The Myth about the Cashew Nut
Cashew nuts, or “kasuy” in Filipino, are edible seeds found outside its fruit. A myth on it alleges that once upon a time cashew nuts used to be inside a hallow portion inside the fruit. How did it end up being outside?
In the beginning, according to this myth, the seeds of cashew nuts were inside the hollow center of its fruit. Similar to the darkness of a womb, the seeds stayed inside the fruit until somebody got them out to be eaten. Hence, says the myth, the seeds complained later of not being able to enjoy the outside world long enough before being eaten by humans.
The myth says the seeds would hear the sounds of the outside world and just wonder about the excitement of what may be going on around them. The myth goes on to say that the seeds listened to birds chirping, the river flowing, the wind swaying tree branches and leaves, and the hundreds of night insects singing their various nocturnal tunes to the moon. According to the myth, all the cashew seeds could do was imagine what was going on.
So one day, the myth says, the cashew nuts could not bear the deprivation any longer. They wished that things for them would be reversed a bit so that they could be outside their fruit instead of inside. A fairy of the forest heard their wish and granted it. Soon, the myth says, they found themselves outside their fruit. They were jubilant because they could now enjoy the surroundings. They saw what birds looked like, as well as the river, and the insects. And they saw that the wind could not be seen, but only felt. Another thing they saw, according to the myth, was that other fruit seeds were not found outside but inside fruit. And they soon learned why.
At noon, the myth says, they could not bear the burning heat of the sun. At night, they were unsafe against fruit bats. In rainy days, they were unshielded from the rain. The myth says, they learned the painful way that all creation had a purpose for being created the way it was created. Altering creation against its design proved harmful. So, according to the myth, cashew nuts sought to be heard again as they wished to return inside their fruit, but to no avail.
The Philippine myth on cashew nuts teaches generations that creation was particularly designed for a purpose—which should never be defied.
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