your judgement on the whole evidence; never on a single evidence.
Be reminded that it requires wisdom to wait for the second story. Life always has a second part of it. It is ignorance that is closing our eyes from seeing the second part of the story. We are quick to judge others forgetting ourselves. We run to conclusions so quickly.
Life is not lived in a single story. Man was created first. He was a single story. God had to create a woman to be the second story. Human heart is divided into two; why? We have two eyes; why? We have two ears; why? We have two legs; why? We have two hands; why? I challenge you to clap your one hand. I pledge a thousand US dollars if you can. Be kind to the nation.