There
was a popular barber in an Indian village. He was skilled and had many regular
customers. During his work, he used to talk eloquently to entertain and
enlighten his customers. One day a learned preacher visited his saloon. While
cutting the hair, the barber declared that he did not believe that God existed.
The scholar enquired about the reason for his argument. The barber described
the pain, poverty and suffering that people had to endure, everywhere. He
argued that if there was a God, who was loving and mighty, he should have
removed such misery from society.
After
his hair was cut, the scholar came out of the barber-shop. In the street, he
saw a mad man with long and dirty hair and an untrimmed, ugly beard. He
returned to the saloon and told the barber, “Now I am sure that there are no
barbers in this street.” “Why, why do you say that?” he enquired emphatically.
Pointing to the mad man, the scholar explained, “If there was a barber here,
how could that man have such long and dirty hair and untrimmed ugly beard?”
The barber defended
his position, “I am the best barber in this village. There are several barbers
in the other streets. That man is mad and does not come to any one of us to
have a hair-cut. It is not our fault.”
The preacher replied,
“That is quite true. Just like the barbers, God also exists. The problem is
that people like you never search for Him. You refuse to meet Him and seek His
blessings. That is why you find so many in sorrow and suffering.” The atheist
could not argue further.
.....................................................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu, Former
Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John,
Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507,
Kerala, India.
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