Nasreddin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasreddin is a folk hero in the Near East, a Sufi sage known for his crazy wisdom. Here are some of my favorite stories about him.
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The Opinions of Men
Nasreddin and his son went on a journey once. The Hodja preferred that his son ride on the donkey and that he himself go on foot. On the way they met some people who said, "Look at that healthy young boy! That's today's youth for you. They have no respect for elders. He rides on the donkey and makes his poor father walk!"
When they had passed by these people the boy felt very ashamed, and insisted that he walk and his father ride the donkey. So the Hodja mounted the donkey and the boy walked at his side. A little later they met some other people who said: "Well, look at that! That poor little boy has to walk while his father rides the donkey."
After they had passed by those people, the Hodja told his son: "The best thing to do is for both of us to walk. Then no one can complain."
So they continued on their journey, both of them walking. A little ways down the road they met some others who said: "Just take a look at those fools. Both of them are walking under this hot sun and neither of them is riding the donkey!"
The Hodja turned to his son and said, "That just goes to show how hard it is to escape the opinions of men."
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Everyone Is Right
Once when Nasreddin was serving as qadi, one of his neighbors came to him with a complaint against a fellow neighbor. The Hodja listened to the charges carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear neighbor, you are quite right."
Then the other neighbor came to him. The Hodja listened to his defense carefully, then concluded, "Yes, dear neighbor, you are quite right."
The Hodja's wife, having listened in on the entire proceeding, said to him, "Husband, both men cannot be right." The Hodja answered, "Yes, dear wife, you are quite right."
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The True Students
A group of people came to Nasreddin's house and asked him to be their teacher. He agreed and told them to accompany him to the Sufi lodge for their first lesson. He then proceeded to get on his donkey, riding backward, and led the group across town. The townspeople all laughed at Nasreddin and jeered at the group of gullible fools for following him.
By the time they got to the Sufi lodge, most of the group was gone. One of those who remained asked, "Nasreddin, why were you riding backward?" Nasreddin answered, "Well, you know it isn't polite for students to walk in front of their teacher. And it wouldn't have been right for me to turn my back on all of you. So this was the only way to do it!"
