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Thursday, December 23, 2010

Stanislavsky Lech - 25 Miles to Freedom , Power of Question

Anthony Robbins tells a story of a Krakow Death Camp escapee. His name was Stanislavsky Lech, and when his home was stormed and the Nazis herded him with his family into Krakow, he watched as they were all murdered. He was put to work. Eventually, he was weak and starving, in addition to his grief, and a thought crossed his mind that he would not survive one more day in Krakow.

He changed his question from "How can there be such a terrible place" to "How can we escape from such a place?" At first the answer was the same, "There is no escape." He kept asking in slightly different ways, "How can I do it?"

Soon, he smelled rotting flesh a few feet from where he was working, and noticed that the bodies of those who had been recently gassed were piled into the back of a truck. Again, he changed the "How can God allow this to happen?" to "How can I use this to help me escape?"
When he returned from work the next evening, the truck was there. He pulled off his clothes when no one was looking and, pretending to be dead, climbed into the pile of dead bodies. He waited while the cold of the corpses pressed against him, and the smell invaded his body. The ride to the open grave wasn't long, and he was dumped along with the others. He waited until it had been quiet for some time before he dared to look around.

They were gone. He got up and ran, naked, 25 miles to freedom that night.

He was able to free himself, in part, because he asked a different question. Our intuition, or higher self, will always answer our questions. Just as it is helpful to know what we really want, it is also helpful to know where we could use some help.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Does God Exist

Does God Exist?

A man went to do his hair cut.  As always, he and the barber chatted about many things.  While talking they come to subject of God and the barber said that there is  no God.  God doesn't exits!  If God exists, why there is suffering and crime.  If god existed, there wouldn't be much suffering.

The man fell into thought for a while and then said:

You know something? Barbers don’t exist.

Barber: - What do you mean, don’t exist? I’m here, and I’m a barber.

Man: - They don’t exist! – insisted the man. – Because if they did, there wouldn’t be people with such long beards and such tangled hair.

Barber: - I can guarantee that barbers do exist. But these people never come in here.

Man : - Exactly! So, in answer to your question, God exists, too. It just so happens that people don’t go to Him. If they did, there wouldn’t be so much misery in the world and they would be more giving.

Yes! God is there.  God exits. But men are not seeking God. 

Friday, December 10, 2010

Power of Help, Appreciate the Help of Others

"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
~Maya Angelou


This is a powerful message in our modern society. We seemed to have lost our bearing & our sense of direction.

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the first interview, the director did the last interview, for he made the last decision.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent all the way, from secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "none".

The director asked, " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" The youth answered, "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, " Where did your mother work?" The youth answered, "My mother worked as a clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" The youth answered, "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, "I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother's hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.--

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to the kid.

The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother's hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time.

Next morning, the youth went to the director's office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth's eyes, asked: " Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?"

The youth answered, " I cleaned my mother's hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes'

The Director asked, " please tell me your feelings."

The youth said,

Number 1, I know now what is appreciation. Without my mother, there would not be the successful me today.

Number 2, by working together and helping my mother, only now I realize how difficult and tough it is to get her work done.

Number 3, I have come to appreciate the importance and value of family relationship.

The director said, " This is what I am looking for in a manager. I want to recruit a person who can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the sufferings of others to get things done, and a person who would not put money as his only goal in life. You are hired.

Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates. Every employee worked diligently and as a team. The company's performance improved tremendously.

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wants, would develop "entitlement mentality" and would always put himself first. He would be ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes that every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the sufferings of his employees and would always blame others. For these kind of people, who may be good academically, they may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel a sense of achievement. They will grumble and be full of hatred and fight for more. If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying the kid instead?

You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch a big screen TV. But when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plates and bowls together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love them in a right way. You want them to understand, no matter how rich their parents are, one day their hair will grow gray, same as the mother of that young person. The most important thing is your kid learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the ability to work with others to get things done.


Monday, November 15, 2010

How Would You Like to Be Remembered When You Are Gone

Taken from Nitro Noble's House Journal (Alfred Noble's Company) Sweden May 1977
 
How Would You Like to Be Remembered When You Are Gone ?

Are you startled by this question?
Have you ever given this a little thought ?
 
If you haven't, I would be serious when I suggest that you should give this a hard good look and cast this statement in your mind. "When I am gone I would like people to remember me as….."

