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 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 7: Gratitude and Appreciation

Story:

One young man went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed the initial interview, and now would meet the director for the final interview.

The director discovered from his CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent.

He asked, Did you obtain any scholarships in school…?

the youth answered “NO”.

Who paid for your school fees…?

” Parents “, he replied.

“Where did they work……?”

“They worked as clothes cleaner.”

The director requested the youth to show his hands.

The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

“Have you ever helped your parents wash the clothes ?”

“Never, my parents always wanted me to study and read more books.

Besides, my parents can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, “I have a request.”

When you go home today, go and clean your parents hands, and then see me tomorrow morning.

The youth felt dejected.

When he went back home, he asked his parents to let him clean their hands.

His parents felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings,

They showed their hands to their son.

The youth cleaned their hands slowly.

His tear fell as he did that.

It was the first time he noticed that his parents hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in their hands.

Some bruises were so painful that they winced when he touched it.

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 fees.

The bruises in the hands were the price that the parents had to pay for his education, his school activities and his future.

After cleaning his parents hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for them.

That night, parents 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, when he asked:

“Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house….?”

The youth answered,

I cleaned my parents hand, and also finished cleaning all the remaining clothes’

“I now know what appreciation is.

Without my parents, I would not be who I am today…

By helping my parents, only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done on your own and I have come to appreciate the importance and value of helping one’s family.

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.”

Moral:

A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he wanted, would develop an “entitlement mentality” and would always put himself first.

He would be ignorant of his parent’s efforts.

If we are this kind of protective parents, are we really showing love or are we destroying our children instead…?

You can let your child live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn piano, watch on a big screen TV.

BUT,

when you are cutting grass, watering the plants, cleaning up the house or after a meal washing the plates and bowls, etc. then please let them experience it 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 grey, same as the parents of that young person.

The most important thing is your child learns how to appreciate the effort and experience the difficulty and learns the need to work with others to get things done…

Friday Gyan 1: Things we miss in life

We have a Book Community in my workplace, which shares inspirational moral stories termed "Friday Gyan" and I circulate the same within my team. Almost every team member reads these stories and appreciate. I thought of taking this forward to the wider audience and try to publish these stories every Friday. 

Story:
A man sat at a subway station in Washington DC and started to play his violin; it was a cold January morning. Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed the musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped by for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist and dance to his tunes. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

Out of the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped by and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32 in total. When he finished playing and the silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that around 1100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

 

This was a real life social experiment conducted by Washington Post to study about the perception, taste and priorities of people. And the violinist was none other than the world renowned, talented musician named Joshua Bell, playing the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell’s show was sold out at a theater in Boston for over $100 a seat.

 

Moral:
In a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?