Water from Stones: Conflict-Resolution through Gentleness

and so he approached some people of his community and instigated them against the Muslim man. Soon, an angry crowd gathered outside the Muslim man’s house, making a great hue and cry. The Muslim man stepped out of his house, aware that the crowd was bent on creating trouble for him. He knew that if he got even slightly provoked, the crowd could easily kill him and burn down his house. Addressing the men, he said: “Who is your representative? Please come forward so that we can talk.” Four or five leader-like men stepped out. The Muslim took them into his office. When they had comfortably sat down, he said to them, “This is a very small issue, and it can very easily be solved. As you know, the rightful ownership of a property is indicated in the official documents. By examining the relevant papers, you can find out who the rightful owner of any bit of land is. I will hand over my documents to you, and you can also take the contractor’s documents. Please examine both sets of documents, and after that I would be ready to accept whatever decision you arrive at.” On hearing the Muslim man speak like this, the leaders of the crowd suddenly completely forgot their anger. “This is a very reasonable man!” they remarked in surprise. “He has allowed us to decide the issue on our own!” The men spent the next few days examining the documents. Finally, they decided in favour of the Muslim. These men were, to begin with, like rocks, but when they were pressed, as it were, by the Muslim man’s noble behaviour, drops of water then began dripping from the ‘rocks’! A psychologist very rightly remarks, “When one’s ego is provoked, it turns into super-ego, and the result is breakdown.” The fact is that there is a ‘devil’ inside every human being. Ordinarily, this ‘devil’ lies fast asleep. Your intelligence lies in letting this ‘devil’ in others remain sleeping. If, however