Danger Has No Favorites

A lady brought her small son to the Mulla’s school. He is very badly behaved, she explained, and I want you to frighten him.

The Mulla assumed a threatening posture, eyes flaming and face working. He jumped up and down, and suddenly ran out of the building. The woman fainted. When she had come to, she waited for the Mulla, who returned slowly and gravely.

I asked you to frighten the boy, not me!

Dear Madam, said the Mulla, did you not see how afraid I was of myself as well? When danger threatens, it threatens all alike.

This spiritual story is from the book The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin by Idries Shah.