|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Serious content
Attitude is everything Jerry is the manager of a restaurant in America. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood. I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining Or I can point out the positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life." "But it's not always that easy," I protested. "Yes it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. It's your choice how you live your life." Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business: he left the back door of his restaurant open one morning and was robbed by three armed men. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body. I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I choose to live." "Weren't you scared" I asked. Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In theireyes, I read 'He's a dead man' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything." 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead'." Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it. The only thing that is truly yours - that no one can control or take from you-is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.
Now you have two choices to make:
You will choose #2. I did.
ATTITUDE is 100% Proof: Take the position of each letter in the English alphabet and them up like this! A : 1 T : 20 T : 20 I : 9 T : 20 U : 21 D : 4 E : 5 --- 100
Though I don't believe in all these... JANA GANA MANA... Since fifty years of independence has come to pass and now nearly 900 million Indians take pride in singing their national anthem, it is amazing that most of us are not aware of its background and meaning. I would like to bring to your attention the following facts of which you might be unaware.
To begin with, India's national anthem,..
The Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka implies that King George V is the lord of the masses and Bharata Bhagya Vidhata is the bestower of good fortune. Following is a translation of the five stanzas which glorify the King: 1st stanza: People wake up remembering your good name and they ask for your blessing and they sing your glories. 2nd stanza: Around your throne people of all religions come and give their love and anxiously wait to hear your generous words. 3rd stanza: Praise to the King for being the charioteer, for leading the ancient travelers beyond misery. 4th stanza: Drowned in the deep ignorance and suffering, poverty stricken, unconscious country waiting for the wink of your eye and your mother's (the Queen's true protection). 5th stanza: In your compassionate plans, the sleeping Bharata (India) will wakeup. We bow down to your feet O Queen, and glory to Rajeshwara (the King) This whole poem does not indicate any love for the Motherland but exhibits a bleak picture of India. When you sing Jana Gana Mana Adhinayaka, whom are you glorifying? Certainly not the Motherland. Is it God? The poem does not indicate that. It is time now to understand the original purpose and the implication of this, rather than blindly singing as has been done the past fifty years. Pandit Nehru chose the present national anthem as opposed to Vande Mataram because he thought that it would be easier for the band to play. Today bands have advanced and they can very well play any music. So they can as well play Vande Mataram, which is a far better composition and has true spirit of India.
Temples withstand fury of cyclone (BHUBANESWAR)- Times of India The TV tower crashed down,electricity poles fell like ninepins and mighty trees were uprooted as the super cyclone vented its fury but the numerous temples in the city remained unscathed. Amid the ruins everywhere, these shrines still stand erect. Not a single structure, a majority of which date back from sixth century AD to 12th century AD, suffered damage. At some places even the flag atop the temple was not blown off though the wind velocity in the state capital had touched 250 kmph. The same was the case with other temples in the entire coast where the storm had left a trail of death and destruction. According to state archaeology department superintendent B K Rath, the city has as many as 320 temples dating back from sixth century AD to 18th century AD but none of the shrines had collapsed or suffered substantial damage in the cyclone. He said all the debasthal (religious sites),where the temples had been built, were significant as they strictly followed the traditional text of temple architecture and were based on vaastu philosophy. These temples were built with Khandolite stone, sandstone, laterite stone and even bricks. Though most of these were in a dilapidated condition and under conservation, the superstructure of these shrines escaped damage. Dr Rath said the field report, received by his department, had also suggested that no temple in the coast had been damaged in the cyclone. He said reports from interiors of coastal Orissa were yet to come, but preliminary information revealed that there had been no damage even to those temples which were under repair and conservation by the state archaeology department. According to official sources, there were as many as 800 temples and monuments of different periods located in the cyclone-devastated areas and about 100 of these were under the conservation of the state archaeology department. Even the tenth century Parasar temple in Paradip, the epicentre of the super cyclone, had withstood the impact.Only a portion of the boundary wall had been damaged as a big tree fell on it. The Sakhigopal temple, the 12th century Madhavananda temple, the Lataharan temple and the Grameswar temple located in the cyclone-battered areas were also intact, he said. Archaeologists believe that several factors were taken into consideration before erecting a temple for its safety. Thus,though many buildings of recent origin had suffered extensive damage, these structures withstood fury of the cyclone.(UNI)
