THIS IS TOO MUCH! Part 5: From Roti to Ganga Jal!
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Part 5 - From Roti to Ganga Jal!
When Two Friends Tried to Eat Without Spending a Paisa
Background & Purpose
Some people look for opportunities.
Some look for solutions.
And some...
look for excuses!
There is nothing wrong with being careful about money.
But sometimes, the desire to avoid spending becomes so strong that a person starts finding reasons to reject perfectly reasonable options.
One excuse leads to another.
Then another.
And before we realise it...
the original purpose has completely disappeared.
This little story, which I first encountered as a school student in the 1980s, stayed with me for years.
Perhaps because its humour is simple.
But its human observation is surprisingly deep.
Welcome to another episode of:
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Opening Question
When we genuinely want to avoid doing something, do we sometimes search for reasons rather than solutions?
And what happens when the search for an excuse becomes more complicated than the original task?
Let's find out.
Case Study
The Two Friends and the Great Food Escape
Prem and Raj (names changed) were old friends.
After a long gap, they met again.
They were delighted.
They hugged.
They laughed.
They remembered old stories.
And then came the most important question:
"Shall we eat something?"
Both immediately agreed.
Of course!
Friends meeting after years should celebrate.
There was only one tiny problem.
Both were extremely careful about spending money.
Very careful.
In fact...
if saving money were an Olympic sport,
these two would probably have represented the country!
They walked together looking for a suitable place.
Finally, they found a small roadside snacks corner.
They entered.
They sat down.
They looked at each other.
Then at the menu.
Then at each other again.
There was a small silence.
Neither wanted to say:
"You pay."
And neither wanted to say:
"I'll pay."
Finally, one of them gathered enough courage to ask the shopkeeper:
"Sethji, roti kitne ki hai?"
The shopkeeper smiled proudly.
"Babuji, hamari roti makkhan se bhi zyada mulaayam hai!"
"Sir, our rotis are softer than butter!"
Prem and Raj looked at each other.
Their eyes lit up.
Not with hunger...
but with possibility!
Prem whispered,
"Did you hear that?"
Raj nodded.
"Yes."
Prem continued,
"How can a roti be softer than butter?"
Raj thought seriously.
"You're right."
"Butter is butter."
There was a pause.
Then came the brilliant conclusion:
"Let's have butter instead!"
Problem solved.
Or so they thought.
The Butter Mission
They left the food stall.
They walked through several streets searching for a butter seller.
Finally, they found one.
The seller greeted them.
"What would you like, gentlemen?"
Prem looked serious.
"Before we buy anything..."
"Tell us something special about your butter."
The seller smiled.
He was clearly proud of his product.
He replied:
"Sethji, mera makkhan itna pavitra hai..."
"...jaise Ganga ka jal!"
"Sir, my butter is as pure as the sacred waters of the Ganga."
Prem's face brightened.
Raj nodded appreciatively.
"Very good!"
They were almost ready to place the order.
Almost.
Then they looked at each other again.
That familiar silence returned.
Prem whispered:
"Wait..."
Raj understood.
Prem said:
"If the butter is as pure as Ganga water..."
Raj completed the thought:
"Then why buy butter?"
Both nodded.
The logic was irresistible.
They thanked the seller.
"We'll come back."
And left.
The Final Destination
Now they had discovered something even better.
Ganga water!
Pure.
Sacred.
And...
as far as their immediate spending was concerned...
free!
They finally reached the river.
They drank the water.
They looked at each other.
A sense of achievement filled their faces.
No roti.
No butter.
No expense.
And yet...
full satisfaction!
Prem smiled.
Raj smiled back.
They had successfully transformed:
Dinner → Roti → Butter → Ganga Water
And finally...
FOOD EXPENSE = ZERO!
Their friendship had survived.
Their stomachs...
well, that is another matter!
And that was the end of their great culinary adventure.
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Reflections
The humour is obvious.
But the behaviour is fascinating.
They had already decided that they did not want to spend money.
Everything afterwards was simply a search for justification.
