Page 158 - The Book of Rumi

Three Fish

n a small pond at the foot of a mountain, where the water was as clear as
Ithe fi rst drops of a spring rainfall, there lived three incredibly beautiful fi sh.
They had swum in the pond all their lives and had never been disturbed by
predators, until one day a few men happened to walk by and spotted them.
The men quickly rummaged through their packs trying to fi nd anything
they could use to catch the fi sh. Soon they found an old fi shing net, all tangled
up, among their normally useless bits and bobs. The three fi sh watched the
men as they hurried about their business noisily but didn’t guess their inten-
tion and continued swimming around calmly.
One of the fi sh, however, who was more intelligent than the other two,
became suspicious and thought it best to leave the pond as soon as possible,
without confi ding in his friends. He reasoned that if he shared his intention
with the other two, they’d try to dissuade him, as they were excessively attached
to their home and old ways and might be unwilling to give them up. He had
made up his mind, though, and was prepared to bear the consequences to save
himself from what appeared to be their imminent demise.
Without further delay, the wise fi sh took a leap and braved the fast cur-
rent that flowed out from the pond, following a stream that ultimately poured

into a vast sea, the opposite shore too far distant to be visible. Once he found
himself in the warm waters of the sea, he felt free at last; he could swim end-
lessly without having to circle around time and time again, like in a fi shbowl.
His new life was good, and he was thrilled that he had believed in himself and
taken a chance on the unknown.
Meanwhile, the men continued to untangle their net, preparing to cast it
into the pond. The second fi sh realized that she had wasted precious time and
that her luck might have run out, so she began to conjure up an escape route
as fast as she could. Initially, she blamed herself for not having followed her
wise friend, who was now probably swimming free in the ample sea. Quickly,
though, she stopped herself from dwelling on her mistake, as she knew that
when the past is gone, it’s gone! She could think of no plan of escape other

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