The Burden of Care: Lightness in Responsibility

The Hodja carries his donkey, gets carried by his donkey, loses his donkey—constantly shifting between burden and relief, responsibility and abandonment. Companion animal ownership contains genuine responsibility: daily feeding, medical care, attention to wellbeing. This responsibility can feel heavy and constraining. Yet the Nasreddin tradition suggests that within constraint lives unexpected freedom. The non-negotiable structure of animal care—the daily routine, the regular presence required—can paradoxically liberate us from the paralysis of endless choice. We cannot postpone caring for a dependent creature to some future better moment. This grounds us in present reality. The examined joyful life means embracing this responsibility not as burden to escape but as structure that enables joy. The ritual of feeding, the walk that must happen regardless of weather or mood, the evening presence—these become anchors for presence and meaning. The Hodja finds wisdom in what he must carry precisely because he cannot set it down.