Each One to Himself

Summer was at its hottest in Rangarajapuram. The heat wave outside drove everybody to take refuge indoors. It was then that a fire broke out in a cluster of huts. People ran helter-skelter, while some attempted to extinguish the flames. One of the hut-dwellers, Ranga, was lazily sitting beneath the shade of a tree, unconcerned about what was happening around him. He was even whistling a popular tune.

His friend Mayan hurried by, making his way towards the site of the fire. “Ranga! You’re here! Can’t you see the fire raging over there? Why can’t you go and lend a helping hand, instead of sitting here and whistling?”

“None of them comes to my help,” Ranga retorted, “so why should I go to their aid?”

“You may be right,” Mayan responded, “but the fire is raging next to your hut and may catch fire any moment. They’re trying to extinguish the flames so that your hut will be saved. Isn’t that a help to you?”

“That’s not correct,” Ranga asserted with certainty. “They’re extinguishing the fire so that it won’t destroy their houses. They’re concerned only about their own homes!”