My favourite joke: A group of 12 monks and their leader went into the jungle in order to build a monastery in honor of God. They spent years working by themselves, and in the end, they created a giant palace. It was a magnificent sight and they were extremely pleased with how it came out. They decided to have a feast to celebrate.
They spent a long time preparing the feast and ate outside the monastery. All of a sudden, a fire broke out in the monastery, and the entire thing burned to the ground. The head monk saw a small green man running away from the ruins, and he sent 4 monks after the little green man. The monks began pursuit and followed the man into the jungle. They were never heard from again.
The monks decided to try again. They spent two years constructing a large church. They chopped down wood and gathered all of the needed materials on their own. The church was smaller than the monastery, but just as beautiful. They again decided to celebrate with a feast. In the middle of enjoying their food, another fire broke out, and the church burned down to the ground. The head monk again saw the little green man running away from the scene. He sent 4 monks after the thing, and they chased it into the jungle. They were never seen again.
The remaining monks decided to rebuild. This time, they spent a full year constructing a small chapel. It was not as big as the previous church, but it was very nice. They decided to hold a small feast in celebration, because they were amazed at what only 5 people could accomplish. During the meal, a fire broke out, and the chapel burned to the ground. Again, they saw the little green man sprinting away into the jungle. 4 monks were sent to chase after it. They were never heard from again.
Now, only the head monk remained. He had spent too much time in the jungle to give up now. He had to move on by himself. He went to work and built a small house where he could live and worship God in solitude. He was impressed with his work. As he proudly examined the outside of his house, a fire broke out and burned the house to the ground. The monk saw the little green man and decided to chase after it himself. He sprinted into the jungle in hot pursuit of the man. They bobbed and weaved through the trees, vines, and bushes. Just as the monk was about to catch the man, they came to very wide river. The little green man leaped right over it. The monk jumped but landed in the river. The little green man disappeared in the thicket on the other side and got away.
The monk went back and decided to build again. He spent a full month cutting down trees for wood and gathering stones and mud. He began construction. While he was building, he would take breaks to practice leaping across the river so that he would be prepared the next time the little green man came. In the end, he created a small hut for himself. Plus, he could now leap over the river. Sure enough, the hut burned down, and the little green man was spotted running away. The monk began the chase. They bobbed and weaved through the trees, vines, and bushes. They came to the river. The little green man leapt right over. The monk leapt right over. The man went left in the thicket. The monk followed. The man went right, and the monk followed. Then, they came to a large mountain. The little green man ran all the way up the mountain and down the other side. The monk ran up the mountain a little ways but got winded and needed to stop. The man got away. The monk went back to try again.
He spent two weeks making a shack. He also spent time to practice running up the mountain. When the shack was completed, he was able to run all the way up the mountain and down the other side. After he was done, the shack burned down, and the monk saw the little green man running away. He chased after it. They bobbed and weaved through the trees, vines, and bushes. They both leapt right over the river. On the other side, they ran left and right and zigzagged through the thicket. The little green man ran up the mountain and down the other side. The monk ran up the mountain and down the other side. The chase continued. Suddenly, the little green man ran to the tallest tree in the jungle and climbed to the top and disappeared. The monk looked up at the tree and realized he could not climb it. He vowed that one day, he would catch the man.
He spent a week building a shrine to God. He also practiced climbing trees and was able to climb any tree in the jungle by the end of the week. He was ready.
The shrine burned down, and the little green man was seen running from the ruins. The monk followed. They bobbed and weaved through the trees, vines, and bushes. They leapt clear over the river. They went left and right through the thicket. They climbed up the mountain and ran down the other side. They forced their way through the thicket until they reached the tallest tree in the jungle. The little green man climbed to the top. The monk climbed to the top.
The monk had the little green man cornered at the end of a branch high up on the tree. He grabbed the little green man and said, “Are you the one who has burned down all of my monuments to God?!”
The little green man looked at him and said, “No.”