About a 100+ years ago, a man looked at the morning newspaper and to his dismay and horror, he read his name in the front page. "Dynamite Kind Dies." 
 
This was cast in a square grey tinted box with a thick black line on the borders."

His first response was awesomely shocking. "Am I there or here? When he regained his composure after a while, his next thought was to actually find out what people said of him, what people thought of him

The obituary news read as follows:

"He was the merchant of death. This man was the inventor of the dynamite. One most cruel invention that could kill people while it was being made, and even many more when it was used. A substance of mass killing, and a deadly weapon in the hands of those who wishes to create terror and rule the scene…. The story continued with several curses added to it.

He asked himself, "Is this how people view me?
 
Is this the way they will think of me?
 
Is this the way they will remember me?

He decided then and there that he would change the situation made a firm resolve to clear the stigma that was being associated with his name. 
 
From that day on he started working towards peace, and sure enough he left an indelible mark on this planet. He is remembered even this day as Alfred Noble. 
 
He gave his entire earnings to establish a foundation that would work for peace in the world, and today too it awards prizes for achievers all over the world for their unique contributions to the welfare of mankind. He lives on even today through this mission and the Noble prizes are awarded in his honor.


Just as Alfred Noble redefined his values, I believe all of us should step back and do the same taking a leaf out of this man's true story.

What will be your legacy?
How would you like to be remembered?
Will you be spoken off well?
Will you be remembered with love and respect?
Will you be missed?

Never Give Up

This story is about a farmer and his mule. The effectiveness of the story lies in the way it focuses upon adversity and how attitude determines the course of seemingly lost cause. There was this farmer in a tiny village.

He owned an old mule that used to carry grains and other farming related stuff for the farmer. During one of those days, the mule fell into a well. The well ran deep and despite trying hard many a times, mule couldn’t get himself out the well. He started to lose hope. His consistent shrieks drew attention of the farmer who came rushing to the well.

Farmer looked around and tried to come up with a rescue plan but eventually, he also lost the hope. He decided that the old mule was not worth the trouble of saving. So, he called his neighbours and asked for their help in hauling dirt to bury the old mule.

The mule got hysterical. Soon enough, the farmer and the neighbours started to shovel and fill the well with the dirt. When the first bout of dirt hit mule’s back, suddenly his fast losing spirit came up with an idea. He thought every time a shovel load of dirt will land on his back, he will just shake it off and step up a bit higher. The idea filled him with a new lease of life and hope.

Old mule kept doing the same blow after blow. He would just shake the dirt off and step up a notch higher. He kept reminding himself of possibility of a brand new life. He controlled his nerves and kept stepping up. After some time, the exhausted mule managed to step over the wall of that well. He was completely tired and fatigued yet his spirit triumphed. The dirt that was meant to bury him actually helped him in remaining alive.

The story is a clear example of how our attitude towards seemingly impossible adversities determines the final outcome. Life is like this only. If we respond positively to the stream of problems faced by us and refuse to surrender, we are likely to emerge victorious.

How to Deal With Unwanted Situations

By: Sudha Menon

When I was staying in Calcutta, taking classes on the Isha Vasya Upanishad, a man came to see me.


He said, “I have a problem. I don’t sleep well at night because I live in an area where there are plenty of street dogs. Every night they start barking, and keep barking till sunrise. I am already a very light sleeper, and I simply can’t get any rest because of this noise.”


He was told, “Go home and try this tonight. When you hear the barking, just drop the anger, the negative feelings that rise up in you. Just listen to the barking sound without resisting. Tell yourself that the dogs are barking; that’s all. Don’t allow yourself to react. The problem is not the barking, but your resistance to it.”


The man went back tried what was said. After a few days he came back and reported, “I tried dropping my resistance as you said. Instead of thinking, ‘How dare those stupid dogs spoil my sleep?’ I tried changing my thoughts gradually:

‘The dogs are barking. It is spoiling my sleep.…’

‘The dogs are barking…’

‘Some animals are creating some sounds…’
 
By the time I came to that sentence, I think I fell asleep. Anyway,
 
I’ve been having excellent sleep all these days. “

This can happen with you also. Any situation can be dealt with, if you know how to drop your negativity, if you know how to drop your negative reaction to it. This is the key to open the Manipuraka chakra.


But the mind is so eager to harbor, to settle down in familiar patterns of inner chatter. This is the basis of the working of worry. The mind always looks to typecast things. It needs comparison all the time between past, present and future and this comparison, this reference, this judgment, gives birth to worry.


