Don't you have any donkeys in your country?

Though the story, Don't You Have Any Donkeys in Your Country? was written in the 20th century, many things are the same today around the world, and the lesson taught through the story, is still usefull in the modern world.

The peasants sold objects that they used in their everyday life to tourists as antiques. This behavior would be labeled as 'unfair' and 'unexcusable' by us, but in reality, these people were just trying to make enough money to feed their families. Today, in Africa, where most people have a hard life, cattle owners were concerned because lions were eating their cattle. The owners made less money, and their family couldn't afford as much food, clothes, and other necesitties. So, the cattle owners started to kill the lions, but luckily, an orginazationg formed to protect wild life, offered the cattle owners a deal: if the owners stopped murdering the lions, then the orginazations would advertise that area, and attract tourism, and the money the orginazation got from the tourists, they would give some to the cattle owners. Because the agreement made between the owners and the orginazations helped both sides, it worked. But the peasants in the story were not part of any agreement, and just like the cattle owners in Africa before their deal with the orginazation, the peasants sold fake antiques to make their profit, like the owners killed the lions because their profit, which came from the cattle. This just proves, that in desperate times, people do anything, even if it means cheating other people or murdering animals, to get money for food. This has been true for centuries, and the peasants and the cattle owners are just a few examples.

After reading the whole story, I saw a lesson; sometimes, it is better to tell the truth. Nesin, the author, shows that trickery is not the best way to get what you want for an unfair price, especially if you can afford it, like the rug collector. If the rug collector had just told the peasant the truth; he wanted the carpet, and the peasant would have refused, then the rug collector would not have wasted the money on the donkey. Though both way the rug collector does not get the rug, telling the truth is easier. This is important to know for many experiences in one's life, and Nesin does a great job writing what usually happens when you lie or trick some one to get your way; things end up to be more complicated, usually for you.