An ageing mother, distraught over her 3 sons who do nothing but quarrel among themselves all day, invited the 3 boys to dinner in the hope that she can patch things up. She tells them she will cook a very special soup for them.
And so that evening, as the 3 sons were quarrelling at the dinner table, the mother served her special soup and said, "My sons, I am old and soon may no longer be around to watch over you. It pains me so much to see you quarrel among yourselves like this. I have cooked for you this very special soup in the hope that after you have savored its flavor, you will forever remember me and my wish that you stop quarreling among yourselves. Please, finish your soup while it is still hot."
Quietly, the 3 boys finished their soup with much gusto. Looking at each other with eyes wide open, they exclaimed, "Mother, this has got to be the best soup we have ever tasted. It was chunky and a bit gritty but very tasty. What's in it?"
"My sons, even as you were new-born infants, I have always prayed that you will live in harmony and love one another. I even followed the old traditions and kept your umbilical cords tied together in the hope that this will bind you together in harmony. Seeing how much you quarrel, it seems binding your dried up umbilical cords together is not working. So I have decided to cut the tie that bound your umbilical cords together all these years, chopped those dried up flesh into tiny pieces and cooked those stinking chunks into a special soup just for you. I'm really happy you liked it. Seconds, anyone?"
"My sons, even as you were new-born infants, I have always prayed that you will live in harmony and love one another. I even followed the old traditions and kept your umbilical cords tied together in the hope that this will bind you together in harmony. Seeing how much you quarrel, it seems binding your dried up umbilical cords together is not working. So I have decided to cut the tie that bound your umbilical cords together all these years, chopped those dried up flesh into tiny pieces and cooked those stinking chunks into a special soup just for you. I'm really happy you liked it. Seconds, anyone?"
