Time can take away even Enlightenment || On 'The Wise King' by Khalil Gibran (2018)

The Wise King

Once there ruled in the distant city of Wirani, a king who was both mighty and wise. And he was feared for his might and loved for his wisdom. Now, in the heart of that city was a well, whose water was cool and crystalline, from which all the inhabitants drank, even the king and his courtiers; for there was no other well. One night when all were asleep, a witch entered the city, and poured seven drops of strange liquid into the well, and said, “From this hour he who drinks this water shall become mad.” Next morning all the inhabitants, save the king and his Lord Chamberlain, drank from the well and became mad, even as the witch had foretold. And during that day the people in the narrow streets and in the market did naught but whisper to one another, “The king is mad. Our king and his Lord Chamberlain have lost their reason. Surely we cannot be ruled by a mad king. We must dethrone him.” That evening the king ordered a golden goblet to be filled from the well. And when it was brought to him he drank deeply, and gave it to his Lord Chamberlain to drink. And there was great rejoicing in the distant city of Wirani, because its King and its Lord Chamberlain had regained their reason.

~ Khalil Gibran

Questioner: Acharya Ji, is enlightenment permanent?

Acharya Prashant: This is rather a triumph of unreason and mobocracy. This is rather a commentary on how majoritarianism trumps wisdom. And it has a very, very important lesson to deliver. Even your wisdom requires a supporting and nourishing ecosystem. You cannot be wise in isolation if there is great foolishness in your surroundings, environment, and ecosystem. This story is a lesson for all those who say that, “We do not bother about how the world is doing, how the society is doing, how our family is doing. We would like to be like the lone star twinkling in the dark sky.”