Finding

Finding

I am seeking for myself…

So… I travel…

Mary wants to be a Prostitute

0087


Mary wants to be a Prostitute

When Sister asked the children in her class what they wanted to be when they grew up

little Tommy said he wanted to be a pilot.

Elsie said she wanted to be a doc­tor,

Bobby to Sister’s great joy, said he wanted to become a priest.

Then Mary stood up and declared she wanted to be a prostitute,

“What was that again, Mary?”

“When I grow up,” said Mary with the air of someone who knew exactly what she wanted,

“I shall become a prostitute.”

Sister was startled beyond words.

Mary was immediately segregated from the rest of the children and taken to the Parish Priest.

Father was given the facts in broad outline but he wanted to check them out with the culprit,

“Tell me what happened in your own words, Mary.”

 “Well,” said Mary, somewhat taken aback by all this fuss,

“Sister asked me what I wanted to become when I grew up and I said I wanted to become a prostitute.”

“Did you say prostitute?” asked Father, double-checking.

“Yes.”

“Heavens! What a relief!

We all thought you said you were going to become a Protestant!”

The prayer of the frog. Volume – I

Anthony de Mello
 

Alligator teeth for pearls

240

Alligator teeth for pearls

A woman tourist from the West was admiring a native’: necklace.

“What is it made of?” she asked.

“Alligator teeth, ma’am,” said the native,

“Oh, I see. I suppose they have the same value for you people that pearls have for us,”

“Not quite. Anyone can open an oyster,”


The enlightened understand that a diamond is a stone until endowed with value by the human mind.

And that things are as big or as small as your mind chooses to make them.

The prayer of the frog. Volume - II

Anthony de Mello

“She has no family"

214


“She has no family"

The family was gathered at dinner. The oldest boy announced he was going to marry the girl across the street.

“But her family didn’t leave her a penny,” objected his father.

“And she hasn’t saved a cent,” added mother. “She doesn’t know a thing about football.” said junior. “I’ve never seen a girl with such funny hair,” said sister.

“All she does is read novels,” said uncle.

“And such poor taste in the choice of her clothes,” said aunt.

“But she isn’t sparing of the powder and the paint,” said grandma.

“True,” said the boy. “But she has one supreme advantage over ail of us.”

“What’s that?” everyone wanted to know.

“She has no family!”

The prayer of the frog. Volume – I


Anthony de Mello

Making friends with a dragon

24


Making friends with a dragon

A man went to see a psychiatrist

and said that every night he was visited by a twelve-foot dragon with three heads.

He was a nervous wreck, could not sleep at all and was on the verge of total collapse.

He had even thought of suicide.

“I think I can help you,” said the psychiatrist,

“but I must warn you that it will take a year or two and will cost three thousand dollars.”

“Three thousand dollars!” the man exclaimed.

“Forget it!

I’ll just go home and make friends with it.”



The Muslim mystic, Farid, was prevailed upon by his neighbours to go to the court in Delhi and obtain a favour from Akbar for the village.

Farid walked into the court and found Akbar at his prayers:

When the Emperor finally emerged, Farid asked.

“What sort of prayer did you make?”

“I prayed that the All Merciful would bestow success and wealth and long life on me,” was the reply.

Farid promptly turned his back on the Emperor and walked away, remarking,

“I came to see an Emperor.

What I find here is a beggar no different from the rest!”

The prayer of the frog. Volume – I

Anthony de Mello

God and the cookies

16



God and the cookies

Mother: “Did you know that God was present when you stole that cookie from the kitchen?”

“And he was looking at you all the time?”

“Yes.”

“And what do you think he was saying to you?”

“He was saying. There’s no one here but the two of us-take two.’

The prayer of the frog. Volume - II

Anthony de Mello

The three wise men

031



The three wise men

Three wise men set out on a journey for, even though they were considered wise in their own country, they were humble enough to hope that travel would broaden their minds.

They had barely crossed into a neighbouring country when they saw a skyscraper in the distance.

What could this enormous object be, they asked themselves?

The obvious answer would have been: go up and find out.

But no, that might be too dangerous.

