An old man and his wife lived a little far from the village.
An old man and his wife lived a little far from the village.
An old man and his wife lived a little far from the village. They had a small field and made their living from it. They also had a donkey. Every morning and evening, they passed by a neighboring village on their way to and from the field — twice a day.In that neighboring village, there lived an idle, good-for-nothing man.
During the day he sat at the roadside, and in the evening on the rooftop. He watched everyone who came and went, and criticized them all.One day, as the old couple passed by with their donkey, the idle man saw them and said:
“Look at these fools! They have a donkey but they don’t ride it. With all their old age, they still walk to their field on foot.”In the evening, on their way back, the old man was very tired, so he rode the donkey while his wife walked. The idle man saw them and shouted:
“Look at this cruel old man! He rides the donkey comfortably while his poor wife walks. He has no shame at all!”The next day, the old woman was a bit sick, but they still had to go to the field. This time the wife rode the donkey and the old man walked. The idle man saw them and said:
“Look at this foolish old man! He lets his wife ride the donkey while he walks himself. He just wants to please her and enjoys her comfort!”In the evening, when they returned from the field, both the old man and the old woman were exhausted. So both of them rode the donkey together. Once again, the idle man saw them and criticized:
“Look at these two cruel people! They have no mercy even for this poor, weak-backed donkey. Both of them are riding it together and breaking its back. They have no shame!”Moral / Conclusion (in English):The people who constantly criticize the Freedom Movement (or any effort) from afar — sitting comfortably with full stomachs and loose tongues — are exactly like this idle, useless man. They see everything, criticize everything, but do nothing themselves. They think criticizing is their natural right, yet in the end, their words only serve the enemy.
Related Kurdish proverb in English: “He who speaks and acts is a man; he who acts without speaking is a lion; he who speaks but does not act is a useless donkey!”