Hello and welcome back to another episode of #thecriticaldialogue with your favourite Mullah Naseeruddin.

Late one night as a man was walking back home, he saw Mullah Naseeruddin, down on all fours, frantically searching for something under the streetlight. 

“What have you lost, Mullah?  What is so important that you have to search for it at this hour? 

“I am searching for the key to my treasure chest,” replied the Mullah, with a sense of despair.

“May I help you in your search” asked the passer-by.  “Maybe we can find your key sooner”.

“Thank you, my friend, so caring and kind of you to have offered to help, at this hour,” said the Mullah.

The passer-by joined Mullah in his search. 

It was over an hour now and there was no luck as they did not find the key.

The man finally asked the Mullah “Tell me, can you try and recollect where was the last time you kept the key?”

Naseeruddin pointed towards the darkness and said “Over there, in my house.  I remember to have lost the key inside my house…”

Exasperated and angry the passer-by shouted at Mullah Naseeruddin, “You fool, then why the hell are you searching for the key out here in the street? You should go back and search inside”.

“My friend I am searching under the streetlight as there is more visibility out here than inside my house” replied the Mullah, quite nonchalantly. 

As you see while the story is hilarious, there is so much depth and meaning if you care to reflect.

Most of us are constantly looking for the key to happiness, the key to bliss, the key to freedom, the key to inner peace and tranquillity, the key to love, and the key to God which we seem to have lost.

We are frantically searching for it by attaching ourselves to different concepts, fads, cults and immersing ourselves in different theories just because they are popular and are in the light, out there in the open.

In fact, the right place to look for the key is the place where you have actually lost it, even if there is less light there and it is the only place where you can possibly find it and that is deep within yourself.

What I like about my favourite Mullah Naseeruddin stories is that superficially most of them may be used purely as humor, but inherent in these stories are hidden gems, the depths of which may be understood by anyone who is willing to dive deep and go beyond the obvious.

They can help bring your conscience a little closer to self-realization.

I hope you enjoyed this one.  Please do not forget to like, comment or share.

You could help someone find their lost key.