Mullah Nasruddin Books by Ron J. Suresha

The contrary child becomes a man

Nasruddin was contrary as a child, and his parents would always have to use reverse psychology on him to get the lad to do anything right. Meaning that if they told him to go right, he went left. If they wanted him to go forward, they would tell him to turn around and go backward. In this way, his parents managed to get Nasruddin to accomplish his chores without too much fuss.

On his fourteenth birthday, young Nasruddin was accompanying his father as they negotiated a donkey-load of flour back home across the river, when they came to a bridge too small for the donkey to cross.

“By no means lead the ass across the river,” instructed Yousef. “I’m going to walk over the footbridge.” This was a tried-and-true trick to get the boy wet while staying dry.

Sure enough, as his father hoped, Nasruddin took the donkey across the stream near the bridge. Midway across, Nasruddin’s father noticed that the sack of flour was weighted too far on the right of the donkey’s back, and would get wet unless rebalanced promptly.

Nasruddin’s father called out, “Nasruddin, heave up the load on the left.” The boy thought for a moment, then opposite to his usual reaction, he did exactly as he was told, raising the sack on the left, which caused it to slip off the ass and into the rushing water.

“You ridiculous fool, Nasruddin,” his father shouted in utter exasperation, “I have never known you to do as you’re told. Why suddenly did you comply with my directions, which was clearly the opposite of what I meant‽”

Nasruddin replied, “Father, today I turned fourteen and have now in the eyes of society become a rational adult. I just now realized while midstream that I have become a man, and instead of my constant contrariness as an immature child, I decided to obey your specific instructions, in reverse to every contrary way I have done things up to now.”

Excerpted from The Uncommon Sense of the Immortal Mullah Nasruddin: Stories, Jests, and Donkey Tales of the Beloved Persian Folk Hero

Your Daily Nasruddin

Nasruddin’s contrariness as a youngster is a motif behind several stories and jokes. “Contrariness” is in this case another descriptor for “foolishness.” I love the idea of using the modern concept of “reverse psychology” to portray the dynamic in this interaction between Yousef and his contrary child.

It also particularly amusing that Nasruddin got the notion to change his contrary ways abruptly, halfway across the stream and suddenly decided, since he was now an adult, that he should stop his foolish ways.

“Don’t swap horses in the middle of the stream” is a saying that, although much more recent than this Mullah story (it is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln), might just as well apply. If in the middle of your life, you want to change your ways, at least wait until you  get out of the water.