Vol. 7, In an Eastern Rose Garden Democracy
There is a story of a Persian king and a dervish. Now a dervish is a self-educated man, but one who knows and understands things. He is a free-thinker; he does not abide by the law of society; he touches the depth of the truth, and ignores all the superficial and artificial rules and laws of society and religion; he leads his life freely in thought and action; he is so happy in his philosophy that if he is clothed in rags and tatters it matters nothing to him.
This dervish was standing in the street along which the king was about to pass. In the front of the procession were the pages, and they called out to him, "Get out of the way, the procession of the king is coming." He said, "That is why." He went back a few steps, and when the pages had gone past he came forward again, and sat down in the same place. Again came the cry, this time from the courtiers, riding on beautiful horses: "Away, away, the king is coming." He said, "That is why", and went a few steps back, and then when they had passed he returned to the same place. Then came the chariot of the king. When the king saw him standing in the middle of the street, he gently bowed his head to the dervish, who smiled and said, "That is why."
A young man who was watching this could not help laughing. He was curious about it too and asked the dervish, "Why do you say to everybody, "That is why?"" He answered, "It is plain. The gentleness of the king was the reason why he acted so towards me; the dullness of the courtiers was why they were curt to me; the rudeness and crudeness of the pages and the bodyguard was why they were rude to me."
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