Suppose it was something that exploded as one approached?

It was altogether wiser to decide what it was before fin­ding out.

Various theories were put forward, examined and, on the basis of their past experience, rejected.

Finally, it was determined, also on the basis of past experience of which they had an abundant supply, that the object in question, whatever it was could only have been placed there by giants.

This led them to the conclusion that it would be safer to avoid this country altogether.

So they went back home having added something to their fund of experience.



Assumptions affect Observation.

Observation breeds Conviction.

Conviction produces Experience.

Experience generates Behaviour,

which, in turn, confirms Assumptions.

The prayer of the frog. Volume – I

Anthony de Mello

What causes arthritis?

152


What causes arthritis?

...and not respond to what we assume the other said...

The village drunkard staggered up to the parish priest, newspaper in hand, and greeted him politely.

The priest, annoyed, ignored the greeting because the man was slightly inebriated.

He had come with a purpose, however,

“Excuse me, Father,” he said,

“Could you tell me what causes arthritis?”

The priest ignored that too.

But when the man repeated the question the priest turned on him impatiently and cried,

“Drinking causes arthritis, that’s what causes arthritis!

Gambling causes arthritis!

Chasing loose women causes arthritis...”

And only then, too late, “Why did you ask?”

“Because it says right here in the papers that that’s what the Pope has!”

The prayer of the frog. Volume - II

Anthony de Mello

I Dreamed a Dream

I Dreamed a Dream

There was a time, when men were kind

And their voices were soft

And their words were inviting

There was a time, when love was blind

And the world was a song

And the song was exciting

There was a time it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by

When hope was high and life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they turn your hope apart

As they turn your dreams to shame

He slept a summer by my side

He filled my dreams with endless wonder

He took my childhood in his stride

But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'd come to me

That we would live the years together

But there are dreams that cannot be

And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be

So different from the hell I'm living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Les Misérables (musical)

Claude-Michel Schönberg (music)

Alain Boublil (lyrics)

"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the musical Les Misérables. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act.

The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbert Kretzmer, based on the original French libretto by Alain Boublil.

The window cleaner

167

The window cleaner

A woman stepped out of her shower stark naked and was about to reach for her towel when she saw,

to her horror, that there was a man on a scaffolding washing her window and eyeing her appreciatively.

So shocked was she by the unexpected apparition that she stood transfixed to the ground, gaping at the man.

“What’s the matter, lady?” the fellow asked cheerfully

“Have you never seen a window cleaner before?”

The prayer of the frog. Volume – I
Anthony de Mello

The Little Prince

Quotations 

1

The grown-ups' response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside,

and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic, and grammar.

That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter.

I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves,

and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes.

I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.

At a glance, I can distinguish China from Arizona.

If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence.

I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand.

And that hasn't much improved my opinion of them.

2

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted,

I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.

I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.

But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: "That is a hat."

Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.

I would bring myself down to his level.

I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties.

And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

3

I have serious reason to believe that the planet from which the little prince came is the asteroid known as B-612.

This asteroid has only once been seen through the telescope.

That was by a Turkish astronomer, in 1909.

On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration.

But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said.

Grown-ups are like that...

Fortunately, however, for the reputation of Asteroid B-612,

a Turkish dictator made a law that his subjects, under pain of death, should change to European costume.

So in 1920 the astronomer gave his demonstration all over again, dressed with impressive style and elegance.

And this time everybody accepted his report.

4

If I have told you these details about the asteroid, and made a note of its number for you, it is on account of the grown-ups and their ways.

When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters.

They never say to you, "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?"

Instead, they demand: "How old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?"

Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.

If you were to say to the grown-ups:

"I saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,"

they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all.

You would have to say to them: "I saw a house that cost $20,000."

Then they would exclaim: "Oh, what a pretty house that is!"

Just so, you might say to them:

"The proof that the little prince existed is that he was charming, that he laughed, and that he was looking for a sheep.

If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists."

And what good would it do to tell them that?

They would shrug their shoulders, and treat you like a child.

