Dog Community

The Mouse ... or my theory on life in general

Posted : 3/26/2007 5:26:18 PM

My Dad got his first internet connection/computer at the age of 83, and I've had a blast taking our relationship (over 1500 miles) to a new level. I got this from Pa today, and since its point honestly expresses much of how I view life generally I thot I'd share.

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[blockquote]What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered -
he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning : There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, " Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern
to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose." So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap -alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital , and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock.
To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

Moral:

The next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember -- when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

Send this to folks who have helped *you* out, and let them know you appreciate them.

REMEMBER... EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY;

OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend .
[/blockquote]

cakana

Posted : 3/26/2007 6:10:39 PM

What a great little story with a very meaningful message. Thanks for sharing Callie (and thank your dad too) [

]

Xerxes

Posted : 3/26/2007 6:35:12 PM

That was awesome, thanks for sharing it!

Michelle

Posted : 3/26/2007 6:49:37 PM

That's one I'd never heard before, I like that. Thanks for sharing, and tell your dad to join I-dog!

boneyjean

Posted : 3/26/2007 8:59:15 PM

What a great story! Sometimes our parents who we are unsuspecting of come up with the greatest things when we least expect them!

badrap

Posted : 3/26/2007 10:43:57 PM

what a great little story! thanks!

cairnterriers

Posted : 3/26/2007 11:11:29 PM

Thanks for sharing that! What a nice message, too!

Raja19

Posted : 3/27/2007 12:17:52 AM

I've never heard that before. It was great though! Thanks for sharing

Sketchy

Posted : 3/27/2007 10:24:07 AM

How could a cow, pig or chicken have removed or otherwise made harmless a mousetrap inside of a house, anyway? [&:]

Sorry, I always have to ruin these. [

] Lovely moral, at least.

Trooper

Posted : 3/27/2007 11:21:02 AM

What a great story, makes you think twice about brushing people off.

jeano

Posted : 3/27/2007 12:15:37 PM

Good one, Callie! Thank your dad for us!

jennie_c_d

Posted : 3/27/2007 7:06:11 PM

I love that!

calliecritturs

Posted : 3/27/2007 7:57:28 PM

Sketchy -- the point is if everyone is aware a danger exists sometimes more than one mind can a) find an answer and b) be cautious that the danger that may seem innocuous doesn't touch them.

The problem wasn't the trap -- but no one was looking for the snake. Had they all been looking out for each other the cow could have stepped on the snake after the chicken sounded a warning and the big bumped into the cow to get her to step backwards onto the snake.

Then all the animals could have warned other rodents that the trap existed so no one would have gotten hurt.

That's the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning Sketchy -- if you wind yourself "logically" down to only ONE answer without any creative thought then everyone else DOES sound dumb to you and you never expand your horizons.

"Caring" is often not logical Sketchy -- but it often builds community and helps the "whole" in many ways. (and even someone hanging out on a dogboard who doesn't have a dog yet can benefit and 'grow'!! right??? *wink*)

calliecritturs

Posted : 3/27/2007 8:09:39 PM

P.S. -- I was talking with Pa tonight on the phone and told him I'd posted, and I invited him to stop and take a look. He told me that everyone HE sent it to, he cleaned up and deleted all the zillion addresses in the 'forward' to make it easier for everyone to read. *sigh* Yep, that's MY Pa!! (and it sounds like something *I* would do!! *grin*)

I'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished on the computer I could just burst. I hope when I achieve his age (and hopefully his wisdom) that I remain as teachable and eager to learn new stuff as he's been. I was just thinking tonight how much FUN it has been to be able to share the computer with him. It reminds me of when I was a little kid and I'd hang out in his woodshop to "do things with Pa".

But he passed The Mouse on to ME because it's part of his philosphy of life too -- that if we stay interested in each other, and trying to 'help' each other (even if logically it might seem a waste of time), then it's never a waste to help someone out.