Worries are nothing but familiar dwelling patterns for our mind. These familiar patterns are called engrams in the field of human psychology. Engrams are the engraved memories of the past, which serve as an undesirable resource inside us for all our present and future actions. Because of these stored engrams, we react illogically in the present.

Clear Mind, Clean Mind

Once Buddha was walking from one town to another town with a few of his followers.  While they were traveling, they happened to pass a lake. They stopped there and Buddha told one of his disciples, “I am thirsty. Go and get me some water from that lake there.”


The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy, very turbid. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink!”


So he came back and told Buddha, “The water in there is very muddy. I don’t think it is fit to drink.” After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake.


This time too he found that the lake was muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same. After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back. The disciple reached the lake to find the lake absolutely clean and clear with pure water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.


Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said,” See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be…. and the mud settled down on its own – and you got clear water. Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don’t have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless.
 

Friday, September 17, 2010

A Story to Live By

What Special Someday Are We Saving For?

My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.


"This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie."

He discarded the tissue and handed me the slip. It was exquisite: silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.


"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."


He took the slip from me and put it on the bed with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment. Then he slammed the drawer shut and turned to me.


"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."


I remembered those words through the funeral and the days that followed when
I helped him and my niece attend to all the sad chores that follow an unexpected death. I thought about them on the plane returning to California from the Midwestern town where my sister's family lives. I thought about all the things that she hadn't seen or heard or done. I thought about the things that she had done without realizing that they were special.


I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my life. I'm reading more and dusting less. I'm sitting on the deck and admiring the view without fussing about the weeds in the garden. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings.

Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor, not endure. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.

I'm not "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special event--such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, the first camellia blossom.

I wear my good blazer to the market if I feel like it. My theory is if I look prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for a small bag of groceries without wincing.
I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties; clerks in hardware stores and tellers in banks have noses that function as well as my party-going friends.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are fighting a losing battle to stay in my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now.


I'm not sure what my sister would have done had she known that she wouldn't be here for the tomorrow we all take for granted. I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend fences for past squabbles. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I'm guessing--I'll never know.


It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I knew that my hours were limited. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with--someday. Angry because I hadn't written certain letters that I intended to write--one of these days. Angry and sorry that I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back or save anything that would add laughter and luster to our lives.


And every morning when I open my eyes I tell myself that this is a special occasion.

Ann Wells

Ann Wells penned the column a couple of years after her sister unexpectedly died, and several years before she would lose her husband. Her work somehow made its way to the Internet, where it moves by email and chain letters, compliments of the forward button, and has been renamed "A Story to Live By." Wells, a retired secretary and occasional freelancer, was stunned that the essay, first published in The Los Angeles Times in April 1985, has been zipping through cyberspace. She doesn't even have email. "I'm as surprised as anyone," Wells said.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Triple Filter Test.

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

"Hold on a minute," Socrates replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.

Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.

Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

"No not really …”

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.

The Best Manager

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia . Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.

"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked.

The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town. "All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me, I'll make out just fine," the clerk told them.

So the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States.

Maybe someday I'll build one for you."

The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.

Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York , asking the young man to pay them a visit.

The old man met him in New York , and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street . He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.

"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."

"You must be joking," the young man said.

"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.

The older man's name was William Waldorf-Aster, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotel.

Monday, August 30, 2010

End of A Divorce.

A newly married couple Sam and Windy completed their first year of marriage without any problem.  At the beginning of the second year, small fights were started between them. At the end of the second year, it was difficult for the both to live together.  They fight each other every day for silly matters.  And on a fine day Windy decided to leave his husband and returned to her parents.

Their parents intervened but failed to get them together.

Then they started the court proceedings for the divorce.  The court proceedings were going on. 

One day the husband got a letter from Windy. Sam opened the letter with much amusement. It read:

Dear Sam,

After my departure, I had thought about our relations.  I remember our first few months.  It was great.  I know how much you loved me.  Then I thought about the problems in our marriage.  When I deeply thought about the fights, I realized one thing.  I was wrong and was creating problems for you.  I demanded more time from you.  I made complaints about your income.  I was asking more money from you.  I was not doing my duty.  I spent time watching TV and did not do household work and complained that you are not helping me.  I was not obeying you. I did all the mistakes. I am ashamed of it.