But if you said to them:

"The planet he came from is Asteroid B-612," then they would be convinced, and leave you in peace from their questions.

They are like that. One must not hold it against them.

Children should always show great forbearance toward grown-up people.

5

To forget a friend is sad.

Not everyone has had a friend.

6

Flowers are weak creatures. They are naïve.

They reassure themselves as best they can.

They believe that their thorns are terrible weapons...

The flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years.

For millions of years the sheep have been eating them just the same.

And is it not a matter of consequence to try to understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them?

Is the warfare between the sheep and the flowers not important?

Is this not of more consequence than a fat red-faced gentleman's sums?

And if I know-I, myself- one flower which is unique in the world,

which grows nowhere but on my planet,

but which one little sheep can destroy in a single bite some morning,

without even noticing what he is doing,

Oh! You think that is not important!

7

If someone loves a flower,

of which just one single blossom grows in all the millions and millions of stars,

it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars.

He can say to himself: “Somewhere, my flower is there...”

8

I know a planet where there is a certain red-faced gentleman.

He has never smelled a flower.

He has never looked at a star.

He has never loved any one.

He has never done anything in his life but add up figures.

And all day he says over and over, just like you:

“I am busy with matters of consequence!”

And that makes him swell up with pride.

But he is not a man-he is a mushroom!"

9

I wonder, he said;

whether the stars are set alight in heaven

so that one day each one of us may find his own again.

10

Men?

I think there are six or seven of them in existence.

I saw them, several years ago.

But one never knows where to find them.

The wind blows them away.

They have no roots, and that makes their life very difficult.

11

It is only with the heart that one can see rightly.

What is essential is invisible to the eye.

12

No one is ever satisfied where he is.

13

Men, said the little prince, set out on their way in express trains,

but they do not know what they are looking for.

Then they rush about, and get excited, and turn round and round...

14

Water may also be good for the heart…

15

The men where you live, said the little prince, raise five thousand roses in the same garden...

and they do not find in it what they are looking for...

They do not find it, I replied...

And yet what they are looking for could be found in one single rose, or in a little water...

And the little prince added:

But the eyes are blind.

One must look with the heart…

16

But the eyes are blind.

One must look with the heart…

17

It is just as it is with the flower.

If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night.

All the stars are a-bloom with flowers.

18

And at night you will look up at the stars.

Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found.

It is better, like that.

My star will just be one of the stars, for you.

And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens…

They will all be your friends.

And, besides, I am going to make you a present...

19

All men have the stars, he answered, but they are not the same things for different people.

For some, who are travellers, the stars are guides.

For others they are no more than little lights in the sky.

For others, who are scholars, they are problems.

For my businessman they were wealth.

But all these stars are silent.

You - you alone - will have the stars as no one else has them…

- What are you trying to say?

- In one of the stars I shall be living.

In one of them I shall be laughing.

And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night…

You - only you - will have stars that can laugh!

And he laughed again.

And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me.

You will always be my friend.

You will want to laugh with me.

And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure…

And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky!

Then you will say to them, 'Yes, the stars always make me laugh'!

20

Words are the source of misunderstandings.

Antoine de Saint Exupéry

THE WORLD FAIR OF RELIGIONS

105

THE WORLD FAIR OF RELIGIONS

My friend and I went to the World Fair of Religions.

Not a trade fair.

But the competition was fierce, the propaganda loud.

The handouts at the Jewish Stall said that God was All-Compassionate and the Jews were his Chosen People.

The Jews. No other people were as Chosen as they.

At the Moslem Stall we learnt that God was All-Merciful and Mohammed his only Prophet.

Salvation comes from listening to God’s Prophet.

The message at the Christian Stall was:

God is Love and there is no salvation outside the Church.

Join the Church or risk damnation forever.

On the way out I asked my friend what he thought of God.

He replied, “He’s bigoted fanatical and cruel.”


Back home, I said to God, “How do you put up with this sort of thing?

Don’t you see they have been giving you a bad name for centuries?”

God said, “It wasn’t I who organized the Fair.

In fact, I’d be too ashamed to visit it.”

The song of the bird

Anthony de Mello