It happened once upon a time that the Mullah Nasruddin was sitting in a tea house with some friends, having a conversation with a travelling monk who had arrived in the village.

The monk was a peaceful, mild-mannered person, and they asked him about his way of life.

“Wandering as I do,” said the monk, “I must take things as they come, but I do have one rule for myself, and that is that I will not eat any flesh.”

“Why is that?” someone asked.

“It is cruel to kill,” said the monk, “and it is also very bad for the character to eat meat. A diet of meat is the cause of all war, for it gives us the nature of a carnivore. We become vicious and aggressive, a danger to all around us. Whereas a diet of plants and vegetables makes us exactly the opposite.”

Nasruddin landed forward. “Friend,” he said, “I would like you to come and explain this to my donkey.”