Great speech from Azim Premji, chairman, Wipro Corporation He has been rated by Forbes as the richest Indian. Azim Premji at the IIT-B convocation *********************** Work harder, smarter, and India will offer whatever you want By Azim Hasham Premji, chairman, Wipro Corporation. Today represents a transition from the world of preparation into the real world of contribution. I feel it is the appropriate time for me to leave with you (today's students) a few messages, based on my own experience, which might help you in your quest for success in your life. The first message is that hard work is the most critical ingredient of success. If you wish to succeed in your profession in future, you will have to work only harder. Your peers will bring in similar credentials. The only way you can move ahead is by unstinting hard work. There is no debate between whether you need to work smarter or harder. You have to work both smarter and harder. If Wipro has come out on top, compared to a number of other blue chips of yesteryears, it is not because of extraordinary ability or resources, but by the sheer dint of hard work. I personally put in a 90-hour work week. Any future leader who is not prepared to put in this scorching pace of work will be left behind. The second thought I wish to share with you is that hard work must be towards a purpose. You have to identify a purpose that inspires you, challenges you and gives you tremendous satisfaction to pursue. Once you identify your purpose, that permeates to your very being, you will be propelled by restless intensity towards achieving it. Then, you can work with a single-minded, determined, unwavering perseverance. When I returned from Stanford more than three decades back, Wipro was a small organisation located in Amalner, a tiny hamlet in Jalgaon district. I was suddenly propelled into a role for which I had little preparation. Initially, I found the prospect fairly daunting. Then I realised that this enormous challenge brought with it an enormous opportunity. An opportunity to create a very different kind of organisation based on values. It took a tremendous amount of effort to reach where we have reached today. But if I had not been completely fired by the vision that kept me going during difficult times, I do not know if I could have kept up the relentless work that was necessary. The third message is that do not ever stop learning. The greatest benefit of engineering is that is teaches you the discipline of process thinking as applied to real life problems. Given the rapid changes in technology and myriad business situations that throw up new and different avenues to apply your knowledge, you have to constantly keep learning. What is important is not your existing knowledge alone, but your ability to keep refreshing it dynamically. You have learnt to learn. But the zest to use this ability on an ongoing basis must come from within you. The fourth message is that do not wait for opportunity to come your way. Actively search for opportunities and grab them when you see them. Long ago, I learnt that the future is not what happens to you, but what you make of it. I have heard of young achievers lamenting the lack of opportunity in our country that drives them to seek jobs overseas. You can create your own opportunity and our country can offer whatever you want in life, provided you do your bit. When I look back, I realise that Wipro was not blessed with the abundance of resources like the multinational corporations. What accounted for its success was its integrity, unshakable self-confidence, determination and effort to better global competition, relentless work towards achieving this and its ability to acquire world class processes, develop world class teams and attract world class leadership. I think its success is a testimony to the fact that if you get your fundamentals right, it is possible to succeed being in India as much as being a Non Resident Indian anywhere in the world. I have nothing to say for those who study or work abroad with a view to return and contribute the richness of the experience back to the nation. My message is only for those who feel that staying overseas is the only way they can utilise their talent. I would like to emphasise that there is enough opportunity, not only to be highly successful in India, but also to return, in a small measure, the sacrifice and investment made by the nation and your alma mater to make your graduation from this coveted institute (the IIT) possible. I think the last point is extremely important to derive personal satisfaction from success. Whether it is wealth of knowledge or business wealth, it brings enormous "trusteeship" along with it. To discharge this trusteeship honorably is a tremendous responsibility. It is a bigger job in terms of challenge than creating wealth in the first place. I hope you will be able to apply my messages in your lives for success and satisfaction. I look forward with hope and expectation that you will utilise your talent in shaping the destiny of your profession and our nation. ****************************** Azim H Premji is chairman, Wipro Corporation, and has been rated by Forbes as the richest Indian. The article is adapted from his lecture at the 37th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, on August 6, 1999.
