The Monkey and the Wedge
Once upon a time, a merchant was building a temple on the outskirts of a town. Everyday, the carpenters cut wood and shaped the logs.
At noon, the workers went to town to have their midday meals.
One day, a carpenter was cutting a huge log. He kept a wooden wedge (a sharp piece of wood) between the two halves of the log to crack it open.
He had not finished splitting the log and it was lunchtime. He left the wedge in the log to keep the slit open and went for lunch with the other carpenters.
Nearby, a troop of monkeys were playing on the trees. A curious monkey was watching the carpenter from a tree.
When the carpenters left, the monkey climbed down to explore.
He was fascinated by the half-split log and the wedge stuck tightly inside it. He thought it might be fun to play with.
The monkey sat on the log and began pulling the wedge. The other monkeys warned it, that it might be dangerous. But the monkey did not listen.
He pulled and pulled at the wedge with his little hands and feet. He did not realise that the wedge was keeping the log open.
All of a sudden, the wedge came out………..……..SLAM!!!!!
The two halves of the log closed instantly – the poor monkey’s tail was trapped inside.
The monkey screamed and struggled in pain but could not free himself. He had to suffer until the carpenters returned and finally freed him.
The monkey learnt an important lesson that day:
Think before you act!
Do not interfere in things you do not understand.
Curiosity without knowledge can lead to danger.
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