Vultures Living on Island

Once a herd of vultures reached an island which was situated in middle of sea. There were lots of fishes and sea creatures, vultures had no shortage of food and drinks there. Best part was that there were no wild animals who  would attack them.

Vultures were very happy there as they never had lived such comfortable life before.

Most of vultures in herd were young and started thinking that they will live rest of their life there because they could not find such comfortable life anywhere else.

In midst of all of them, there was an old vulture. When he saw those young vultures and learned about their thoughts, he got worried.

One day, he called all young vulture and expressed his concern saying, “It has been a long time, we are living on this island. I think we should go back to same forest from which we came. Here we are living life without challenge and in such conditions we will never be able to prepare for trouble.”

Young vultures didn’t paid attention to old vultures thoughts and felt that it was effect of his old age, that’s why he is saying such stupid things. Young vultures refused to leave life of comfort.

Old vulture tried to explain, “You all are not paying attention, you have forgotten to fly because you have become accustomed to comfort. At such times if you get in some problem, what would you do? Come with me.”

But no one listened to him. Old vulture left alone. A few months passed. One day, old vulture thought of checking on vultures living on island.

After reaching island, he saw that view had changed. Wherever he looked, there were dead bodies of vultures lying. Among them many were lying bloodied and injured.

Old vulture was shocked to see this and asked a wounded vulture, “What had happened?”

Injured vulture said, “After you left, we were living life of great fun on this island. But one day a ship came here and cheetahs were released from that ship on this island.

Initially those cheetahs did nothing to us but after few days when they realized that we had forgotten to fly and our claws have become so weak that neither we can attack nor defend ourselves.

They started attacking us and eating us. We are in this condition because of them. Perhaps we have got this result for not listening to you.”

Learning:

Often after going to the comfort zone, it is difficult to come out of it. In such a situation, it is not easy to face challenges when they come. Therefore, always keep challenging yourself and be ready for trouble.

Bricks Made of Lie or Truth

Once evil spirits complained to God, “Why are they treated so badly, good spirits live in such a magnificent palace and we are all in ruins, why is this discrimination?”

God explained to them, “I made everyone equal but you have become evil spirits by your actions.”

But even after God’s persuasion, evil spirits kept complaining about being discriminated against.

So, God thought for sometime and called all the good and evil spirits and said, “I have taken a decision on request of the evil spirits, from today all the palaces or ruins that had been given to you to stay will be destroyed. Now, Good and evil spirits will be able to build two separate cities for themselves.”

Then a soul said, “But for this, where do we get bricks from?”

“When a person on earth tells a truth or lie, bricks will be prepared here in return for it. All the bricks will be same in strength. Now, it is for you decide whether you will take bricks made of truth or lies.”, replied God.

Evil spirits thought, more people lie on earth and so if they took bricks made by lies then a huge city could be built. So they asked God that they would be using bricks made of lies, on other hand good spirits got bricks made by truth.

Construction of both cities began simultaneously, with in a few days city of evil spirits city began to take huge form and they were constantly getting piles of bricks and were able to built a magnificent city from it.

While construction of city for good spirits was going slow, even after many days they were able to built only a small part.

A few more days passed like this, evil spirits were enjoying their stay at their new home in newly built city then one day suddenly a strange incident happened, bricks began to disappear from city of evil. Bricks started disappearing from the walls, from the roofs, from the foundations of the buildings, from everywhere and soon their city started taking the form of ruins.

Troubled evil spirits immediately ran to the God and asked, “Why have these bricks suddenly started disappearing from our homes, our city has become a ruin again.”

God smiled and said, “Bricks started disappearing!! Well, it seems that the lies of those who lied were caught and that’s why the bricks made by their lies also disappeared.”

Learning:

We have been Hearing since childhood: the Life of a Lie is Short, If not Today or Tomorrow, a Lie is Caught. It seems Easy to achieve Success by following the Path of Lies and Dishonesty but in the End it makes us a Failure.

Those who Follow the Same Truth move Slowly but their Success is Permanent. Therefore, we should always Build our Success building on the Basis of Truth, only Ruins can be Built on the Basis of Lies and Dishonesty..!!

Right Way to Live Life

Once two monk returned to their place, after being away for months, traveling around world giving lectures and praying. When they returned home, they were tired and just wanted to have rest. But when they reached their place what they saw was just half of their hut.

Because of heavy rains and winds, part of their hut was carried away by winds and only half of it was left.

When Young monk saw that he became angry. He was hoping to able to rest well when reach home but now there was just a ruined hut.

Young monk said to Old monk, “This is too much..! Things like this create doubt about existence of God. Sinners have palaces in cities, nothing happens to them and poor people like us who spend day and night in prayers, our only hut is in ruins.”

Young monk felt that his prayers were futile and was full of anger and condemnation.

When Young monk was saying all these, Old monk raised his folded hands towards sky and tears of joy started flowing from his eyes.

Seeing this young man asked, “What are you doing?”

Old monk replied, “I am thanking God because who knows what winds might have done.! They could have blown away whole hut but God have created some obstacles for wind and saved half our hut for us.

God is concerned about us poor people, So we should thank him. Our prayers have been heard.”

It was almost night time. There was nothing they could at that time. So they both went in for rest, forced to sleep in that ruined hut.

Young man was full of anger and kept on changing his position all night. He was worried because there were clouds in sky and it was about to rain. He was thinking what would they do if it starts to rain while other monk slept a deep sleep.

When Old monk wake up in morning, he started dancing and singing song. He said, “We didn’t know that there could be so much bliss in broken down hut. If we had known before, we ourselves would have have removed half of roof of our hut.

I never slept so blissfully. Because half of the roof was not there, I saw the stars and the gathering clouds in your sky whenever I opened my eyes during the night and now that the rains are about to start it will be even more beautiful because with half the roof gone, we will be able to hear the music of your rain-drops much more clearly.

We have been idiots..! We have spent so many rainy seasons sheltering inside the hut. We had no idea what joy it could be to be exposed to the sky and the wind and the rain. If we had realized it we would not have bothered your winds, we ourselves would have got rid of half the roof.”

Young monk was irritated and said, “What’s all this nonsense? What is this madness? What are you saying?”

Old monk replied, “I have looked at things deeply and my experience is that Whatever makes us more Happy, that is the Right direction in life for us and whatever makes us Suffer more, that is the Wrong direction.

I thanked God and my bliss increased. You became angry at god and your anguish increased. You were restless last night, I slept peacefully.

Now I am able to sing a song and you are burning with anger. Very early I came to understand that the Direction in which Life becomes more Blissful is the Right direction. I have directed my whole consciousness towards that direction.”

The cracked pot

A young woman worked for a merchant who lived on top of a hill. She worked as the merchant’s laundress, and she had to walk down the hill every day to collect water from a stream. She had two pots to carry water, which she hung upon a pole she could carry over her shoulders. With time one of her pots got a thin crack along its side. She observed the cracks on the pot and decided she could still use it.

Every day, the woman carried those pots down the hill to the stream, filled them to the brim, and walked back up the hill, balancing the pole across her shoulders. By the time she reached the house, the cracked pot would be only half full, while the other pot delivered a whole portion of water.

