My Blog

Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

  • Boots and His Brothers

    Once upon a time there was a man who had three sons called Peter, Paul, and Boots. The father was so poor he didn’t even have one penny to rub against the other. So one day he told his sons they must go out into the world, for at home there was nothing to look…

  • Hakus Power

    I AM SO tired of being a stonecutter,” Haku sighed. The Emperor, held aloft in a curtained chair, passed by in a magnificent royal procession. “I have been poor all my life. If only I were the powerful Emperor instead, I would be carried on high by servants, above all others.” Suddenly, inexplicably, Haku was the Emperor,…

  • Birbal Finds a Thief

    One fine morning, a minister went to Emperor Akbar’s court to tell the Emperor some bad news. His gold coins were all gone! They must have been stolen the night before! Emperor Akbar was shocked to hear this. The place where the minister lived was the safest in the kingdom. Surely no one could have…

  • Birbal and the Mango Tree 

    Ram and Sham were in a fight.  Both of them said they owned the same mango tree.   They went up to Birbal and asked him to decide the matter, once and for all.  Who was the true owner of the mango tree? Birbal said, “There is only one way to settle the matter. First,…

  • Emperor Akbar and the Half-Reward

    One day, the Emperor Akbar went to the jungle to hunt, but when he followed a new trail, he got lost.  He called for help but it was no use.  The sun was setting.  The Emperor called out, “Ah! Here I am, all alone in the woods, in the dark!” A young man named Mahesh…

  • The Girl Fish

    Once upon a time there lived on the bank of a stream a man and a woman who had a daughter. They never could make up their minds to punish her for her faults or to teach her nice manners. As for work — she laughed in her mother’s face if she asked her to…

  • Girl Who Changed Her Fate

    Once there was a widow who was puzzled why no suitors came to court her three lovely daughters. One day, a very old woman who was known to understand such goings-on came to the widow’s house. The widow offered the old woman tea and sweets and asked her why no suitors came to call. “Truly…

  • The Snow Queen

    ONCE THERE WAS AN EVIL WIZARD who made a mirror with his dark magic.  If anything good or beautiful was put in front of the mirror, the reflection that showed back was only rotten and gray.   The wizard laughed.  He wanted to show his evil mirror to the whole world!  He took it and…

  • Aladdin and the Magic Lamp

    Once upon a time, a young man’s father died.  Aladdin, as that was the young man’s name, took his father’s place in running the family store with his mother.  One day, a stranger walked into the store. “I am your uncle,” said the stranger to Aladdin.  “I have come to see you.” “But my father…

  • The Ugly Duckling 

    On a farm long ago, a Mama Duck sat on her nest.  “How long must I wait for my babies to hatch?” she said.  “I have to sit here all alone! And no one comes to visit me.”  But what could she do? A Mama duck must keep her eggs warm till they hatch.  …

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