Where does judgement come from?

Meera could pluck her feathers with her beak all day long but, she could not believe that she had finally been accepted to the world-famous - 'The Grand Owlish University'. The university was known for its diverse owl population. Owls from all over the world competed to get into this esteemed historical establishment. She had got a call from Mr Owl-President stating how proud she had made her country India. Not a lot of owls from India made it into the outside world. It's not like it was easy for an Indian Owl and that too a female one to get admission. She knew many of her peers did not even try outside because of their label. Her kind had a reputation and not a good one, unlike her western peers. And since arriving at the university, she hadn't really felt as if she belonged - truly. Even her feathers drooped as she walked around the school corridors.

She aroused herself from her musings and tuned into the lecture from Mr Potter. He was a famous culture and diversity professor. Rumour had it that he has travelled worldwide to understand Owl Heritage properly.

'The great divide is the time when Owls decided that they did not want to be associated with humans. The wisest amongst us - Owl Elders predicted that humans are on a trajectory of self-destruction with very little chance of redemption, so they withdrew from the human world. And the humans forgot that there was a time when Owls and humans lived in harmony as equals.' Mr Potter turned to look at them and asked. 'Any questions.' And right on cue, the clock cuckoo flew into the classroom to give her a 10-minute warning before the class ended.

Meera looked around her in the classroom. Barn Owls, White Owls, Speckled Owls, Great Horned Owls and even some Bengal Eagle Owls - her feathers shivered at the very thought that she was one of them. Was she truly one of them despite the label, and unbeknownst to her, her right feather went up. Mr Potter looked at her over his glasses and said, 'Meera - from the Indian subcontinent. Shame that we do not get many from your part of the world.' Meera's beak turned pink at the mention of her country, and the question just burst out from her, 'Sir, Why are Owls in India called foolish whereas in the rest of the world they are associated with wisdom?'

For a few seconds, it was so silent that you could have heard a stealthy mouse breathing and then at once, the classroom burst into a shocked chatter. It was taboo to talk about labels, especially those that had come from our time with humans. Meera felt her heart sinking at the thought that she might even get expelled for asking the question.

Mr Potter raised the feathers on his left side, and the class fell silent. He flew to the perch in the middle of the room and looked at them. His eyes rested on her, and he said, 'Excellent question, Meera. I never thought I would hear this question in my classroom given our tendency to stay away from vital questions.'

Meera felt her shoulders relax a little. Mr Potter cocked his head, flew back to the main perch, took a sip of water and said, 'Let me tell you a story.' All the owls around her suddenly became very attentive. Some brushed their spectacles, and others put their feathers in front of them on the desk.

Mr Potter continued - This is ancient folklore, but all stories have a grain of truth in them - I hope you can find it for yourself at the end. A long, long time ago - when humans and owls lived together, it so happened that two humans on the planet got the same business idea. They wanted to sell shoes to the inhabitants of the calceamenta (And in Latin, this word literally means shoes) island. The salesman reached the island around the same time, did their research and decided to check in with the Oracle Owl before conveying their final decision to their bosses back in East and West. They both went to the Oracle-Owl and asked the same question, 'Is my decision the right one regarding selling shoes to the people of this island?'

Here Mr Potter chuckled and said, - And not surprisingly, Oracle-Owl gave them the same answer, 'What is right for you stems from your history and conditioning.' Both the salesman were very happy as Oracle-Owl was famous for not answering stupid questions but also confused because the answer was unclear. They spent some more time pondering over the response from the wise Oracle before making up their minds. The salesman from the west told his boss, 'People here have no shoes - great potential to sell shoes.' And the salesman from the east told his boss, 'People here have no shoes - no point in selling shoes.' And it so happened that company from the west went on to become the world number 1 in shoes based on this decision. And as time passed, reality faded away. And labels came to be associated with Owls as foolish in the east and wise in the west.

Now, Mr Potter cleaned his glasses and peered at them. What the Oracle said is true - 'Your truth will stem from your history and conditioning'. And for each of you, there is a unique truth to be had from this story if you choose. I learnt that what is known as the truth was false or non-existent before. And with that, the clock cuckoo flew in to mark the end of the class. All the students got up to go to the next lesson. Mr Potter called out to her and asked, 'So, did you find your truth in the story which answered your question?'

Meera looked at him and said, 'What I got out the story is - Labels have very little to do with reality and more with fantasy. And, sadly, we have accepted fantasy as reality as Owl population.' With that, she squared back her chest, preened her feathers and strode down the corridor as if she owned the school.