The cracked pot glanced at the other pot and saw water filled to the top, and it began to feel desolate. The full pot was proud of its accomplishment, while the cracked pot felt ashamed and miserable that it could accomplish only half of what it was meant to.

After a few years of what the cracked pot perceived to be a failure, it spoke to the lady. "I apologize for my flaws. The crack on my side has made me useless. I spill half of the water. I’m of no good!" the pot said.

The lady felt sorry for the old cracked pot and said, "But pot, you don’t understand; you haven’t been paying attention. Look around you. As we return to the master’s house, I want you to look at the path we traverse".

The next time the lady carried the water up to the hill, the pot carefully observed the path. The pot stopped looking inward and instead looked out for the first time. On his side of the trail, the pot noticed beautiful flowers growing in abundance. In comparison, the other side was still dry.

As the woman reached the top of the hill, she asked, "Did you notice the beautiful flowers on the path? They are only on your side of the path. I had always known about your cracks, and I took advantage of it to water those beautiful flowers along the way. Without you being just the way you are, the path uphill would not have this beauty."

The cracked pot was overjoyed. All its sadness was gone. It understood that the very thing It thought to be its flaws turned out to be a blessing for the flowers along the path.

Every one of us is unique, and we have our flaws. And it is our little quirks and faults that make us and the world so interesting.

A saint and a scorpion

 

One day a saint went to a river to bathe. There he noticed a scorpion struggling in the water near him. Scorpions cannot swim, and the saint knew that if he did not save the scorpion, it would drown.

Therefore, the saint carefully picked up the struggling scorpion to rescue it from the water. But as he was about to set it on land, the scorpion stung his finger.

The sharp pain from the sting made the saint instinctively fling his hand, and the scorpion flew back into the water. As soon as the saint gained his composure from the pain, he attempted to rescue the troubled creature again. But, as earlier, the scorpion stung him again before he could safely keep it on the land. So the affair repeated several times as the saint continued his attempt to save the scorpion while the creature attacked its savior every time.

The saint’s disciples watched the event for a while and were worried for the saint, who was now staggering from the pain. The disciple requested the saint to leave the vicious creature on its own. The saint ignored the request from his disciples and continued his attempt to save the scorpion until he finally succeeded.

The disciples carried the reeling saint to his hut, treated him for his wounds and waited for the saint to get well. After the saint regained consciousness, one of the disciples asked why the saint let the scorpion attack him several times and continued to help it.

The saint replied, "My dear child, the scorpion did not sting me out of malice or evil intent. Just as it is the water’s nature to make things wet and fire’s nature to burn, it is in the scorpion’s nature to sting. The ignorant creature kept stinging me because its comprehension was not significant enough to realize that I was trying to help him. But, just as it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, so it is my nature to save. Just as he did not leave his nature, why should I leave my nature? I must help any soul in need. I should not let the stings from a scorpion rob me from performing my duty as a savior. "

In our lives, we will encounter people who may harm us intentionally or unintentionally. We should never let our actions, thoughts and words be affected by the negativity of others. We should continue to perform our duty with love and honesty, even if others do not reciprocate our righteous actions.

The darkness in others’ hearts should not be allowed to penetrate the lightness of our hearts.

The prince and the three dolls

It was the third moon of the Prince’s Twenty- seventh year. He was waiting for the arrival of an old sage from overseas. He was informed that the sage wasn’t very far from the city gates and would arrive by the very night of the same day.

The sage had been traveling for nearly half a century now. The journey had contributed a significant amount of understanding and experience of life, making him a very wise man. The prince pondered upon the possible, advises the sage would be giving him. Especially now that various changes had been dawning on him, for he was to inherit the throne, he was desperate to hear the things the sage had to say.

His days of gaiety were ceasing to end. Thus far, he had lived his life enjoying and taking advantage of every privilege and power inherited by his position. He was absolutely aware of the disapproval of the extremely entertained life he led by his brothers. They were also concerned that his sometimes arrogant, boastful and indulgent behaviors were signs of incompetent ruler.

But the people who were really close to him worshipped him for his generosity and kind nature. If he was a callous and ambitious like the way his brothers thought we was, he otherwise wouldn’t be reluctant and terrified to take over the throne.

His older brother was a hopeless drunkard who was unworthy of the throne. For the prince, there was no escaping from the King’s convictions about him being the capable successor. It was an impossible situation. Anxiousness overpowered him as he felt the days of this youth slip away with every passing moment. His responsibilities were growing. Every day there was so much to do, so many decisions to be made, and so many unusual situations to handle.

It was already late in the night and the sage hadn’t arrived yet. He slipped into his bed and immediately drifted into a deep sleep.

That night in his dreams, he saw an owl handling a ribbon in its hands of a human. The ribbon was for his mind. He was refusing to accept it when he was woken up by one of his courts men. The sage had arrived and was waiting for the prince in the courtroom.

"I’m sorry to have awakened you," the Prince heard the old mystic say to him has he walked into the room. The sage bowed in respect and continued- "It took me longer to explore the city than I had anticipated. There isn’t much I can say or give you. My ship leaves at dawn. Please accept my humble council your highness"

The prince and the traveler sat together for a conversation accompanied by plenty of food and wine. Hours passed, many stories exchanged.

The few hours they had weren’t enough to say everything they had to share. Before departing, the sage assured the Prince that the kingdom would do fine under his rule. "I was unsure as to which gift I should leave you with at first," the mystic said. "I had it in mind, but my decision was confirmed only after the meeting." He took out a package from his bag and handed it over to the prince.

The prince accepted the gift with gratitude. After unwrapping, he had a box in his hand. He opened the lid only to see three small dolls inside it. The dolls were seemingly ancient and fit for a toddler. Their faces were cracked and their hair stringy.

"Don’t worry, they are neither for children nor women." The sage said reading the confusion on the Prince’s face. "Their value goes beyond the aesthetic. They are for you alone. I want you to place them in such a place of your room wherein they will never miss your eyes."

"If you examine them carefully, you’ll see a hole in the ears of each doll," the sage said, handing him a piece of string. "Thread the hole."

The perplexed prince picked up the first doll and did as he was told. The thread entered through the hole of one ear and emerged through the hole of another. "This is the first type of person. Whatever you tell him, it comes out of the other ear. He doesn’t retain anything." The sage explained. "Now go for the second one."

Curiously the prince inserted the string through the hole of the second doll. It came out of the mouth. "This is the second type of person," said the sage. He explained, "whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else."

The prince then picked up the third doll. The string did emerge out from anywhere. "And this is the third type," said the sage. "Whatever you tell him is locked up within. It never comes out."

The prince doubtfully looked at the sage. There weren’t many of this kind. What was all of this for anyway?

"The attributes of the three dolls are in fact not separate but incorporated within a single person itself." The sage explained-"A man must know when to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak. Develop this skill and you will be a wise ruler. Practice it, and you will be able to read and identify your enemies and your friends. If you master this skill, the ruling of your kingdom will then become a less complicated affair."