God paid your bill a long long time ago As I was walking down life's highway many years ago I came upon a sign that read Heavens Grocery Store. When I got a little closer the doors swung open wide And when I came to myself I was standing inside. I saw a host of angels. They were standing everywhere One handed me a basket and said "My child shop with care." Everything a human needed was in that grocery store And what you could not carry you could come back for more. First I got some Patience. Love was in that same row. Further down was Understanding, you need that everywhere you go. I got a box or two of Wisdom and Faith a bag or two. And Charity of course I would need some of that too. I couldn't miss the Holy Ghost It was all over the place. And then some Strength and Courage to help me run this race. My basket was getting full but I remembered I needed Grace, And then I chose Salvation for Salvation was for free So I tried to get enough of that to do for you and me. Then I started to the counter to pay my grocery bill, For I thought I had everything to do the Masters will. As I went up the aisle I saw Prayer and put that in, For I knew when I stepped outside I would run into sin. Peace and Joy were plentiful, the last things on the shelf. Song and Praise were hanging near so I just helped myself. Then I said to the angel "Now how much do I owe?" He smiled and said "Just take them everywhere you go." Again I asked "Really now, How much do I owe?" "My child " he said, "God paid your bill a long long time ago"
The way to find confidence is to look for challenge. Rock solid confidence and lasting self esteem cannot be handed to you, no matter how well intentioned your benefactor may be. Confidence and self esteem come from the direct experience of meeting challenges. Confidence is well worth the trouble. With confidence in yourself, anything is possible. But confidence cannot be created out of nothing. Try to do that and you'll only get arrogance, a poor substitute which crumbles at the first tough challenge. Confidence must be built. Just as strong muscles are built by lifting heavier and heavier weights, confidence is built by taking on bigger and bigger challenges. Don't shy away from challenge. Welcome it. Seek it out. It will teach you. It will discipline you. It will give you valuable experience. And it will build in you something which can help take you wherever you wish to go -- confidence.
Money can buy a house but not a home. Money can buy a bed but not sleep. Money can buy a clock but not time. Money can buy a book but not knowledge. Money can buy food but not an appetite. Money can buy position but not respect. Money can buy blood but not life. Money can buy medicine but not health. Money can buy sex but not love. Money can buy insurance but not safety. You see, money is not everything. Therefore, if you have too much, send it to Anju , immediately.
Bottom Line HEAVEN IS WHEN YOU HAVE : AN AMERICAN SALARY A BRITISH HOME CHINESE FOOD AN INDIAN WIFE
HELL IS WHEN YOU HAVE : Make a Right Choice!!
A while back I was reading about an expert on subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget....As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on a table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.... When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.... Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.... "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" "No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life? A project that YOU want to accomplish? Time with your loved ones? Your faith, your education, your finances? A cause? Teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. --- So, tonight or in the morning when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life or business? Then, put those in your jar first....
The paradox of our time in history is that
His name was Fleming ,and he was a poor scottish farmer.One day while trying to make a living for his family he heard a cry for help coming from a near by bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog ,Then mired to his waist a black muck, was a terrified boy , screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death . The next day ,a fancy carriage pulled up to the scott man's sparse surroundings. An Elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of theboy, farmer Fleming had saved. "I want to repay you", Said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life". "No I can't accept payment for what I did ," the scottish farmer replied ,waving off the offer .At that moment the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel ,"Is that your son "? the nobleman asked. "Yes" the farmer replied proudly "I will make you a deal ,let me take him and give him a good education .If the lad is anything like his father, he will grow to a man you will be proud of ,and that he did. In time farmer fleming's son graduated from st.Mary's hospital medical school in London and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir 'ALEXANDER FLEMING' the discoverer of 'PENCILLIN'. Year afterward ,the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia ,. .What saved him ? 'PENCILLIN' The name of the Nobleman ?.......... Lord Randolph Churchhill His son's name ?............... Sir Winston Churchhill Someone once said ,What goes around comes around.
'WORK LIKE YOU DON'T NEED THE MONEY'.
