Smile, Please

Mr. Basir had a cow. One day, he called his guard. He asked him to teach his cow to read. If he could not, he would punish him. His guard had no choice. He accepted the cow at the palm tree behind his house.

In the next morning, he went to the backyard with a rattan stick. He hit the animal again and again. He kept hitting it while saying, You, Basir, or I”. He did it every morning.

One day Mr. Basir called him. He asked him, “Why didn’t you give me a report on your duty?” “I’m so sorry, Sir. I was so busy teaching the cow to read that I forgot to report,” answer the guard.

“Why did you only say three words to it, you, Basir or I?” asked Mr. Basir.

“You, first possibility that the cow was wrong. It was too foolish. The second possibility was Mr. Basir was wrong. You knew that animal can not read. The third possibility, I was wrog because I could not teach animal to read,” answer the guard. “You were right. I take my order back. You can have the cow. You can sell it, keep it, or slaughter it, but don’t hit it,” said Mr. Basir.

Source: Abunawas & His Impossible Missions, Sugeng Hariyanto, Kanisius 2001