We Are All in This Together

There was once a mouse who made his home inside a farmer’s house. He lived quietly in a small burrow and kept a close eye on everything happening around him. One day, while sneaking around the kitchen, he saw the farmer and his wife opening a bag and taking something out. Curious and hopeful that it might be food, the mouse crept a little closer to get a better look.

To his horror, it wasn’t food—it was a mousetrap.

Fear gripped the little mouse. He realized that his life was in danger. He knew he had to act quickly and warn others. So he scurried off to the backyard where he found a pigeon resting on the fence. Breathless and anxious, he told the pigeon about the trap in the house.

But the pigeon laughed and said, “Why are you telling me? That’s your problem, not mine. I’m a bird, I live in the sky or on trees. I’ll never be caught in a mousetrap.”

Disheartened but not ready to give up, the mouse ran to the chicken coop and told the rooster about the trap.

The rooster clucked, smirked, and said, “You poor thing, but this is no concern of mine. It’s your kind they’re after, not mine. I’m perfectly safe.”

Feeling more and more hopeless, the mouse then went to the goat resting by the wall and shared the terrifying news.

The goat burst into laughter, rolling on the ground. “A mousetrap? Oh my! That’s your issue entirely. Why should I worry?”

Rejected and alone, the mouse realized that no one understood the gravity of the situation. He went back to his hole and stayed hidden, praying nothing would go wrong.

That very night, there was a loud snap in the kitchen. Something had triggered the mousetrap. The farmer’s wife rushed in, thinking a mouse had been caught. But when she reached out in the darkness, her hand touched the tail of a poisonous snake that had gotten trapped instead.

Startled, the snake bit her.

The farmer took his wife to the village healer, who said she needed hot soup to regain her strength—specifically, pigeon soup.

The very same pigeon who had once said, “It’s not my problem,” was now boiling in a pot.

As word spread about the farmer’s wife’s condition, family and neighbors began visiting the house. To feed the unexpected guests, the farmer slaughtered the rooster who had mocked the mouse earlier.

Days passed, but the woman’s condition worsened. Eventually, she died.

Many people came for the funeral and the mourning rituals. The farmer now had to provide a large feast for everyone. So, the goat—who had laughed the loudest—was also sacrificed.

And the mouse? He was nowhere to be seen. He had long escaped from that house, knowing too well that staying would only lead to doom.

The Lesson

This story may seem simple, but it carries a powerful message: When someone around you is in trouble, don’t be so quick to dismiss it as “not your problem.”

Just because the danger doesn’t appear to affect you directly right now, doesn’t mean you are safe forever. A threat to one is a threat to all.

When a part of society is suffering—whether it's a specific group, a class, or a minority—we must not ignore their struggles simply because we are not personally impacted. If we do, we might eventually find ourselves caught in the same trap, with no one left to help us.

Society is like a body—if one part is hurting, the whole body feels it. If we dismiss the pain of others because of differences in caste, religion, language, or social status, we are only encouraging division. Sooner or later, that division will come back to harm us all.

We must rise above the boundaries of self-interest and indifference. We must become more empathetic, more aware, and more responsible—not just for ourselves, but for everyone around us.

Because ignoring someone else’s pain today could mean waiting for your own tragedy tomorrow.

So, the next time someone shares their problem with you, don’t say, “This isn’t my issue.” Instead, listen. Care. Help if you can.

For if we continue to believe that only “their” pain matters and not “ours,” then one day, there will be no one left to care about us.

Let this story remind us all:

“If one citizen is in danger, the whole nation is in danger.”

Let’s step out of the narrow walls of individualism, and into the larger world of compassion and unity.

Before it’s too late.