Now I know how much I troubled you.  I was miserable and a nightmare for you.  I am sorry for what I did.  I voluntarily begging pardon for the misdeeds. Please forgive me.  I know how much you loves me.   I don't want to give any more troubles to you.  I promise, I would a nice and obedient wife to you through out our life.  I request you to come and take me home next Sunday.

However, I don't want to make any more trouble to you.  So next Sunday afternoon I'll catch a taxi and will be coming home.

With lots of love

Your wife,

Windy.
PS:  Dear Sam, I Congratulate you for winning the lottery for  $25 million

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Elephant and the beggars

There were two beggars who sit in front of a famous Church. A pilgrimage site where worshipers come from different parts of the country. Every day these beggars used to sit in front of the church and beg. People give pennies in anticipation of God's blessing.

 One was blind, and the other was lame. One day there was rain and the streets were empty. They didn't get enough for the day. In the evening while they were returning home the lame saw an elephant and its mahout was coming against them. The blind beggar listened to the sound of the chain of the elephant and asked his friend whether it's an elephant passing by.

 The lame confirmed that it's an elephant. Then the blind beggar asked in a loud voice to the mahout "Hay, Do you want to gift the elephant to us". The mahout went on his way without answering the beggars.

 After a while, the lame beggar asked the blind. Are you mad? Why have asked for the elephant? Do you think he will give it to us?

 To that, the blind replied: "We don't know whether the mahout is kind enough to give us the elephant. If he give us the elephant, we would get a lot of money by selling the elephant. Even if he is not willing to give us the elephant, we have nothing to lose but a word.

 Many times our prayers are like this. We don't know whether we would get the things for which we had prayed. We don't know whether we are worthy to receive the thing to which we have prayed. Still, we pray. Without faith. Without any assurance.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Sales Hypocracy

We had an uncle who was very bold and courageous enough to raise his voice even in the middle of the crowd.   One day as our local church was celebrating its annual festival, and there comes a medicine seller who was thin and skinny.  In the street corner he placed his box.  Upon the box he displayed medicine bottles along with two pictures of a guy, before and after using the medicine.

He was calling people and telling them the qualities of the medicine.  One picture shows the photo of a man with skinny and thin body taken before using the medicine.  Another photo shows the healthy body of the same guy after using the medicine.  The medicine seller was calling people and many were gathered around him to listen about the medicine.  He was claiming that if you use the medicine for a month or two your body will turn healthy enough to do any hard work just as in the picture.

Our uncle also came there and was listening his claims.  After listening him for a few minutes, uncle attracted the attention of the crowed by clapping his hands and told the crowd and the medicine seller that first the medicine seller should use the medicine and prove that the medicine will work in his body then we will buy the medicine.  Everyone gathered around agreed the suggestion of the uncle and left immediately.  Sadly medicine seller also packed his things and left.  I remember the incident very often. 

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

I know president

There was a group of friends who gather together every evening in the street corner after their day's work. They talk about different issues and problems. Do some gossip. Share their knowledge etc. One evening Mr. Albert told his friends that He knows the President and named some important figures and told that he know them very well.

While returning Mr. Bob thought that "my son has done his graduation and is jobless. My friend Mr. Albert  knows the President and many important people in the society.  Let me ask Mr. Albert for a favour.  If he makes a request to the President, perhaps by the recommendation of President, my son could get a job in a good organization.

The other day Mr. Bob met Mr. Albert and said: "You know President and other important persons in the society very well. So could I ask you to do me a favour.  My son did his graduation and jobless.  I am sure, if you ask the president, he could arrange a job for my son.

Mr. Albert Replied: "My friend Mr. Bob. I know President and many influential people in the society but the truth is that they don't know me.

There are people around us who boast themselves that they have good connections with those who are in power. When you approach them for a help, they will show their helplessness. They will turn you down.

But there is one who is there to help you, who controls the universe. Who knows everything. He is God. He will not turn you down when you approach Him for a help. He will show you the way. He will guide you, lead you and counsel you.

Let us go to His feet in prayer. The help is sure.

Pandit and the Cat

There lived a Pandit (or called Poojari which means the person who perform the rituals at the temple) in a small village. One day this Pandit got a cute pet cat.   Pandit loved this cute cat and decided to take it to home.  This cute cat used to eat with the Pandit and sleep with him. Wherever he goes, the cat follows him.  Pandit loved the cat and took care of it.

