The document summarizes a story about a man named Ah Too who got into an argument with his wife. They refused to speak to each other for three days until Ah Too needed to be woken up early for a fishing trip. Rather than speaking to his wife first to end their "cold war", he left her a note asking to be woken up. However, his wife did not wake him and he missed the fishing trip. He then found another note from his wife saying "It's 5am, wake up!". This shows that using strategies involving ego during conflicts can backfire on oneself.

1. 4
Wisdom
From A
Laugh 165
Silent Treatment
Ah Too once quarreled with his wife at home. The couple
refused to talk to each other after the quarrel. Three days
later, Ah Too realized that he had to ask his wife to wake
him up at 5.30 am as he had an arrangement with his
buddies to go on a fishing trip. However, Ah Too did not
want to lose the ‘cold war’ with his wife by talking to his
wife first. So he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please wake
me up tomorrow at 5.00 am. I am going fishing with my
buddies at 5.30 am”. He then placed the paper on the
kitchen table. He was sure his wife would read it.
The next morning, Ah Too woke up only to find that it
was already 9.00 am. His friends had left for the fishing
trip without him. He was furious. As he was about to go
and confront his wife for an explanation why she did not
wake him up, he noticed a piece of paper on the bed. On
it was written in large letters: “IT’S 5.00 AM. WAKE
UP!”
Reflection
When the ego gets in the way during a conflict or
quarrel, one may resort to a foolish strategy only to find
out later that he has to bear undesirable results… a
consequence of being ‘hit back’ by his own strategy

2. Wisdom From
A Laugh 166
The Widow at the Farmhouse
Roland and Robert once went hitch-hiking around the country side.
On the second day of their travel, they were caught in a very bad
storm. They spotted a nearby farmhouse and decided to seek for
shelter there. They asked the attractive woman in the farm whether
they could spend the night in her farmhouse.
“My husband died recently,” the woman explained, “and I’m afraid
the neighbors will gossip if I let you stay the night in my house.”
“On not to worry,” Roland said, “we’ll be happy to sleep in the
barn.”
Ten months later, Roland received a letter from the widow’s
attorney. He called his friend Robert and asked, “Robert, do you
remember that attractive widow at the farm we stayed a night at?”
“Of course I do,” Robert replied.
“Did you get up in the middle of the night and visited her in her
bedroom?” Roland asked.
“Yes, I have to admit that I did,” Robert answered.
“Did you happen to use my name instead of telling her your own
name?”
Robert’s face turned red and he said, “I am sorry but I’m afraid I
used your name and gave her your address.”
“Oh thanks Robert! The rich widow just died and left me
everything!”
Reflections
* How often have we used deceit to protect ourselves…we
care little about the trouble we might put others into.
* Life is full of surprises. It doe s not pay to resort to dishonest
and unwholesome ways. One will regret one’s deceitful ways.