Here is a short story on "Keeping quiet ".
Long time ago, there was a King who had floppy ears shaped just like the ears of a donkey. The King was very embarrassed about his ears and always covered them up when he was in public so that the people of the village would never be allowed to discover his secret. The only person who ever saw the King’s ears was his hairdresser.
The King often warned the hairdresser, ‘You must promise never to tell anyone that I have ears shaped like a donkey or I will send my guards to your house and they will take you away to my prison where you shall remain for the rest of your life.’
The hairdresser found it very hard to keep this secret because he wanted to tell all of the villagers about the King’s ears, but he always remembered the King’s warning and so kept the secret to himself for many years.
But one morning, the hairdresser woke up and knew that he could keep the secret to himself no longer. He got dressed and left his house and walked out of the village into the countryside where he was sure that he was all alone. Then he found a patch of flat grass and began to dig with his hands.
Eventually the hairdresser made a very deep hole, and when he was satisfied with his work he leaned over into the hole and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘The King has ears shaped like a donkey! The King has ears shaped like a donkey!’
Telling the secret
Once he had shouted out the King’s secret, the hairdresser felt much better. Then he covered over the hole with earth and grass and returned to his home, reassuring himself that he had not really betrayed the King’s trust.
Many years later, there was a school built next to the hole, and a playground built around the hole where the children would play when they were not in class.
One day, when all of the children were playing in the playground, a young boy discovered the hole hidden beneath the grass and earth. The boy quickly cleared the earth away and all of a sudden a loud voice escaped from the hole up into the air for all the children to hear... ‘The King has ears shaped like a donkey! The King has ears shaped like a donkey!’
The children were very surprised to hear the hairdresser’s voice fill the air, and they giggled and laughed about the secret of the King’s ears. When they got home that day, the children told the secret to their parents. Then the parents told the secret to the rest of their family. Then each family told the secret to all of their friends. ‘The King has ears shaped like a donkey,’ they laughed to one another.
Very soon the whole village knew about the King’s ears and they all giggled and laughed because they now knew why the King always covered up his head whenever he was out in public.
Well, it did not take very long at all before the King realised that everybody knew his secret and he was very embarrassed and very angry. The King remembered that only one man knew about his donkey shaped ears and so he sent his guards to the hairdresser’s house. The guards took a hold of the hairdresser and dragged him back to the palace and threw the man into the prison where he was told he would spend the rest of his life.
The hairdresser pleaded with the King to let him go, but the King said to the hairdresser, ‘You promised me that you would not share my secret but you could not keep it to yourself. I trusted you and you betrayed me. For this you will spend the rest of your life in prison and you will learn that it is always important to keep your promises to others and not to share secrets.’
And so the hairdresser remained in prison for the rest of his life and always regretted sharing the King’s secret when he had promised not to do so.
Here is a summary of a poem that reveals importance of Keeping quiet :-
Pablo Neruda is a Nobel prize winner . He was from Chile. Keeping Quiet’ is a poem by him in Spanish. It is a deceptively simple poem about the need for a little bit of soul-searching which may help us make peace with ourselves and others. It tells us how a moment of silent introspection will make us realise the utter futility of our aggressive endeavours.
The poem opens in an arresting dramatic way. The poet introduces a game of hide and seek, but it is a reversed one. The players would all count to twelve and then keep still in silence for one second. They would stop all their babbling tongues and moving arms. Instead of searching outside, they would look inside and do some introspection. It would be an exotic moment that takes us back to the days before the Tower of Babel. They would all be speaking the same language – silence. They would all be together in a sudden strangeness.
For a moment everyone would stop the daily game of hide and seek; the mad pursuit, the rat race, the greed that destroys oneself and the others. Those who prepare new wars will realise the futility of victory with no survivors. In that moment of realisation war mongers will shed off their blood-stained clothes and begin to walk about with their brothers in the shade.
But the poet reminds us that he is not speaking about death. He is not speaking about total inactivity either. It is all about life and action. If we could stop for one moment, we may be able to interrupt the sadness of never understanding ourselves and others. We may be able to stop threatening ourselves with death. Just a moment of inactivity, introspection, and silence may prove to be the greatest act towards enjoying life to its fullest extent. Perhaps the earth can teach us how the seeds of life remain cold and dormant for a while, only to sprout up with joyous vigour again.
Having given the instructions for the game, the poet now says that it’s time to begin:
“Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.”