As part of the worship ritual, this pandit has to offer milk to his God in the temple.  As soon as the cat sees the milk, it drank it. It was become a problem for the pandit.   This cat doesn't know whether it is offered to God or not. When ever the cat sees the milk it started to lick the milk as usually pandit gave milk to the cat.

But the milk which offered to God is not for the cat.   Few times the cat came and drink the milk which has to be offered to the God.  To avoid such embarrassing situation Pandit started to tie the cat to a tree before he perform his worship rituals. It was his habit to tie the cat before he perform the pooja (worship). After the worship, he release the cat. Years passed and the the pandit died. His son started to perform the worship rituals. He continued the custom of tie the cat before the worship.

And it become the part of the worship ritual. Years passed and the the cat also died. Now the children of the pandit does not know why they tie the cat before the worship. They thought and felt to complete the ritual, they have to tie a cat. They couldn't find a cat in their village. They felt that their worship is not complete and did not find satisfaction. So they brought a cat from the near by village. After brining the cat, they tied it to a tree and did their worship ritual. Now they are satisfied.

We are like this.  Many of us does not know why we are doing certain thing, still we do it as a ritual.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Story of Donkey

Socrates the ancient Greek Philosopher used to give public discourses about serious subjects like Life and after life while standing on a big stone in the corner of the market. Peoples in the market and the passers by come and listen for a few minutes and leave when they listen his philosophy. They never paid much attention to his philosophy. Socrates, when he found that the people are not giving much attention to his philosophy decided to do something different.

Socrates then announced to the general public that he is going to tell a very interesting story.  And started his story. People those who heard his announcement came near very eagerly to listen his story.

He started like this. “There was merchant who has a lot of merchandise to sell decided to go to another city so that he could get some extra profit from the business. He packed his goods and took it on his shoulder and left for another city before the day break. He has to climb a big mountain to reach the another city. There is no other way but to climb the mountain with his merchandise. While he was walking he found another man with a donkey also heading to the same city the merchant was going. They were walking together and talking each other and become friends. Then the merchant asked the other man to rent his donkey to hold his merchandise till they reach the other city. The man agreed for a certain amount of money.”

At this point Socrates found that a large number of audience gathered around him to listen the story and lot of people forget their duty and listening his story. People used to come and listen and leave within a few minutes also forgot their business and stayed back to listen the story. Then he continued his story like this:

“They have to climb a steep mountain to reach their destination. The merchant placed his merchandise upon the donkey and they started out in the morning. It was easy to walk in the morning. As the day progressed, it became very tough for them to climb the mountain. They were sweating and become very tired. But as soon as the sun came on top of their head They decided to take rest.”

Socrates found a large number of people gathered around him and very eagerly listening his story. He continued:

“It was 12 Noon and they were tired. They decided to take a brake. But there was no trees or shade under which they could sit and take rest, there was only the shade of donkey who carrying the merchandise. Under the shade of that donkey there was space for only one man. The owner of the donkey told the other man that the shade of the donkey solely belongs to him as he is the owner of the donkey. But the merchant wants to sit and take rest so he disagree with the argument of the owner of the donkey saying that right now he hired the donkey so the shade of the donkey solely belongs to him only.

Owner of the donkey told that he only let out the donkey, not the shade. But the merchant said that when he hired the donkey, the shade also belongs to him. Both the men fell in to fierce argument for the shade of the donkey. Both argued that it belongs to them legally.”

By this time there was a large amount of people gathered around Socrates. So He climbed down from the stone where he was standing and walked away. People followed him requesting to complete the story. He paid no attention to them and continued his walking. People were following him and requesting him to complete the story all the more. They pressed him hard for the end of the story, so he stopped walking and turned to them and said. “I was talking to you people about great and serious things like life and after life. But you were not paying any attention. But when I started to telling about an imaginative story of a Donkey and it shade you are very eager to listen and want to know the end of the story. You are paying more attention to silly things and ignoring the important things in life. It is better for you to look for important things of life, do not run after silly things like stories. Do some important things every day and pursue it.”

We are also tempt to run after this kind of stories. For our generation also this story is relevant. We are also running after silly things. We must be careful about our time, money and opportunity and try to put every effort to take the best use of it.

