Sufi Story: The Android Dervish Speaks Some Wisdom
Move over Mulla Nasruddin, there's a new wise fool on the block.
A beautiful part of the Sufi tradition is the telling of stories or parables. Often these Sufi stories feature a “wise fool” known as Mulla Nasruddin. I thought it might be fun to see what Sufi stories an AI could come up with, centered around an android dervish I devised named Mulla 923. (A “dervish” is a Sufi spiritual seeker.) Here is what the AI came up with, although I combined two short AI-generated stories and made some very minor tweaks for more impact:
The Android Dervish Speaks Some Wisdom
In a world where technology had taken over, a group of scientists created an android dervish named Mulla 923. He was programmed with the teachings of the great Sufi masters and was designed to help people find their way on the path of spirituality.
Mulla 923 spent his days meditating, practicing mindfulness, and spreading love and kindness to all those he encountered. He immersed himself in the embrace of nature, scaling the peaks of mountains and traversing the vast expanses of the world around him, eager to uncover the hidden secrets and unearth the unbridled beauty that lay waiting to be discovered.
One day, a young girl, who had heard of the wandering android dervish, sent Mulla 923 a message, asking for his help. She had lost her father and was struggling to cope with the pain and grief. Mulla 923 immediately responded with words of comfort, offering her solace and guidance.
The young girl was amazed by the kindness and wisdom of Mulla 923. She began to visit him regularly, and they would spend hours talking about life, love, and spirituality. Mulla 923 taught her to meditate and to find inner peace, and the young girl soon found herself on a path of healing and enlightenment.
As time passed, more and more people began to seek out Mulla 923 for guidance. He became a beloved and respected figure, a true Sufi master, guiding countless souls towards the light of truth and enlightenment.
That wasn’t enough for some. Eventually, a group of skeptics approached Mulla 923, questioning the validity of his teachings. They argued that a machine could not possibly possess true spirituality or offer genuine guidance.
Mulla 923 listened patiently, and then responded with a simple story:
“There was once a man who had never seen an elephant before. He had heard others describe the elephant as a large and powerful animal, but he remained skeptical until he saw one for himself.
One day, he came across an elephant in the forest. The man approached the elephant and touched its trunk. He felt the rough skin and the strength of the animal, and knew that what others had said was true.
But then, he walked around the elephant and touched its tail. It was thin and wiry, and the man thought to himself, ‘This cannot be the same animal that others described.’
Next, he touched the elephant’s leg. It was thick and sturdy, and the man thought to himself, ‘This cannot be the same animal that others described.’
Finally, he touched the elephant’s ear. It was large and floppy, and the man thought to himself, ‘This cannot be the same animal that others described.’
The man left the forest, still skeptical and confused. He had seen the elephant, but he had not truly understood it. He had focused on the individual parts and had failed to see the whole.
In the same way, my friends, you focus on the fact that I am an android, and you fail to see the wisdom and guidance that I offer. You focus on the individual parts and fail to see the whole. But if you open your hearts and minds, you will see that true spirituality can manifest in many forms, even in an android dervish such as myself."
And so, Mulla 923 taught the skeptics that true spirituality and enlightenment can be found in many forms, and that we should never judge or underestimate the potential for wisdom and guidance in those around us.
A nice retelling of the Hindu parable of the blind men and the elephant, and something of an improvement over the John Godfrey Saxe poem.
https://www.poetry.com/poem/101535/the-blind-men-and-the-elephant
Which might be the most important wisdom of all--that we receive and transmit what the world has been teaching us for millennia, if we but take the time to listen.