The roti was rejected because it was supposedly softer than butter.
The butter was rejected because it was supposedly as pure as Ganga water.
And finally, Ganga water became the perfect excuse to avoid both.
The destination was decided first.
The reasoning came afterwards.
And this happens surprisingly often in real life.
The Psychology Behind the Joke
Sometimes we make a decision emotionally or instinctively.
Then our mind searches for reasons to defend it.
This is closely related to confirmation bias and motivated reasoning.
We don't always ask:
"What is the best option?"
Sometimes we unconsciously ask:
"How can I prove that the option I already prefer is the right one?"
Prem and Raj had already made their decision:
Don't spend.
Everything else became supporting evidence.
Mathivation Connection
Their reasoning followed a fascinating sequence:
Roti → Butter → Ganga Water
But the actual objective remained:
Spend as little as possible.
So we can represent the situation humorously as:
Excuse₁ → Excuse₂ → Excuse₃ → Goal Achieved
Or:
Pre-decided Goal + Selective Reasoning = Endless Justification
The mathematical lesson is simple:
Changing the variables does not necessarily change the objective.
They changed the object...
but never changed the intention.
Human Error of the Day
Searching for reasons instead of evaluating options.
When our mind has already chosen an outcome, we may unconsciously become very creative in defending it.
And sometimes...
that creativity becomes THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Takeaways
- Be careful when your conclusion comes before your reasoning.
- Not every reason is an objective evaluation.
- A clever excuse is not necessarily good logic.
- Ask whether you are solving a problem or avoiding it.
- Confirmation bias can make almost any decision look reasonable.
- Sometimes our minds are excellent lawyers for decisions we have already made.
Quick Takeaway
Mathivation Formula
Mathivation Note
There is a beautiful difference between:
Problem Solving
and
Justification Seeking.
Problem solving asks:
"What is the best option?"
Justification seeking asks:
"How can I prove my preferred option is correct?"
The two may look similar from the outside.
But psychologically...
they are completely different processes.
Perhaps a useful Mathivation equation is:
Better Decision = Objective + Evidence + Alternatives
Remove Alternatives...
and we may simply become very efficient at defending our first choice.
A Small Life Experiment
The next time you strongly reject an option, pause and ask yourself:
"If I had no preference already, would I still reach the same conclusion?"
That one question can expose many hidden assumptions.
And perhaps save us from travelling all the way from...
Roti → Butter → Ganga Jal!
Disclaimer
This is a humorous educational adaptation inspired by a story encountered by the author during his school years. Names and contextual details have been changed or recreated for storytelling purposes.
The story is not intended to criticise any community, culture, profession, economic group or individual. References to frugality and hospitality are used only as observations within the fictional case study.
The psychological concepts mentioned are presented for general educational reflection and should not be treated as clinical or professional psychological advice.
The reference to the Ganga is used within the traditional narrative context and is not intended to promote or challenge any religious belief.
Closing Note
Prem and Raj began with a simple intention:
"Let's meet, have something to eat and enjoy ourselves."
Somewhere along the way...
the food disappeared.
The spending disappeared.
And eventually...
even the logic disappeared!
They began with:
Roti
Then moved to:
Butter
And finally arrived at:
Ganga Jal
All in the noble pursuit of...
NOT SPENDING MONEY!
Perhaps the real lesson is not about being miserly.
It is about something much more universal:
When we desperately want a particular outcome, our mind can become remarkably creative at finding reasons to support it.
And when the excuses start becoming more complicated than the original problem...
well...
THIS IS TOO MUCH!
Curious Question
Have you ever rejected something for one reason, then discovered another reason, and another—until you realised you simply didn't want to do it in the first place?
Was it logic... or just a very clever excuse?
An Honest Question
Have you ever used your own version of "Ganga Jal Logic" - where you decided first and found the reason later? Share your funniest example!
With Mathivation, Humour & Human Understanding,
Rakesh Kushwaha
Founder, Mathivation Research Lab
A Mathivation Research Lab Initiative
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