Analysis of the poem: ‘Keeping Quiet’ leaves a message of universal brotherhood and peace. It urges the readers to stop all sorts of aggression, including those towards the environment. If we think of ourselves as the hands of the clock on the face of this earth, moving in our routine ways, won’t it be a good thing to stop at twelve and do some introspection? Surprisingly, the differences of the three hands will fade away and I, you, and nature will become one.
The poet compares the single-minded pursuit of human beings to the routine movements of the hands of a clock. Double meanings and paradoxes abound in the poem. The face of the earth becomes the face of the clock. ‘Not move our arms so much’ refers at the same time to human arms, the hands of a clock, and to weapons. ‘Green wars’ denote new wars and biological weapons. ‘Shade’ may refer to peace and ‘underprivileged or black’. ‘I will go’ at the end of the poem also refers to ‘I’, the ego, that will vanish at the moment of true awareness.
It isn't God only keeps one waits, life too keeps one waits. Man has to learn to keep quiet. Often keep quiet bears fruit. Keeping quiet isn't damn easy at all. There are a number of complexities in it.What all feelings it arises it couldn't be said .
Many conclusions could be drawn on it.Often,it is considered as one's weakness too.It is many a times agreeing to their guilt,fault also. Life is strange, sometimes man repents for not having kept quiet & sometimes repents for being keeping quiet too.When house is burning one can't keep quiet & be a silent spectator at all.When necessary one should keep quiet & unnecessarily one shouldn't keep quiet at all.Keeping quiet is sometimes an offence too.When one keeps quiet it's mind works more than body.Keeping quiet is a study.More & more one keeps quiet, patience develops leaps & bounds. What's more appreciated always isn't one done with fun fare, but what's done keeping quiet.
Some are so active they don't know how to keep quiet at all.Sometimes life is so fast that it doesn't allow one keep quiet at all.As such "Keeping quiet" these two words carry much weight day by day.They carry much significance. In life man comes across daily situations one after another.It's impossible to respond to all of them.It's better he keeps quiet to the majority of them.It's how to face life also.When to keep quiet,when not to keep quiet always needs intelligence. When man is angry or disturbed it's better he keeps quiet. It's the best option.Keeping others quiet is a tactics .In short ,keeping quiet is often a drama that situations in life demand. Nothing could be done without His blessings, confidence & patience. Keeping quiet too needs them invariably. Keeping quiet is an art. The great thing is to know when to speak & when to keep quiet.One of the tactics of notorious is to do all sorts of mischief & trouble and keep quiet as if they are innocent.
Silence isn't when one keeps quiet, it's when all keep quiet.The scene when everything is quiet & when everything isn't quiet isn't same either in life or in the world at all.If all keeps quiet who is to bell the cat ? When all keep quiet. Things don't move.There's no liveliness or enthusiasm all around too.Keeping quiet can be of shorter duration or longer duration too.
As long as conscious says "He is doing good " man needn't keep quiet at all. Keeping quiet is a discipline that's needed in everyone's life. Not only children,but also man,woman,rich,poor, educated & uneducated must understand & follow it in their day to day life.In classrooms, teacher wants pupils to keep quiet so that he could carry on lessons & pupils could learn lessons.One of the punishments often given to them is to keep quiet with mouth shut with a finger. Why rural places are more liked than urban places. Is it not quietness? Why no horn boards in school zones.Is it not to keep them quite?We can keep quiet but it isn't easy often to keep others quiet. In fact,its impossible many a times.Whether it is singing the national anthem or cremation wherever honour & respect are to be shown people keep quiet. Keep quiet is a mark of respect.
Newton's third law of motion says ' Every action has equal & an opposite reaction 'This applies to life of a man also. Man too cannot keep quiet.Tit for tat would be there in his life too.In life one shouldn't hesitate or keep quiet at any time to say that's lawful & reasonable.Keeping quiet is good only sometimes & it is bad many times.Its always better to keep quiet than commenting. Commenting spoils a relationship.These days keeping quiet is becoming lucrative day by day. It is one of the reasons for increase of corruption world over too. Bribes are being given for keeping quiet.Keeping quiet isn't the mere holding of the tongue. It's by holding of actions too.In order to keep quiet, man must have control over , mind, tongue, ears, & eyes . It isn't easy at all. Many a time keeping quiet is compulsion in life.It's often far better than worrying, arguing, revenging & grumbling. It isn't a waste of time. It unfolds many a lessons. Purpose, purposes of keeping quiet can be one or several. Keeping quiet can also be an attention grabbing move.It enables to study others too.
