Excuse my bad memory of this joke:
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A little zebra walks up to an old elephant and says, "You seem very wise Mr elephant. I have been worrying about something since I was born and I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"
The old elephant looked down and muttered "Sure, I know everything, little zebra!"
"Well I've always wanted to know... Am I white with black stripes, or black with white stripes?"
The elephant was aghast, maddened by a question to which he did not know the answer. He kicked the little zebra in the head and killed it, shook some mud off his back and went on his way...
The little zebra appears on a cloud, outside the pearly gates of heaven... Before letting the little zebra through, St. Peter asks of the zebra:
"Little Zebra, is there anything you would like to ask of me before entering the immortal and bountiful life that is heaven?"
The zebra thinks hard for a few minutes and responds,
"Well... I always wanted to know whether I'm white with black stripes, or black with white stripes... I have always been so confused about my self image. I would be confused forever if I didn't ask now."
St Peter is amazed at the little zebra for asking such a good quetion and replies, "Blow me! That's a good one, you'll have to ask the boss! I'll let you through into heaven now, but come back to the big temple at midday and I'll set up a meeting with the big guy... How does that sound?"
"Oh yes that's great... Really really, thank you so much! I've always wanted to know!" said the zebra, excitedly.
Midday rolled around and the little zebra stood outside the big gleaming temple... his poor little legs shaking like crazy...
With an enormous CLUNK! the giant gold double door opens ajar just enough for our little zebra to walk through shutting majestically behind him... Our little zebra is incredibly overwhelmed, his little hooves slipping all over the place on the shiny marble floor as he looks around an infinite and cavernous chamber... Blinding white light streams from the far end of the room, glistening off of the many columns... After a minute a great booming voice sounds from every direction echoing around the chamber;
"I hear you have a question?" said the voice, strongly.
"Um, err... yes. I have in fact. I've always wanted to know, am I
white with black stripes or
black with white stripes?" asked the zebra nervously, not knowing where exactly to look while talking...
After a short moment, the great booming voice replied powerfully:
"YOU ARE... WHAT YOU ARE."
With that, the huge doors opened once more, signalling a very confused little zebra to leave...
A few days later, the little zebra bumped into St. Peter who asked, "so how did the meeting with the boss go? Did you find out what you wanted?"
The zebra empathically moped "I'm more confused than before
! I was just told
you are what you are. I'm so worried I asked such a silly question!"
"Oh that's an easy one! You're obviously white with black stripes."
said St Peter, patting the little zebra on the head.
"How in heaven do you get that?!" blurts the zebra, eyes wide.
St Peter kneels down to the little zebra, "Well, if you were black with white stripes he obviously would have said "
You is what you is." "