The legend goes, Mulla Naseeruddin was asked why he sat backwards on the donkey. Depending on the place where you heard the story (Turkey, the middle east, central Asia or India), the explanation would vary. Obviously, all the answers would be sardonic, witty and full of wisdom.
Strangely, there is the exact same character in Taoism. Zhang Guo, one of the 8 immortals of Tao always travelled sitting on a white donkey facing backwards. Seems a rather odd idea to be popping up all across the world. Till you think about it.
The explanation that strikes me is that this was probably a simple way used by the ancients to depict the idea that ‘the journey is the reward’. The destination is often your goal, but everything that happens on the way is the payola.
And in deference to this idea, I have changed the tag line of my blog. It is the least I can do to celebrate one of mankind’s most powerful ideas.
The Long Hol 