Especially Students should make good use of their time and study well. Don't waste their time and opportunity by watching stupid TV serials and doing unworthy things. Let us be conscious about our time, money and opportunity.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Calm Mind

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said:
"I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly:
"Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said:
"My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

The disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile rose on his face.
"I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, " The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind".

What Will You Be Doing 7 Years From Now?

I graduated from Brazosport High School in Freeport, Texas in May 1972. Not dressed in white (honors), but I graduated.

That summer like the previous summer, I worked as a longshoreman loading corn, flour and corn sacks weighing 50 to 140 lbs. and 900 lbs. caustic soda drums on freight ships bound to other countries at nearby Brazos Harbor and Dow Chemical A2 Dock.

This was one of the better paying jobs in the area. It was grueling, hard, heavy work, but I loved it at the time. My father had been doing this job most of his life since it paid well.

Fall came around and I had already decided that I did not want to make my living as a longshoreman. Work was inconsistent and when it was there it only went to the ones with the most seniority, unless there was too much. There was very little opportunity for a better job when you got older.

I had always heard that a college education would get you a better job and decided to find out. So I went to nearby Brazosport College and set up an appointment with a counselor.

I got to his office at the appointed time and he asked me what work or profession interested me the most. I had taken Auto Mechanics I & II during my junior and senior years in high school and asked him if Brazosport College had an auto mechanics program.

He said "no." I asked him if they had anything similar to it. He said that the Machine Tools Technology program was very similar and described the program to me.

I was very interested and asked him how long it would take if I went full time. He said "4 years." I said I couldn't go full time since I am working (whenever work was available).

I asked how long would it take if I go part time? He said "7 years." I was shocked. I said, "Man, I'll be old then, I'll be 25 years old. I don't thing so."

He asked me, "what did you say you did for a living right now?"

I told him again that I worked as a longshoreman throwing bags and manhandling drums. Then he bent over his desk and looked me square in the eye and asked me the most significant words I will never forget in my life:

"IF YOU DON'T TAKE ANY CLASSES. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING 7 YEARS FROM NOW?"

These words hit me like a ton of bricks! I sheepishly told him that I would be doing the same thing. I signed up for the classes right then and there.

These prophetic words have inspired many of my relatives and friends. The sun will rise and fall 365 days a year. What you choose to do in between will determine many things in your life.

This story alone has inspired relatives and friends to realize an age-old truth: Time will go on regardless and it waits on nobody.

Years later, I told a co-worker this story. He got inspired enough that he went on and got 3 different degrees in computers in less than 7 years! He said afterwards, "7 years ago I would've been saying to myself, 'If only I had the opportunity.'"

TIME WILL PASS REGARDLESS!

Augie Mendoza

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails

Pounding In and Pulling Out Nails

When I confronted my daughter after she hurt another child with a mean comment, she cried and immediately wanted to apologize. That was a good thing, but I wanted her to know an apology can't always make things better.

I told her the parable of Will, a 9-year-old whose father abandoned his mom two years earlier. Will was angry, and he often lashed out at others with hurtful words. He once told his mom, "I see why Dad left you!"

Unable to cope with his cruel outbursts, she sent him to his grandparents for the summer. His grandfather's strategy to help Will learn self-control was to make him go into the garage and pound a two-inch-long nail into a four-by-four board every time he said a mean thing.

For a small boy, this was a major task, and he couldn't return until the nail was all the way in. After about ten trips to the garage, Will began to be more cautious about his words. Eventually, he even apologized for all the bad things he'd said.

That's when his grandmother stepped in. She told him to bring in the board filled with nails and instructed him to pull them all out. This was even harder than pounding them in, but after a huge struggle, he did it.

His grandmother hugged him and said, "I appreciate your apology, and of course I forgive you because I love you, but I want you to know an apology is like pulling out one of these nails. Look at the board. The holes are still there. The board will never be the same. Your dad put a hole in you, Will, but please don't put holes in other people. You're better than that."

Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Catching Fish In A Jar

Catching Fish In A Jar

When I was between eleven and twelve years old I decided one bright sunny day that it would be fun to go fishing. I didn't have any fishing gear and I had never done much fishing other than to play on the stream banks while my father fished. I also didn't want to "hurt" the fish I just wanted to catch them and then let them go.

