For about a month in a town or village, the people there had no source of protein, particularly, meat to cook soup, and were searching everywhere to buy, no matter how much the cost would be. Surprisingly, one afternoon, a hunter returned with three pigeons, and people rushed there to buy. In a kind soft voice, he amazingly said, “I am not selling my pigeons, but will pay debt with one, credit one, and give one out free”. So, the people wondered what type of man he was. They begged him, at least to give the one intended for “free”, or for “credit” to buy, but the man still refused. He said, the pattern of the distribution was decided in the forest after killing the pigeons, and could not reverse the decision in the town. Now, the riddle is, to whom the hunter will:

(a). Pay the debt to,
(b). Credit one, and
(c).Give one out free?

HERE IS THE ANSWER:

1. The one to pay "debt" with will be given to the parents. Our parents, particularly, in developing countries, have no social insurance coverage. Their children, therefore, serve as a mean of old age social protection. So, the children in return, pay to the parents their retained benefits, which are believed to be, whatsoever they incurred to provide care and support for the children from birth.

2. The one to "credit" will be given to the children. The one to credit is an opposite of the one intended to pay debt. Whatever the parents do to provide care and support for the children, is a credit, and visa-vi, expected to be paid back, by in return, taking care of them in their old age.

3. The one to give out "free", will be, the one that will be prepared and friends and everyone else jointly eat together. In this case, there is no special attachment; meaning, friends can assist, sometimes far beyond, as compared to what parents and children do to each other, but they can not be held in contempt, if they chose not to help. Unless the parents and children, friends can not be sanctioned by the society or sued in court of law for failing to provide care and support to anyone. Therefore, anything done at friendship level is free, and no obligation.

Note: This riddle is meant to teach and portray the spirit of patriotisms. Let’s be patriotic by considering Liberia and people there first in our agenda.

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