The story of a stone cutter

Once upon a time, there lived a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with his life. One day, he passes by a beautiful mansion on his way to work. It belonged to a wealthy merchant. He paused in mere amusement, glaring at human creation’s beauty.

From where he stood, he saw delicate possessions, renowned guests, and plenty of workers and servants all set to work. He became envious and deeply worshiped to have everything the wealthy and powerful merchant did.

Suddenly, the stone cutter swept into the merchant, taking over his mind and body. He was aware of the merchant’s innermost feelings, thoughts and memories. He felt the joy of owning all the luxuries in the world money could buy. He knew the pleasure of holding such a respectable position in society. So many honored him while many more envied him.

After a few days of enjoying the merchant’s life, he saw a Sultan carried in a sedan chair accompanied by attendants, soldiers and servants. Despite their power and wealth, everyone was obliged to bow before this figure worshiped as God.

After seeing this, he knew he had been mistaken about the merchant’s power and status. In a split second, he moved into the body of the Sultan, mighty and feared. He knew what it felt like to be exalted and glorified by the entire kingdom, to hold power to pardon or take a man’s life and to be respected by sultans and kings from other lands. And with all this power came exclusive luxury as a bonus that anyone could ever dream of.

One day, he was extreme unease on a hot summer noon. His overweight body made the heat even more intolerable. He looked up at the sun and thought about how it was unaffected by his presence. He then swiftly became the sun, blazing with glory, the source of life and strength of every living creature on the planet.

He continued to radiate until a massive storm gathered below him, hindering the strength of his rays. The storm then burst into the pouring rain. Seeing this, he became the cloud. He felt the incredible power of its existence as it swept along the sky, flooding everything it wished to. There was nothing that could beat the storm.

Not too late did he realize that the entire root of his power was yet another force- wind; the strength of the rain was negligible without the wind. And so he became it, blowing off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees and everything else that came in its way.

Yet another force strangled its ego- a huge towering rock. The wind would low against it with a velocity and force of the ultimate magnitude. The rock would stand still, unmoved and indispensable.

He then became it; a solid, dense, immortal, powerful existential factor on earth. Then, after a while, he heard a familiar sound, the sound that is heard when a set of tools strikes a rock.

"…chink, chink, chink…"

"…chink, chink, chink…"

He then felt himself being chiseled– cut into, re-formed. He looked down at the artist, the figure of a stone cutter!

The hundredth monkey effect

In the year 1980, Lyall Watson was the first biologist to propose the theory of "The Hundredth Monkey Effect", in his book, 'lifetide’. He mentioned about a phenomenon that the Japanese primatologist discovered while studying the Macaque monkey in the wild in the 1990s.

The Japanese snow monkey, Macaca fuscata, was kept under observation for over 30 years. In the year 1952, on the island of Koshima, a group of scientist provided a group of monkeys with sweet potatoes covered in sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the sweet potatoes, but found the dirt unpleasant.

An 18-month-old female monkey found a solution. She washed the potatoes in a nearby stream and shared her discovery with her mother. She also taught it to her playmates who further showed it to their mothers.

This cultural discovery was eventually being picked up many monkeys. At least such was the observation gain by the scientist

Between 1952 and 1958, almost all the young monkeys had learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes. Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults continued to eat dirty sweet potatoes.

Then a startling phenomenon was observed.

In 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes — the exact number is not known. The assumption was that if at the dawn of a particular day, 99 monkeys knew about washing the potatoes, then by the dusk of the same day 100 monkeys knew.

By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them. The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!

Another exemplary fact observed by the scientist was the journey of this knowledge overseas. Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes too!

A hypothesis were then drawn- when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness can be communicated through mental energy.

Although the exact number may vary, the Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon implies that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.

But here lies a point over which even a single addition of a new awareness can significantly strengthen the field of awareness to that extent that it is picked up by almost everyone within a short span of time!

A man and his four wives

 

There lived a successful man who had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and adorned her with beautiful dresses, and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her what she wanted.

He also loved the third wife very much. He was very proud of her and always wanted to show her off to his friends. But, the merchant was always in fear that she might run away with some other men.

He loved his second wife too. She was a very considerate person. It was her with whom the man talked and shared his thoughts. In times of need, he turned to his second wife, and she would help him out and tide him through difficult times.

Although the first wife was a very loyal partner, he hardly gave her much attention. Although the first wife loved him immensely, he was so busy with his three wives that he hardly spent time with her.

As the years passed by the merchant fell ill and was on his death bed. All his life, the man had his four wives beside him, now, he wanted someone to accompany him after his death. Thus, he asked his beloved fourth wife, "I loved you the most and showered great care over you. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the fourth wife, and she walked away without any other word.

The man then asked the third wife, "All my life, I have treasured you with love. Now I’m dying. Will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the third wife. "Life is so good over here! I will find someone else when you die!".

He looked into the second wife’s eyes and before he could ask her to come along with him. She said, "I’m sorry, I can’t come along with you out this time! At the most, I can only accompany you to your grave". The answers from his three wives came like a bolt of thunder, and the man’s heart sank, and he felt cold.

" I will come with you. I will always accompany you through life, death and beyond ." a voice called out. The man looked up, and his first wife stood next to him. She was thin, skinny, weak and malnourished. All his life, he never paid attention to her. He was grieved at the sight of her and regretted that he hadn’t taken more care of her whilst he had the chance.

We all have four wives in our lives.

The fourth wife represents our body. We all need to die, and no matter how much we take care of our body, it’ll leave us when we die.

The third wife is our wealth and possessions. They all go to others when we die.

The second wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we were alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

The first wife is our soul. It is often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and pleasure. It is the only thing that will remain with us wherever we go.

Thus, it is good to nourish our soul now rather than regret it later.

The monkey and the apples

There once lived a free-spirited monkey in a beautiful jungle. He spent his days wandering the wilderness, climbing trees, eating delicious fruits and resting. While wandering around, he came very close to the nearby village. He looked inside a house in the village and saw a bowl of red ripe apples. He couldn’t hold his urge to eat those beautiful-looking fruits, so he grabbed one in each hand and ran back into the forest. He sniffed the apples, but they smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but he hurt his teeth. These apples were made of wood, but they looked delicious. When the other monkeys of the jungle saw the apples, he held them even tighter.

He proudly admired his new possessions as he wandered the jungle. The wooden apples glistened red in the sun and seemed perfect to him. He was so enticed by them that he even forgot about his hunger.

He was walking near a fruit tree when the smell of the ripe fruit reminded him of his hunger. He wanted to grab a ripe banana and eat it, but he had the apples in his hands. He couldn’t let go of the wooden apples to reach for the bananas. He was too afraid to lose the apples and felt the need to protect them. The monkey was very proud of the apples, but he was a less happy monkey while walking along the forest trails.

As he held the apples longer, they started to feel heavier. The poor little monkey thought about keeping it down for a while but letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy.

The poor monkey was unhappy. He was exhausted and hungry and couldn’t climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. The more he looked at the fruits in the jungle, the more he grew hungry. He finally gave up, dropped the wooden apples, and reached for his meal. He was happy again.