A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead. Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible. The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellows. Spent and disheartened, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted. His companions began anew, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders! finally leapt so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds. This simple story contains a powerful lesson.
The book of Proverbs says,
I am an immigrant. I straddle cultures, juggle identities, and carry labels. The INS calls me Resident-Alien, the IRS calls me Permanent Resident,Americans call me Indian, Indians call me Non-Resident Indian, surveys call me Asian-American, and job applications ask if I have a Green Card. I got my Green Card last year. The process took two years and cost about \\$ 5000. I spent hours filling forms that the INS routinely sent backasking for more documents, yet another birth certificate... A local police-station took my fingerprints to check if I had a criminal record; a clinic designated by the INS gave me a complete physical,including an AIDS test and sent the results in a sealed envelope. A grave-look immigration official in Hartford, CT, opened the envelope, asked me if I had ever been arrested, if I had worked illegally before stamping my passport. My Green Card, which, as it turned ut,wasn't green,would follow. Like most immigrants, I came to America in search of opportunity. I was tired of the India's caste prejudices and century-old traditions. My fatherhad worked for 20 years before he could afford a car. I wanted a car, maybe even two. I wanted a home, to live the American dream. I wanted to go rom rags to riches. And I didn't want to wait 20 years for all that to happen. Naturally, I came to America. The never-ending expanse of choices in his country fueled my ambitions, lifted my spirits. Here, I could achieve anything, become anyone, except, perhaps, the President. The realization was exhilarating. What I also came to realize was that with every choice came a sacrifice. With every achievement, I was losing a little of my identity. Lifestyle choices that came so naturally to the folks back home became agonizing decisions for me. Should I stick to the Indian community in the US, or should I make American friends, knowing that I could never be one of them? Should I wear the colorful Indian clothes that I love, or should I quit wearing them in public because I am tired of being stared at? Should I keep my hard-to-pronounce Hindu name, or should I Anglicize it, like many Chinese had done? Should I celebrate Christmas, a tradition that I didn't grow up with, or should I ask for a day off from work to celebrate Diwali, the most important Indian holiday? Should I stay in this country, or should I go back home? Every Indian dreams of going back home. The isolation that is part of the immigrant culture, combined with the stresses of being a foreigner makes us nostalgic for the familiar sights, smells and sounds of Home. America, however, seduces us with the promise of wealth and the "good life." Most of us succumb and stay put. Every now and then, there are nasty incidents. Like the Dot Busters-a gang in New Jersey that identified Hindus by the dots on their foreheads and attacked them, and then attacked anyone who looked like an Indian. Like the svelte brunette in an exclusive Manhattan soiree, who drawled that the "immigrants had spoilt California" for her. Like the strangerI encountered one snowy night. Go back to where you came from," he hissed. Well, I felt like telling him, if each of us said that to each other, the United States would become empty. And it could also lose its sense of balance. What immigrants-particularly from the East-have given the United States is a sense of balance. They bring Yin values to a very Yang culture. They temper the swinging pendulum with spirituality, and bring it to a Buddhist Middle Path. Into a land of excess, they bring in values like contentment and letting go. To mix some metaphors, they keep the melting-pot from running over. Another thing that immigrants offer is perspective. When people ask me about the starving children in India, I tell them about the paradoxes in this country. The media tells us that incest, rape, and other crimes against children are on the rise in the US. Yet, the very same people who abuse their children will wait politely in line for a schoolbus, to pick up children! I find that hypocritical. Fielding questions is part of being a foreigner: Where are you from? Why are you wearing a dot on your forehead? Does your name mean anything? Do people still ride on elephants in India? Who'll be your role model? The questions drum inside my head like Paul Simon's song in the album, Graceland.Sometimes I get so fed up that I make up the answers or lie outright. But then, when I meet an "exotic" person, I find myself asking the same questions. I suppose it is part of being human to make connections and and establish roots. What many people-including me-forget is that a person cannot represent an entire country. For a long time, my behavior at every instance was exemplary. I was always polite because I didn't wantAmericans to think that Indians were an impolite race. I always delivered 120 percent because it would help another Indian get hired. Routine acts became deliberations. Simple choices became politicaldilemmas. If a white person tips poorly, then he or she is just a poor tipper. If I do the same thing, I am a poor-tipping Indian. So, never mind the bad service, never mind the lousy food. I have to leave a good tip. Otherwise, the next Indian that eats here will automatically get lousy service, because the waiter will think that all Indians are poor tippers. I am sure every minority has gone through the guessing and second-guessing that comes with being stereotyped. After a while, it gets to you. Being an ambassador for my country became too much of a burden. I began to resent it. These days, I try to be myself-failings, rudeness, warts and all. It is difficult, because, at some point, I know someone is going to watch me slurping my soup, or doing something equally "rude," and think that all Indians don't know table manners. My father-a poet and philosopher-once asked me why I had decided to live in the United States. I thought about it for a moment and said,"Dad, I want to be a writer. If my books sell to the American market, they will sell all over the world. Once I become a successful author here, I can move back to India and still be successful." My dad smiled. "What if you become so successful that you forgot what you wanted to say?" he asked. Confusion and loss are my crosses. I will have to bear them, even if I can go back home.
