Friday Gyan 14: Patience and Persistence

PC: Prashant Bhandare

Story:
In an Indian temple, when the priest had gone for lunch, the Idol of the Lord and the Stepping Stone (stone used as a step) were conversing. 

Stepping Stone: What a good fate you have. We both were the same lump of rock for millions of years. The sculptor carved an idol out of you and everyone is worshipping you. Look at me, I am a stepping stone and every one stands on me and stamps on. What kind of life is this?

The Idol kept smiling and never bothered to answer this now and then routine murmur from the stepping stone. But the stepping stone will never stop his constant bickering.

The Idol replied: But do you remember that when the sculptor set out to carve an idol, it was you he chose, first. You were so impatient. In one strike, you broke into two. But when he tried on me, I grinned and bore all the hammers and chisel strikes with PATIENCE. Here I am the worshipful and happy Idol and you are the Stepping Stone.

Moral:
The difference between success and failure is patience and persistence!

Friday Gyan 13: Poisoning Mother-in-law

PC: Prashanthe Bhandare

Story:
Long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law’s habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Moreover, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing the poor husband great distress. Unable to stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and dictatorship Li-Li decided to see her father’s good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for a while, and finally said, “Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.”. Lily nodded and accepted his request.

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, “I am giving you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. To avoid suspicion, you must act very friendly towards her. Don’t argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen.”

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to plan her plot. Weeks went by, months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother. After six months, the whole household had changed.

Li-Li had practised controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She never had an argument in six months with her mother-in-law, who now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with. The mother-in-law’s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love her like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. They both were treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see all this.

Li-Li started feeling bad about poisoning her. So she went to see Mr. Huang to ask his help once again. She said, “Mr. Huang, please help me to stop the poison from killing my mother-in-law! She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her.”

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there’s nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her.”

Moral:
We take quick and random decisions in life based on our prejudices and judgements, most of which we end up regretting later and wish if we could not have done them. Letting go of a negative attitude, however hard it may be, can help us turn things around better down the line. Always keep a positive attitude and a proper state of mind while you take important decisions in your life. And remember to treat people with love and care because you always get treated by the way you treat others...

Friday Gyan 12: Like a million frogs croaking

Story:
A farmer came into town and asked the owner of a restaurant if he could would like to buy a million frog legs. The restaurant owner was shocked and asked the man “Where can you get so many frog legs!”

The farmer replied, “There is a pond near my house that is full of frogs-millions of them. They croak all during the night and are about to drive me crazy!”

So the restaurant and the farmer made an agreement that the farmer would deliver frogs to the restaurant five hundred at a time for the next several weeks.

The first week came by, the farmer returned to the restaurant looking rather sheepish, with two scrawny little frogs. 

“Well…where are all the frogs?” asked the restaurant owner.

The farmer replied, “I was mistaken. There were only these two frogs in the pond. But they sure were making a lot of noise!”

There was a moment of silence before both burst out laughing.

Moral:
Next time you hear somebody criticizing or making fun of you, remember it is probably just a couple of noisy frogs. Also-remember that problems always seem bigger in the dark. Have you ever laid in your bed at night worrying about things which seem almost overwhelming-like a million frogs croaking? Chances are pretty good that when the morning comes, and you take a closer look, you’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.

Friday Gyan 11: The Mouse Trap

Story:

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. "What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The pig sympathized, but said "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are In my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!" The cow said "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house - like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever.

Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatcher to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbours came to sit with her around the clock. TO feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral; the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. 

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness...

Moral:

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember: when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another. Each of us is a vital thread in another person's tapestry.

Friday Gyan 10: Grandpa's Table

Story:
A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped, the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. "We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. "I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor." So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word were spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Moral:
Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe, their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see us patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. The wise parent realizes that every day the building blocks are being laid for the child's future. Let’s be wise builders and role models. Because Children are our future. Life is about people connecting with people, and making a positive difference. Take care of yourself,... and those you love, ... today, ... and everyday!

Friday Gyan 9: The Cookie Thief

Story:
A woman was waiting at an airport one night, with several long hours before her flight. She hunted for a book in the airport shops, brought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book but happened to see, that the man sitting beside her, as bold as could be...grabbed a cookie or two from the bag in between, which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

So she munched the cookies and watched the clock, as the gutsy cookie thief diminished her stock. She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by, thinking, "If I wasn't so nice, I would blacken his eye." With each cookie she took, he took one too, when only one was left, she wondered what he would do. With a smile on his face, and a nervous laugh, he took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, as he ate the other, she snatched it from him and thought...oh, brother. This guy has some nerve and he's so rude, why don't he even show any gratitude!

She had never know when she had been so galled, and sighed with relief when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate. She boarded the plane, and sank in her seat, then she sought her book, which was almost complete. As she reached her baggage, she gasped with surprise, there was her bag of cookies, in front of her eyes.

If mine are here, she sighed in despair, the others were his, and he tried to share. Too late to apologize, she realized with grief, that she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief.

Moral:
There is a good old poem from Ernest Hemingway: "Before you act, listen. Before you react, think..."

Friday Gyan 8: Quality Excellence

Story:

A German once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage."

The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, 2 people know it, "Myself and GOD."

Moral:

The desire to excel is inclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not.

"Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. "Excellence" is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency...

Image Credit: Prashant Bhandare