Short story: The wisdom of a drunkard
@innertalks (21903)
Australia
November 19, 2022 1:00am CST
In the town, of Fretland, lived the town drunk.
Whenever he got drunk, he would walk into the city square, put a footstool up there, stand up upon it, and talk.
Surprisingly, what he said often made a lot of sense, so much so, that a local writer wrote down what he had been saying, over a lengthy period of time, and published the writings in a book.
He gave the takings from this book to the drunk, who got more drunk, and so he began to talk more then too.
His words were then immortalised in writing, and he became famous all over the world.
The drunk one day died, and so the writer had no more material for his books.
He wrote one of his own, which never sold even one copy, as the people wanted to get drunk on the drunkard's words of wisdom.
Life purpose comes from not yourself, but from your soul, which has its own purpose as given to it by God, and until you are also working for this purpose, you will feel lost in this world.
The drunk was not lost, as his soul was giving its message through him to the world, and the writer was ensuring that the words were not forgotten too.
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
Behind every drunk is another soul trying to emerge.
"A man's true character comes out when he's drunk."
Charlie Chaplin, (1889 to 1977) an English comedian, said this.
7 people like this
6 responses
@aninditasen (16377)
• Raurkela, India
19 Nov 22
That's true and he speaks the harsh truth of life. Of some just scream which I see the tribals do here.
3 people like this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
@aninditasen Yes, before judging another, we should try walking a mile in their shoes, to understand better why they are like they are.
@aninditasen (16377)
• Raurkela, India
21 Nov 22
@innertalks Hard times brings in the desire to go the wrong way. It's not easy to stay upright when out of job.
2 people like this
@aninditasen (16377)
• Raurkela, India
20 Nov 22
@innertalks True sometimes hard times pushes a person to addiction.
3 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
20 Nov 22
A powerful post here to remind us not to judge others by appearances. Another reminder also to pause before you tell someone, I know how you feel. There is no way to know how another one feels. You must experience the exact same things in life before you will know. And then you never really know. I usually just say, I know how I felt when I was in a similar situation, and I am sorry for you.
3 people like this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
@CarolDM Thanks. Yes, as you have said, in a similar way, nobody else can ever exactly fit into our shoes, and feel the pinch of our shoes on our lives, in quite the same way.
They can try to walk a mile with us, but their experience of the mile will always remain different than ours.
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
Yes, thanks, and as I said to someone else below, wisdom can be found in the most unlikeliest of places, and if we overlook some of these places, because of our prejudices about the source, or the place, we might miss out on receiving a lot of wisdom, because we have shunned it away from ourselves.
What you say is a very thoughtful response, and empathises well with the person too, without lauding it over them with your own experiences.
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
20 Nov 22
@innertalks So very true. Many people will miss out because of these prejudices in life. Very sad.
As for in my life, I know how it feels to be told over and over that others know how I feel. There is no way. Many say things in a good way but it does not help my feelings. Thank you for these stories you share.
3 people like this
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
19 Nov 22
So what did the writer do, get drunk himself and start spouting wisdom that was recorded by another?
3 people like this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
The article was written a bit tongue in cheek, to show that wisdom can sometimes be found in the most unlikeliest of places.
Who knows what the real story is behind the appearance?
Perhaps the drunk was once a professor of philosophy, and came upon hard times, when he lost his wife and family in a car crash, and he survived.
@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
20 Nov 22
@innertalks Maybe the guy in the picture WAS the writer who met another drunkard!
3 people like this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
@mythociate Yes, I picked the picture because he looked like a drunkard. Yes, maybe the writer and the drunkard were drinking from the same bottle.
I hope the other drunkard was not myself, who wrote this story about drunkards.
Was I also tippy, as I wrote?
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (89831)
• Arvada, Colorado
19 Dec 22
Personally, I have only known vicious, often violent, nasty drunks.
And I would not care what wisdom they were saying
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89831)
• Arvada, Colorado
19 Dec 22
@innertalks There are many taken by the darkness..sad.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
19 Dec 22
Even behind the bad drunks, hopefully, they still have some type of a good heart hidden behind the drunkennesss, if they can ever contact it again.
Nobody is totally bad, nobody is totally devoid of wisdom.
That said, I would not like to meet a nasty, violent, vicious drunk, either!
@Shiva49 (26661)
• Singapore
19 Nov 22
A drunk loses inhibitions and the soul speaks as the mind goes behind the scene.
This drunkard is drunk with wisdom too which resonates and touches the hearts of the public.
I heard some great works were inspired when the author was not sober!
And some had substance abuse issues that triggered them to think out of the box.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (21903)
• Australia
20 Nov 22
@Shiva49 I would not think that a drunkard could get too far playing a game of chess, but I do remember one guy, who could play well even drunk, and who always won My Uncle's Chess Christmas party competition, while drunk, at his chess club, in the Railways.
But after all, he was the former New Zealand chess champion, who had fallen on sad times, when his wife left him.
Previously he had been an esteemed accountant too.
Now he lived under the bridge in Melbourne, and my Uncle used to go and clean him up, and bring him to his Christmas party, each year, to give him at least a good Christmas cheer, and a hearty meal too.
@Shiva49 (26661)
• Singapore
21 Nov 22
@innertalks That was indeed a nice gesture on the part of your uncle.
Some rise to the occasion that way to keep the fire of hope and kindness burning.
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (26661)
• Singapore
20 Nov 22
@innertalks Maybe periods of drunkenness and being sober could bring out the best in some.
Being disciplined is the key to producing great work.
But then a few can get carried away after initial success which then proves a flash in the pan.
Some sportsmen are victims that way while a few are steadfast like Bradman, and Tendulkar.
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