Keeping quiet depends upon nature of man. Strength prompts man do good or bad. Otherwise he keeps quiet.If one keeps quiet doesn't mean they don't commit mistakes at all.If one always keeps quiet,they won't learn anything.Many conclusions could be drawn on one's keeping quiet.In world some are for it & some are against it. Matt Lucas says' Keep yourself busy if you want to avoid depression. For me inactivity is the enemy ."Always after much thought only one should decide whether to keep quiet or not, it is sometimes advantageous & sometimes disadvantageous. Many keep quiet because if they open mouth their true colours would be known. One who has no guts often keeps quiet. There's a saying in Kannada language according to it those who keep quiet aren't believable & dangerous.In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar , looking at quiet Cassius Caesar says to Brutus "Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much: such men are dangerous."
There are many ways of keeping quiet. Keeping quiet does many a times wonders.When one shuts & open their eyes what all happens,that being the case what won't happen if one keeps quiet.One needn't do anything if one keeps quiet sometimes solutions are found automatically many a times. Many things don't move if a man doesn't keep quiet at all also. One pats his own back if they win over a situation by keeping quiet. Otherwise, they have a lifeless face. Keeping quiet is eyes & ears open not taking any step. It doesn't mean things do not move at all. Other movements could be likely there.It is one of the ways of buying peace.It's often to win over a situation in life.It's many a times is to mislead or fooling others. Sometimes it's for recouping. Sometimes, it's to see fun & enjoy.Meditation is an useful way of keeping quiet. It's during keeping quiet often mind's eye opens & man understands many things.Keeping quiet is most essential when something good is taking place. While keeping quiet only man would have many a times plans hatched & recollections too It has a limit too.Many a times what is needed is action & not keeping quiet.
Here is story of Griselda in brief who was rewarded for keeping quiet.
Gualtieri, the Marquis of Saluzzo, spent so much time at hunting and other sports that he gave no thought about marrying and establishing a family. His friends and subjects, fearing that old age would overtake him before he acquired an heir, pressured him to take a wife. Finally, more to silence his critics than to satisfy any desire that he might have for matrimony, he resolved to court a beautiful, but poor young woman from a neighbouring village. Her family's low station in life would spite those who had so urgently insisted that he marry, and her beauty, he thought, would make living with her at least bearable.
Gualtieri informed Griselda -- that was the young woman's name -- of his intention to marry her, and asked her if she would accept him as a husband, to love, honor, and obey, for better or for worse, and never criticize him nor question his authority. She readily agreed, and their wedding was celebrated forthwith.
Griselda appeared to be a worthy addition to Gualtieri's noble household, but the marquis, unsure of the depth of her character, decided to test her loyalty and her patience. Thus, soon after the birth of their first child -- it was a beautiful girl -- he informed her that his subjects were unhappy with the child and that it was to be put to death. Without hesitation she acceded to her husband's demands and surrendered the child. However, instead of killing the baby girl, Gualtieri had her spirited away and tended in a secret place.
Some time later Griselda gave birth to a son, and her husband, intent on carrying his test still further, berated her and insisted that her child be put to death. She again yielded to his demands without complaint, and as before, he took the child to a secret place where he was well cared for.
Still unsatisfied, Gualtieri devised a final test. He publicly denounced Griselda, claiming that the pope had granted him dispensation to divorce her and to take a more deserving wife. Griselda, wearing only a shift, was sent back to her father. All these indignities she bore without complaint.
As the day approached when Gualtieri, as it was supposed, was to take a new bride, he asked Griselda to return to his palace, for no one knew better how to prepare for guests than did she. Griselda returned to her former residence, now as a cleaning woman and servant, to make preparations for her former husband's wedding.
Gualtieri had his and Griselda's daughter, who was now twelve years old, dressed in bridal clothes, and he presented her to Griselda, who could not have known that this was her own child. "What do you think of my new bride?" he asked.
Griselda replied without guile, "If her wisdom matches her beauty, then the two of you will be very happy together."
At last recognizing Griselda's sincerity, faithfulness, and patience, Gualtieri revealed to her the trials that he had devised to test her loyalty. With tears of joy, she received her children and once again assumed her position as Gualtieri's ever patient and obedient wife.