Ten Chinese farmers were working in a field, when suddenly the sky darkened. There was thunder and lightning. It began to rain heavily. The farmers, holding on tightly to their large straw hats, ran for shelter to the ruins of a temple nearby. Lightning flashed again and again and the thunder shook the walls of the temple.
“The gods are angry with us,” said one of the men, his voice shaking in fear. “Why?” asked another.
“Obviously, there’s a big sinner amongst us!” a third voice said with apparent panic. “We must find him and throw him out, lest we all perish!” “I have an idea,” said one. “Let us all hold our hats outside the window. Let the gods show us the sinner.”
So they all thrust their hats outside the window. Immediately a lightning cracked and instantaneously one of the hats was reduced to ashes. The owner of the hat was a quite, middle-aged man who had not uttered a word till then. Now he began to plead with his companions to protect him.
“I’ve a wife and three children and aged parents to support,” he said. “What will happen to them if I die?” But the others were merciless.
“Out, out with you!” they shouted and lifting him, they threw him out of the temple. The man scrambled to his feet and ran as fast as he could to the shelter of a tree some distance away. Hardly had he reached the tree, when a lightning struck the temple, which collapsed, killing all nine men inside.
Till then they had been protected by the presence of the only good man amongst them. God alone knows how often we are spared due to the goodness of others, whom we make scapegoats.
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