Like the little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. We humans, too, seem to take and hold on to our image, pride, possessions, wealth and status but forget to enjoy the most essential things in life; love, compassion, friends and family.

The secret of happiness

Once a young man wanted to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man on the earth. The lad wandered through the desert, mountains, and plains to find the wisest man in the land. He finally reached a beautiful castle on the high atop of a mountain where a very wise man was said to reside.

The young man had imagined the wise man to live like a sage with a modest and quiet lifestyle. But to his surprise, he was not at all like a sage. He saw lots of activities happening in the castle. Tradesmen came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and finally he saw a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in the part of the world.

The wise man conversed with everyone, and the young man had to wait for several hours to meet the wise man. The wise man listened attentively to the young man’s curiosity to know about the secret of happiness. The wise man replied that he didn’t have time to explain the secret of happiness at that moment. But, he suggested the young man have look around his castle and its beauty and uniqueness and return in two hours. He also assigned a task to the man. He handed over a teaspoon to the man which had two drops of oil. The wise man said to the young lad " As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill."

The Young man began climbing and descending the many stairways of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was." Well," asked the wise man, "Did you see the Persian embroideries that are hanging in my dining hall?

Did you see the garden that it took the master gardener ten years to create? Did you notice the beautiful parchments in the library?"

The boy was embarrassed and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man entrusted to him

"Then go back and observe the marvels of my world, "said the wise man."You cannot trust a man if you know nothing about that man and his surroundings."Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time more conscious of the surroundings and observing all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens, the mountains all around him, the beauty of the flowers, and the taste with which everything had been selected. Upon returning to the wise man, he explained in detail everything he had seen." But where are the drops of oil I entrusted to you?" asked the wise man.

Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone." Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you, "said the wisest man.

"The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon."

What is the message here? You have all right to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of the world, but you have to fulfill your duty as well. A Balance needs to be created between everything. You need to take care of your job, family and then society. Many people forget to enjoy the beauty of life and get lost in the rat race of the world. While some lose a sense of responsibility and waste their life without fulfilling their duties. Balance is very important in life. Work, family, health, and enjoyment are equally important. Whatever you are doing, creating balance in life is very important.

Race of life

 

It is hard not to desire victory in all your endeavors when the world seems so competitive and ruthless, especially if you’re a boy growing up with those values. A boy grew up in a similar environment where winning was all that was valued, and he longed to succeed. The boy was good at running, so he called everyone in the nearby villages for a race. A large group of people from around came to see this exciting event!

The boy had been training hard for this race. He ran among the strongest boys from around the villages, and it looked like heat on a finish line, but the young boy came out victorious! The crowd went wild with delight as they cheerfully waived banners praising him. The boy loved the attention. It made him feel happy and vital. 

There were several types of races, sprint, long distances, relays etc. The boy was unbeatable in all the races he competed in. The crowd loved him even more after each victory; they clapped with excitement. The boy felt very proud of his accomplishments. 

But among the crowd was a wise older man who did not seem as impressed with the boy’s fleets as the rest. Just as the boy thought all the races for the day were over. The old man shouted from the crowd, "there is one more race left, the most important one." The boy was initially surprised by the additional race, but he was confident he could win any race.

The old man brought two new competitors for the boy, a blind man and a frail old lady. "What type of race is this? I can easily win them.", the boy exclaimed. "The most important one," said the old man. So, the boy ran the race as he knew he would win this time too. When the boy crossed the finish line, the blind man was still at the start, and the old lady had just started to move. The boy was triumphant, and he raised his hands in ecstasy after his victory when he noticed that the crowd wasn’t cheering. To his disbelief, the crowd was very silent. No one was clapping or cheering for his win. The boy was shocked. So, he asked the old man what had happened. The old man said, "Let’s start the race again, but all three of you finish together this time."

The boy raced again, but he helped and guided the blind man, supported the old lady, and walked along with her this time. Finally, all three crossed the finish line together. The crowd cheered and clapped, which may have been louder than any earlier. The boy was confused. Who is the crowd cheering? All three of them finished the race together. So, he asked the old man, "who is the winner of this race? Who is the crowd cheering for?"

The wise old man put his hands around the boy’s shoulders and answered, "Boy, You have won much more in this race than any other race you have ever run, and in this race, the crowd is not cheering for any winners."

It is not that complicated

An old man was frustrated when he discovered his shoes were torn beyond repair and needed a new pair. He spent a lot of time walking daily, So he knew he had to find the best-fit shoes to support and protect his feet. Unfortunately, getting shoes in those times wasn’t as easy as it is today.

The old man was very educated and held the knowledge of books in the highest regard. He knew that the wrongly sized shoes could be dangerous and could result in blisters and other injuries. So, he bought all the books on how to find perfect-fit shoes. He read dozens of books about measuring his feet right for the ideal shoes. The man even made a measuring stick for measuring the foot and shoes while following the book’s instructions. He went to the market when he was confident in his knowledge to find the best fit for his feet. He was very proud of all the knowledge he had gathered. He thought that hadn’t done this intensive research; he might have had to go barefoot for life.

When he reached the shop, he found a beautiful pair of shoes that fit his taste in aesthetics. But, when he was going to measure the shoes, he realized that he had left his measuring stick at home. Oh, what a pity that his home was a long way back, and he wouldn’t have made it back on time to purchase the shoe on the same day. So, he returned the next day with his measuring stick.

The following day the man went to the market barefoot because his older shoes were unwearable. He had to get the shoe today; otherwise, he will have to walk barefoot until he gets a new shoe. But to his dismay, he couldn’t find the shoes he liked in the shop. So the man inquired about the shoe to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper told him the shoe he had chosen the other day was sold out. The old man was sad. Looking at the man’s despair, the shopkeeper asked him why he didn’t get his favorite pair the other day if he had liked them so much. 

The old man told the man what had happened. How he forgot his measuring stick at home, how important it was to have the correct measurement to get the right shoes and how he couldn’t get measurements without his measuring stick.

The shopkeeper was even more confused and asked," But, your feet were with you; why didn’t you try the shoe on?"

The old man was bewildered and responded, "All the books say that the shoes should have to be measured before getting them."

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "Oh, no! You don’t need to make things so complicated to buy shoes. You need to have your feet, some money, and maybe some common sense to buy the perfect pair of shoes."

A hot plate of rice

Once upon a time, there lived a great king known for being brave and strong. One day he was wandering around the woods by himself. It was unprecedented for someone of such stature to do so. However, the King had his reasons. Instead of relying on his advisers, who would embellish or even fabricate information to please him, he secretly travelled among his people to gather information directly from them. This way, he gained unfiltered insights into what was going on in his kingdom and what people thought.

But this time, he found that he had lost his way. It was getting dark, and he hadn’t planned to spend the night in the forest since it was riskier at night. So he went to the top of a hill, he looked around but couldn’t see any people or villages. Then, he could see the light from a great distance after some time. The King thought the light must be coming from a human settlement, so he walked in the direction of the light and soon came to a hut.

As he approached the shack, he noticed an older woman cleaning up outside the hut.