I looked around the house for what I could use and I found a washed out old mayonnaise jar. You know the old style jars with the big open "mouth". I walked to a nearby pond and put the jar down in the soft dust-like mud of the water's edge with the open "mouth" of the jar facing toward the center. I then stirred the waters a little and made them cloudy so that the fish would have trouble seeing me. Then I waited hovering over the jar. Gradually, cautiously a small fish would swim up to the clear jar to investigate the disturbance and when it swam into the jar I dropped my hand into the water and over the jar mouth. I caught a fish, then another.

I just let them all go and returned my jar to the cupboard. Then I decided to use wire "box trap" to go fishing and rigged a string to the door. This way I could drop the trap in the water and not have to "hover over" it like I did with the jar. I sat very relaxed on the bank of the pond and sure enough I caught a fair sized bluegill. I took it home in a water filled plastic waste basket to show my dad and afterward returned it to the pond.

When I told people about how I had caught the fish they just paused and laughed nervously. You see unlike these people, I didn't know that you couldn't catch fish in a jar. If I would have asked them they would have scoffed and said, "You can't catch fish in a jar or a box trap!" No one in my life had ever dreamed of telling me that so my belief system did not contain these words or the impact that they would have had on my "day of fishing". Only a free minded kid could come up with an idea of using a jar or a box trap to catch fish! No one had told me that this was impossible so I just used what I was familiar with and what I had available and I succeeded.

Maybe today finds you facing a situation that seems impossible. You have a desire but no visible way of bringing it into being. You may need to find that "kid" inside you who thinks "outside the box" and the normal ways of achieving things and let him or her catch that fish in a jar! See your situation from a different angle. Start looking at the resources that you already have and the things that you are already familiar with. A fresh perspective and a childlike sense of wonder may surprise you and there's no telling what you will come up with!

Jami Sell

Catching Fish In A Jar is an excerpt from author Jami Sell's new book Thought And Belief: How To Unlock Your Potential And Fulfill Your Destiny! © 2010 All Rights Reserved. It is available at amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and in fine bookstores everywhere. Click here to: Preview Book!

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzewfwkk/thoughtandbelief/id6.html

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

External Motivation

A company wanted to set up a pension plan for its employees. 100% participation of the employees were required to install the plan. The plan was in the best interest of all the employees and made sense to everyone. Except Samuel, everyone signed up. Samuel's supervisor and other co-workers had tried to persuade him without success. Samuel not signing was the only obstacle for the implementation of the plan.

The owner of the company called Samuel in his office and said "Samuel, here is the pen and these are the papers for you to sign to enroll in the pension plan. If you don't enroll, you are fired this minute." Samuel signed the papers right away.

The owner asked Samuel, why he hadn't signed earlier. Samuel replied "No one explained the plan quite clearly as you did."

External motivation comes from outside such as fame, fear, social approval and money. Fear of getting spanked by parents and fear of getting fired at work are some examples of external motivation.

Breaking Free: Letting Go of the Nuts that Hold Us Back

Monkey hunters in India employ various techniques to capture monkeys. One method involves using a box fastened to a tree or a hole created within the tree itself. This box or hole is designed with an opening at the top, specifically large enough for a monkey to slip its hand into. Inside the box, a selection of nuts is strategically placed. When a curious monkey reaches into the box and grasps the nuts, its hand automatically clenches into a fist due to the tight space.

At this point, a predicament arises for the monkey. Although the opening was sufficient for the hand to enter, it proves too small for the clenched fist to withdraw. The monkey faces a decision: it can either maintain its grip on the tempting nuts and face capture or relinquish its hold and gain freedom. Surprisingly, the monkey consistently chooses to cling onto the nuts, ultimately leading to its capture.

In a thought-provoking analogy, many of us humans exhibit similar behavior to these monkeys. We find ourselves entangled in circumstances where we stubbornly cling to certain "nuts" that hinder our progress in life. These nuts, you are more familiar with than anyone else, act as obstacles preventing you from moving forward. By identifying these obstacles and releasing your grip on them, you can break free and achieve lasting freedom.

Often, we justify our inability to overcome these obstacles by uttering phrases such as "I cannot do this because..." The words that follow "because" represent the nuts we are desperately clinging to, holding us back from reaching our true potential.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Secret to success

A young man asked Socrates

"What is the secret to success."

Socrates told the young man:

"Meet me near the river tomorrow morning."

They met. Socrates asked the young man:

"Walk with him toward the river."

When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socratespulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked,

'What did you want the most when you werethere?"

The boy replied,

"Air."

Socrates said, "That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it." There is no other secret.

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results.