The old lady did not recognize the King but thought he was a soldier and welcomed him with warm hospitality. She provided her guest with clean water for cleaning and prepared a comfortable mattress for relaxing.

After a while, she served a steaming hot rice and curry dish in front of him.

The King was famished as he hadn’t eaten all day, so he hastily put his fingers on the hot food. However, the hot food burnt his hand, and he dropped some rice on the floor.

"Oh, you seem very impatient and hasty like your king," the old lady observed. That’s why you burned your fingers and lost some food."

The King was taken aback by the lady’s words and asked, "Why do you believe our king is impatient and hasty?" 

The old lady grinned and replied, "My darling son, our King has a big dream of taking all his enemy forts.

By doing so, he concentrates on taking the larger, more prominent forts while disregarding the smaller ones.

The King was confused and interrupted the lady, "But, Is’ntIs’nt That’sThat’s a nice thing, I don’t see the problem with it."

With a smile, she replied, "The impatience that caused you to burn your fingertips also caused you to squander a portion of the meal. Similarly, the King’s haste to crush his foes led to the deaths of many of his soldiers."

Instead, If you eat less hot food on the outer edge and then steadily move to the hotter middle, you can avoid burning your fingers and wasting food.

Similarly, the King has to first focus on the smaller forts to consolidate his power. When the King takes over the small villages, forts, and other settlements, providing supplies and information to the stronger fortresses, the enemy’s morale gradually deteriorates, making it simpler to capture them. This will help him take over the larger forts without suffering heavy casualties among his force.

After hearing this, the King realized his mistake and learned the importance of patience and not acting hastily. So he thanked the woman for her wisdom and left the next morning. After that day, he always made plans to grow his kingdom steadily rather than prematurely acting on impulses. 

The king’s painting

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom where there lived a king who only had one leg and one eye. But his skill, intelligence, and generosity made him a competent ruler. As a result, the people in his kingdom lived a joyful and healthy life under his rule. Then, one day while the King was walking in his palace, he noticed the portraits of his ancestors along the hallway. The paintings of his ancestors sparked a thought in the King’s mind. He thought that his children would walk the same corridor one day and remember all their ancestors through these portraits.

But, the King never had his portrait painted because he had never thought of getting one. No one had ever suggested he get one painted because they were unsure how it would turn out due to his physical abnormalities. The King wanted a portrait of him because he wished his younger generation to remember him when they see his painting.

So the King sent an invitation to all the painters from across the kingdoms to his court. He announced that he wanted a beautiful portrait made of himself that would be placed in the palace. So any painter who wants to paint his picture should come forward. The painter will be rewarded based on how good the painting will turn out.

The painters started to panic and thought about making the King with only one leg and one eye look beautiful. How can his picture be beautiful? It is not possible. They were also scared that the King may get angry and punish them if the portrait did not turn out beautiful. So one by one, all the painters started to make excuses and politely declined to make a painting of the King.

But one young painter raised his hand and said that he would make a beautiful portrait of the King that the King would like. The King was finally happy hearing that at least one of the painters was interested in making his painting. The other painters got curious about how this young painter would make a beautiful painting of the King. King excitedly permitted him, and the painter started drawing the portrait. He then filled the drawing with paints. Finally, after a long wait, he said that the picture was ready!

All of the courtiers, and other painters were curious and nervous about how the painting would turn out. How will the portrait look beautiful with all the physical abnormalities of the King? What if the King doesn’t like the art and gets angry? They curiously waited for the big reveal. Finally, the painter uncovered the painting in front of the court. Everyone in the court, including the King, was left stunned, looking at the picture.

The young painter had made a portrait in which the King was sitting on the horse, on the one-leg side, holding his bow and aiming the arrow with his one eye closed. Indeed archery and horse riding were few of the skills the King possessed. Nevertheless, the King was delighted to see that the painter had made a beautiful portrait by creatively presenting the King’s abnormalities. The King adored the picture, and the painter received a very generous reward.

Indeed, it was a beautiful portrait.

How beautiful the world will look if we could ignore others’ weaknesses and celebrate their strength. The world will be more beautiful if you ignore the flaws in others and see their strength.

The emperor and a beggar

In the dusty streets of a large city lived a beggar procuring alms and rice daily from passersby. Most of the days he was he was unable to gain enough food for a meal, and enough coppers to buy some firewood to cook and keep him warm. At night, he slept under the sky with only a rag to cover him. His life was difficult, but he had grown used to it over the many years.

One day, the beggar heard the news that the emperor was coming to town for a rare visit. "I am sure the generous emperor will see the state I am in and grant a generous gift. The richest of all men will bestow some sympathy and relief on me in a manner that would undoubtedly surpass the paltry givings of the regular citizens.", he thought.

He made plans to seat himself along the route the Emperor will be traversing, so that the emperor do not miss to notice the beggar’s misery. He gathered all his belongings and set his spot on the street before the night before the procession.

The royal caravan finally approached and stopped right in front of him around the midday. While the beggar had expected no more than a little gift to support his life on the streets from the Emperor’s servants, he was speechless when the cavalcade halted beside him, and the great ruler himself emerged in front of him.

The Emperor approached the beggar shook the poor man’s hand, touched him gently on the shoulder and looked into his eyes , he said "Tell me, kind sir, May I have a little gift of rice?"

For a moment, the beggar didn’t understand what the Emperor had just said. The Emperor motioned to his bowl with some rice, urging him on. "Can you please spare some grains of rice?" the powerful man insisted.

The beggar could barely believe what was happening to him. He was expecting the great Emperor to ask him anything. He had only a handful of grains to his name but he was being beseeched by he who had everything. The beggar slowly took the bowl into his hands and stared at the little rice he had.

He knew he could not deny the Emperor’s request by any means. He was barely able to hide his indignation but he reluctantly counted out five grains of rice and dropped them into the hands of the Emperor.

The Emperor thanked him and shook his hand once more and went on his way. Confused, hurt and angry, the beggar watched the caravan disappeared into the dust and left him alone with nothing more than he had before.

That night, while he was cleaning his rice for his dinner, he noticed something glinting in his bowl. He looked closer and a thrill shot through him when he dug put the tiny gold nugget out of his bowl.

The gold nugget was enough for him to buy him a few months off the street.

"There must be more of it" he thought and started to sift through the rice in search of more gold. He found four more pieces of gold nuggets inside his rice bowl.

As he stared down at the small fortune in his bowl, it dawned on him: there were five gold nuggets. One for each grain of rice he had offered the Emperor.

Leather pathway

Once upon a time there lived a king who ruled a happy and a prosperous kingdom. The people of kingdom were very happy and lived a life with abundance of wealth and misfortune.

One day the king decided to travel and visit various places in his kingdom. He visited various historical and pilgrim centers in his kingdom. He went to distant and remote places where his chariot couldn’t reach, so the king visited many of those sites on foot.

Traversing long distance on foot was a wonderful experience for the king. He got to interact with his people and learnt about their life and problems. Many people were very happy to meet the king and expressed how they were very happy under his rule. But, the king wasn’t used to long walks. He got a severe pain on his leg. He could not tolerate the pain as he walked all the way through the rough path.

He complained to his ministers that the roads weren’t comfortable and were very stony. The king also expressed his concerns for the people who had to walk along those roads every day. For the convenience of the people, the king ordered to cover all the roads in his kingdom with leather. The king believed that this will make his people’s life more convenient.

The ministers were stunned to hear the absurd order from the king. Not only was the king’s fantasy of having the leather pathway expensive. it would destroy life of many cattle to get sufficient leather.

A wise king’s advisor came to the king and said that he had a better idea. He took the size of the king’s feet and made a nice comfortable leather shoes. He made the king wear those shoes and walk on the rough paths. The king admired the comfortable leather shoes as he did not feel any pain walking on it. The king applauded the genius idea that saved money and thousands of cattle lives.

The fight with the fate

Once, a small village farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender was old, unmarried and fancied of marrying the farmer’s beautiful daughter. One day the farmer went to the moneylender to ask him for some more time to return the loan. The money lender pretended to be furious for a while and then proposed a bargain. He said that if the farmer would not repay his debt, he would be punished or he had an option to let the money lender marry his daughter and all his debt would be waived.

Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. There was no way the farmer could pay back the money soon and he did not want his beautiful daughter to marry the old and cruel money lender.

The cunning moneylender suggested that they let the providence decide the matter. In an attempt to persuade the farmer to accept his deal, the money lender made an attractive condition in deciding the fate of the father and daughter. He would keep a black and a white pebble in a bag. The girl then had to choose a pebble which would decide her fate. If she picked the black pebble, she would have to marry the money lender and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked the white pebble she did not need marry the money lender and her father’s debt would still be forgiven. If she refuses t pick the pebble, the farmer would be thrown into jail.

They were standing on a path scattered with pebbles. The moneylender even called the nearby villagers to witness the event, so that no party could walk away from their words. The money lender bent over, picked two pebbles and kept it in a money bag. The sharp eyed girl noticed that he had picked two black pebbles instead of a black and a white. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag.

The girl was confused what to do. She knew that she was being cheated by the money lender. She thought for a while and then kept her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking or showing it to anyone, she fumbled and let it fall into the pebble-strewn path where it got lost among the other pebbles.

" Oh, I am sorry, how clumsy of me", she said. " But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, we will know which pebble I picked."

The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty in front of the villagers. The black pebble in the bag made it look like the girl had chosen the white pebble. She did not have to marry the old moneylender and her father 's debt was waived. The villagers were there to witness the whole event which made the moneylender to keep his words.

The girl changed seemingly impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.

There is always a way out of problems, don’t give up your hopes and keep trying to look for solutions.

Purpose of life

Once upon a time, there lived a wise man. He was the head of the local administration of a small village. Everyone respected him and his views and opinions were well regarded. Many people came to him seeking for advice.

His son, however, was very lazy and wasted his time sleeping and spending time with his friends. No amount of advice or threat made any difference to him. He wouldn’t change at all.

The years passed, and with time faded the youth of the wise man. As he grew older, he began to worry about his son’s future. He recognized the need to give something to his son so that he can take care of himself and his family to be.

One day, he called his son to his room and said-"My son, you are no more a kid now. You must learn to take responsibilities and understand life."

"I want you to find the real purpose of your life and when you find it remember it always and you will lead a life full of happiness and joy."

Then he handed his son a bag. When the son opened the bag, he was surprised to see 4 pair of clothes, one for each season. There also were some raw food, grains, lentils, little money and a map. His father continued-"I want you to go find a treasure. I have drawn a map of the place where the treasure is hidden, you need to go and find it."

The son loved this idea. The next day, he eagerly set out on a journey to find the treasure. He had to travel really far across borders, forests, plateaus and mountains.

Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. Along the way, he met a lot of people. He was helped by some with food and by some with shelter. He also came across robbers who tried to rob him.

Slowly the season changed and so did the landscapes along with it. When the weather was unpleasant, he halted for the day and continued his journey when the weather cleared.

Finally, after a long year, he reached his destination. It was a cliff. The map showed the treasure being placed below the cliff under the tree. Upon spotting the tree, he began to dig the ground. He searched and searched- around it, under it, on it- but found nothing. He spent two days looking and digging for the treasure. By the third day, he was so exhausted that he decided to leave.

Disappointed over his father’s lie, he headed back to his home. On his way back, he experienced the same changing landscapes and seasons. This time, however, he halted to enjoy the blooming flowers in spring and the dancing birds in monsoon. He stayed in places only to watch the sun set in paradise or to enjoy pleasant summer evenings.

Since, the supplies he carried were over by then, he learned to hunt and make arrangement for his meals. He also learned how to sew his clothes and shelter himself. He was now able to determine the hour of the day by the position of the sun and plan his journey accordingly. He also learned how to protect himself from wild animals.

He met the same people who had helped him earlier. This time he stayed a few days with them and helped them in some or the other way to repay them. He realized how nice they were to an ordinary passerby who had nothing to offer to them in return.

When he reached home, he realized it had been two years since he left the place. He walked straight into his father’s room. "Father", – He said

The father immediately jumped to his feet and hugged his son.

"So how was your journey my son, did you find the treasure" he asked.

"The journey was fascinating father. But forgive me for I wasn’t able to find the treasure. Maybe somebody took it before I reached." He surprised himself by what he just said. He wasn’t angry at his father. Instead, he was asking for forgiveness.

"There wasn’t’ any treasure in the very first place my son"-father answered smiling.

"But why did you send me to find it then", he asked.

"I will surely tell you why, but first you tell me, how was your journey to the place? Did you enjoy it?"

"Of course not father! I had no time. I was worried someone else would find the treasure before I did. I was in a hurry to reach the cliff." He continued-"but I did enjoy the journey on my way back home. I made many friends and witnessed miracles every day. I learned so many different skills and the art of survival. There was so much I learnt that it made me forget the pain of not finding the treasure."

The father said to him- "Exactly my son. Want you to lead your life with a goal. But if you remain too focused on the goal, then you will miss out the real treasures of life. The truth is, life has no goal at all, other than to just experience it and grow with it every single day."

Painting a boat

Once a young man was asked to paint a boat of an affluent man. 

The young man got some red paint and brushes and began to paint the boat, as requested by the owner. While painting, he discovered a tiny hole in the ship’s hull and quietly fixed it. After completion of the painting, the young man received the money for the paint job and left.

The boat’s owner showed up at the painter’s house the next day with a substantial check, far greater than the painting payment. "You’ve already given me money for painting the boat, Sir!" said the surprised painter. "But this isn’t for the paint job; it’s for repairing the hull in the boat."

"But it was such a little service… It’s not worth paying me that much for something so insignificant?" said the young man.

"My dear boy, you do not understand the significance of your act. Let me tell you what happened. 

I forgot to mention the hole when I asked you to paint the boat. When you were done with the paint, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip once the paint had dried out. They were unaware of there being a hole. I was not there at that time. When I returned and discovered that my children had taken the boat, I was distressed because I remembered it had a hole. I tried to contact them several times but couldn’t reach them. Imagine my delight when I saw them return from their fishing trip. After that, I carefully examined the boat and discovered that you had repaired the hole. You see, now, what you did? You protected my children’s lives! I don’t have enough money to repay for your thoughtful act."

So, No matter what, who, when or how. Keep your spirit up to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen and carefully repair any leaks you find. Because sometimes, the smallest act of kindness and thoughtfulness may be worth more to others. 

You may have repaired many "boat holes" on your way even without realizing how many lives you may have impacted. Similarly, many may have fixed holes in your boat without realizing it. So, be grateful and keep being kind and thoughtful.

Heart Touching Father and Son Story

 

A young man was soon going to graduate college. For many months he used to admire a very beautiful sports car. He knew that his father can afford it so he told him that he wanted that car. As graduation day was near he awaited for signs that his father has bought that car for him. Finally it was graduation day.

On the morning of graduation his father called him to his study. There he told his son that how proud he is to have such good son and how much he loved him. After telling this father handed a wrapped gift box to his son as graduation present.

Curious son opened that gift. He found a Bible with beautiful leather cover. Angrily son in raised voice said to his father, “With all the money you bought me a Bible?” and left house at that instant, leaving book there.

Years passed by he never returned home. Young man become a very successful businessman in mean time. He had a beautiful home and family. Years after he realized that he should go to him as he never returned after leaving the house on graduation day.

Before he could make arrangements to return home to his father he received telegram. In telegram there was message for him informing him about his father death. It was to inform him that his father willed all his possession to his son and he should come home as soon as he can to take care of things.

He returned home but on reaching home his heart was filled with regrets and sadness. He began to search for important papers and saw that the bible his father gifted was still new and he had left it years ago.

With tears he opened the Bible and began to turn pages and as he read those words suddenly a car key dropped from envelope which was stick behind the bible. It had a tag with dealer’s name, same one who had sports car he desired. The date on tag was of his graduation day with words written on it, “PAID IN FULL”.

Moral:

Sometimes we miss blessings just because they are not packed as we expected. We should take time to think and should not get angry and act at instant. Its better to think before act than to regret later.

Life is Beautiful Live it to the Fullest

Once upon a time in a small village lived a very wise man. He was head of local administration and was respected by all. People used to come to him at times to seek good advise on different aspects of life.

But ironically his own son was lazy and nothing was there to make difference in his ignorant attitude. As year passed by old man got worried about his son future. To take care of family he needed to make his son realize his responsibility. So one day he asked his only son to come to him and said, “Son you are grown up man now, and need to understand your responsibilities.”

Surprised and amazed by his father words he said, “Father how will i manage without you. I will be lost without you.”

Now his father replied, “I want you to find real purpose of your life and when you find it, always remember it and it will lead you to life to happiness and joy.”

Next day, his father gave him a bag. When son opened it there were 4 pair of clothes for each season and some raw food, grains and some money and a map. As son was wondering his father said, “I want you to find a treasure.” And that map is of place where the treasure is hidden and you need to go and find it.

Next day, son set out on his journey eager to find the mystery treasure. He traveled across many rivers, forests, mountains to reach his destination. He prayed for well being of his father and wanted to show his finding on when he reach home.

On his journey he met many people some helped him with food and gave him shelter and also met thief’s and robbers who stole his belongings. He wanted to reach there before anyone else. Finally after a long year, He reached the cliff where he could find his treasure but couldn’t find any treasure there.

Tired and devastated by his father’s lie, he headed back home. On his way back he went through same landscapes and weather but this time he stopped and enjoyed the nature like peaceful summer evenings, blooming of flowers etc.

This time he learned to hunt his own food, sew his own clothes ad protect himself from harsh weather. He learned to calculate time of day and also protect himself from wild animals and harmful plants and shrubs.

He met same people who helped him on his way and this time he stopped and spend some days with them, help them with their chores and also show them gratitude. He realized how wonderful were those people who helped passer by without any expectation in return.

Almost after 2 years he reached home. He went straight to his father room. He walked up to him slowly and whispered, “Father” being careful not to disturb his sleep. The wise man opened his eyes and as he saw his son and embraced him.

Father asked, “So, how was your journey son? Did you find treasure?”

Son replied, “Journey was fascinating but forgive me father, i couldn’t find any treasure. May be someone took it before i reached there.”

He was surprised at his own answer because he was asking for his father forgiveness in stead of getting angry at him.

His father smiled and asked him to sit on chair next to him and said, “That’s because there was no treasure.”

Son questioned, “Then why did you send me there?”

Father replied, “I will tell you but first tell me how was your journey while you were going to find treasure. Did you enjoyed landscapes and meet new people made friends?”

Son replied, “No father, I didn’t got distracted. I was focused on reaching my destination as soon as possible. I didn’t have time to enjoy and make friends.

BUT

Yes i must admit that i did all this on my way back to home. I enjoyed my journey back and learned many new skills and mastered art of survival, so much that i forgot the pain of not finding treasure.”

His father held his hand and said, “Exactly my son ,You wanted to know how to lead life and find your goals…but if you lead your life going after a goal on this journey called life , you miss out the real treasures on the way because you are so focused on finding the goal. When the truth is that life has no goal at all, other than to just live it and grow with it each day.”

Moral:

To be what You were Born to be and to Explore your Full potential each day is Life’s only Goal

Business Success – Old Man Debt

Once a businessman got caught in debt real deep and he was not able to think of any way out to sort out that debt. So one day he went out and sat in the park to think if he could do anything to save his company from bankruptcy.

While he was sitting in park, an old man came to him and said to him, “I can see that something is troubling you..”

Businessman was sad and depressed so he told that old man everything about his problem while old man listened to him patiently.

Old man smiled and replied, “I believe i can help you..”

Old man put his hand into his pocket and took out a cheque book and asked that businessman his name then giving that cheque to businessman, old man said, “Take this money. Meet me here exactly after one year from today and you can pay be back at that time..”

After handing that cheque old man got up and walked away. Businessman had mixed feelings. He looked at that cheque and saw that it was cheque of 500,000 $.. signed by Warren Buffet (richest man in the world).

Businessman realized that with half million he can easily get out of his debt but instead he decided to put that cheque in his safe and to use it only in case of emergency.

With that cheque businessman felt more confident. With changed thinking businessman went back and in his business he was able to think better and negotiated better deals. He started reconstructing his business and worked really hard with full zeal and enthusiasm and with time got several big deals.

Within few months businessman was able to get out of his debt and also started making money back.

Year passed, as promised businessman returned to park after exact one year with same cheque which old man gave him. As agreed old man also appeared. Businessman was very happy to see old man and told him about his success story.

As businessman was about to hand old man back that cheque.. a nurse came running up and grabbed old man by his hand and said “I am so glad i caught him.. I hope he hasn’t been bothering you much. He always escaped from mental hospital and tell people that he is Warren Buffet..” and Nurse took that old man away.

Businessman was stunned.. All year long he was dealing with all this problems thinking that he had half million dollars with him..

Moral:

It’s not just Money but our Attitude and Self-confidence that gives us Power to Achieve Anything we want.

What to Focus On “In Life”

 

One day a professor entered in classroom and told students about surprise test. After hearing that all students were seated and waited for test to begin. Now, professor gave test paper to all students with text facing down at desk. Once he was done with handing out test to all students, he asked them to turn test page and begin.

Student’s were confused to see that there was not question but just a black dot in center of page.

Professor noticed student’s face expression and told them, “I want you to write about what you see there..”

Students were still confused but got started with test. At the end of class, professor took all answer sheets and started reading each answer from each sheet in front of all students. All of them described about black dot and tried to explain its position etc.. After professor finish reading and whole class was silent.

Now, professor begin to explain, “Don’t worry, I am not going to give you grade for this but i just want you to think about something. Here everyone focused on black dot wrote about it but no one wrote about the white paper, same is with our lives. We have a white paper to observe yet we just focus on dark spot here white paper represents our whole life and black spot represents problems in our life. As today all wrote about just black spot and no one noticed the whole white sheet same is with our lives.

Our life is a gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing itself everyday, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see everyday..

Still we just focus on day to day problem like health issues, lack of money, problems in relationships etc. but we never see that these problems are very small compared to everything we have in our lives.”

Moral:

We should try to take eyes off from our problems and Enjoy each one of your blessings, Each moment that life gives you.. Be happy and Live Life Positively..

Inspiring Story – Small Things

Once a woman saw that bus stop near her house had no bench. So she bought a small bench and installed it at bus stop near her house. Everyone used to ask her reason and she would reply, “It’s my neighborhood. Who better to tend it than me?”

When bench was installed – mothers, kids, homeless, teenagers and many other would sit there and wait for bus.

One day, lady saw that bench was covered with bold letters written with spray paint. Lady went home and bought back solvent and gloves and scrubbed it off.

Later many time it would be covered with spray paint, lady would scrub that off. One day, she found that bench corners were broken, she re-mortared it.

Passengers came and went, some left garbage. Lady would go and pick that up and would say, “I want it to be beautiful and clean here.. If i don’t pick it up then from who can i expect to pick it up..”

Some days later, she found that bench slab corners was broken. Lady cursed and cried and she wasn’t sure anymore what to do.. For week that bench parts sat there broken and no one came forward to mend it.

Finally that lady asked some neighbors for help and loaded it into her van and then drove it to a mason and asked him to cut off broken part and make a shorter bench and then they reinstalled it.

People began sitting on it again and comfort themselves while waiting..

Just two days later she saw that bench was off it’s leg from one side. She tired to move but was not able to do it. She looked at bench and light graffiti marks left on it and then she walked home and fetched her husband to help her set it back in place with another round of mortar.

Evil or destruction is easy. It is fast and frequently dramatic but goodness is tenacious. It grows out of the humble, persistent efforts of individuals (often unseen and unsung) who are determined to bring beauty and care taking to the people that they touch and the communities in which they live.

The Rock in the Road Story

It was reign of King Paul. People lived happily under his reign. He was so conscious about keeping them happy and considered the people in his reign as his own family. He took utmost care to fulfill every need of his fellowmen.

However, often, King Paul used to hear tantrums from his court men that people in his kingdom are bullying him for various reasons and seem to be dissatisfied for nothing. He decided to find out what make his fellowmen feel displeased. One day, he decided to take a round visit to examine what the people concerned about him. He started his travel to visit the towns and cities in disguise. He could not see any men unhappy and this made the king so happy. It was half way through the journey and he was delighted to see happy men.

He decided to place a huge Rock on the mid of the road to test the people who pass by the road. His soldiers placed a huge rock on the road and all of them got hidden in the nearby place to watch what happens next.

The rock almost covers half of the road and caused a disturbance in riding vehicles. Many wealthy people in his reign came by the road; still they simply walked around the boulder. Nobody really seemed to be cared about the rock disturbing the movements of vehicle.

There were some of the wealthiest people who pass by the road. Also, King’s court men also saw the rock and did nothing to move it away from the middle of the road. In addition, they bad-mouthed about the king for not maintaining the road properly. These are the people who king believed to be his loyal group and well-wishers!

The king was shocked to hear these words.

A fruit seller passed by the road with his loads of fruits. He stopped himself when he saw the huge rock. Then he put aside his burden, and tried to move the stone. After several attempts of pushing, lifting and moving the rock, he succeeded in removing the obstacle from the road.

He saw a huge bag placed under the rock. He took the bag and was extremely surprised. The bag had a note saying, ‘Here is the gift for you! It has 1000 gold coins and it is for the one who removes this obstacle from the road!’

The fruit seller was so happy and he was invited by the King for a feast and rewarded nicely.

Moral:

Every obstacle we face in our life has an opportunity!

Little Girl Necklace

Menu is a sweet, lovable and beautiful girl, aged six years. She is an adorable kid as she obeys every word of the elders. Menu’s parents loved her for her amazing behavior.

One day her mother took her to grocery shopping. As they passed the shops, Menu noted a cute plastic pearl necklace in dazzling pink! She asked her mother to buy her the necklace. Her mother told her it cost a few pennies and she asked her to do some chores, so that for every completed work Menu will get some money and she could buy the pink necklace.

Menu prepared a to-do list and assisted her mom with all the chores. Her mom was so happy and she paid enough money to buy the pink necklace. Menu happily purchased the desired necklace and wore it just everywhere, every time, except while taking bath. Her mom told that her neck would turn pink and the pearls would lose its sheen if she wore it while bathing. She wore it even while sleeping.

Menu was known for her kindness and respect to elders. Her dad wanted to play with her. Her daddy used to tell her bed time stories frequently.

One day, after completing a story, her dad asked how much she loved him. Menu replied, ‘you know how much I love you’.

Dad asked, ‘Then give me your pearl necklace please!’

Menu replied, ‘Please daddy, I love you so much but please don’t ask pearls. I will give you the pink Barbie which you bought me a month ago.’

Dad replied, ‘Fine sweetheart.’ and left.

After a few days, the same conversation was held between Menu and her dad.

Again, Menu refused to give her pearl necklace and instead asked her dad to take her pet.

Dad kissed her and left with smile.

This conversation was repeated several times.

One day, she slept while her dad was reading her a story. As he was about to leave her room, Menu in her sleep, said, ‘Here dad, please don’t take the pearl necklace.’ She was holding the necklace in her hands. Her dad with a big smile gently without disturbing her sleep, took off the pearl necklace from her hand. The next moment, she woke up and asked, ‘Dad what are you doing?’

Dad replied, ‘darling your pearl necklace had fallen on the floor, I was just picking!’

Dad, by hiding the plastic necklace taken by Menu’s hand, immediately opened the jewel box placed near her bed and handed over the real and precious pink pearl necklace to Menu, and said, ‘Sweetheart, here is your necklace!’

She replied, ‘Thank you dad!’

Menu’s dad had been trying for a long time to make her give up the cheap pearl necklace for the real one. Finally, she gave-up fake and grabbed the real one.

Moral:

God wants us to give up all those fake and cheap things we hold very preciously in our life. It can be habits, hatreds, harming relationships, activities, negative thoughts, etc. He will provide us genuine things to give up the fake!