Shoba Narayan, a New York-based writer has been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and several other major publications.
A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a \\$20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this \\$20 bill? "Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this $20 to one of you but first, let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth \\$20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it! "Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams"
To laugh is to risk appearing a fool
As you got up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday - but, I noticed you were too busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work. I waited again. When you ran around the house getting ready I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sitin a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip. I watched as you went to work and I waited patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt to embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There is still more time left, and I have hope that you will talk to me, yet you went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done you turned on the TV. I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there & you spent a lot of time each day in front of it, not thinking about anything - just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal, but again you didn't talk to me. Bedtime... I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation. Well, you are getting up again and once again I will wait with nothing but love for you hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day! Your friend, GOD
...never forget how made them feel I dreamed I had an interview with God. "Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?" "If you have the time," I said. God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything; what questions do you have in mind to ask me?" "What surprises you most about mankind?" God answered: "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health. That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..." God's hands took mine and we were silent for awhile and then I asked... "As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?" God replied with a smile: "To learn that they cannot make anyone love them. What they can do is to let themselves be loved. To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives. To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis! To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least. To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them. To learn to forgive by practising forgiveness. To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings. To learn that money can buy everything but happiness. To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different. To learn that a true friend in someone who knows everything about them...and likes them anyway. To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves." I sat there for awhile enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied, "Anytime. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer." People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
A certain shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The lad wandered through the desert for forty days, and finally came upon a beautiful castle, high a top a mountain. It was there that the wise man lived. Rather than finding a saintly man though, our young lad, on entering the main room of the castle, saw a hive of activity: tradesman came and went, people were conversing in the corners, a small orchestra was playing soft music, and there was a table covered with platters of the most delicious food in that part of the world. The wise man listened attentively to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours. "Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something," said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with without allowing the oil to spill."he said. The boy began climbing and descending the many stairways of the castle, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the room where the wise man was. "'Well", said the wise man, "Did you see the Persian tapestries that are hanging in the dining hall?" "Did you see the garden that took the master gardener 10 years to create?" "Did you notice the beautiful parchments in my library?" The boy was embarrased, and confessed that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil that the wise man had entrusted to him. The wise man looked straight into the boy's eyes and said "Then go back and observe the marvels of my world," said the wise man". Relieved, the boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace, this time observing all the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. He saw the gardens and the mountains all round him, the beauty of the flowers. Upon returning to the wise man, he related 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 of wise men. "The secret of happiness is to see all the marvels of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." This story serves as just a little reminder that while we get all caught up in the frenzy of work and assignments, we musn't forget about the "drops of oil", the things in life that really matter... family, friends,..and the ties that bind........ No one ever finds life worth living-he has to make it worth living. Author Unknown The moral of the story is BALANCE - Not to miss out the Marvels of the world and not forgetting the ties which bind us. Many a times, we tend to go on extreme for either one or the other.
Question 1: Read the next question before scrolling down to the answer of this one.
Question 2:
Candidate A
Candidate B
Candidate C Which of these candidates would be your choice? Decide first, no peeking, then scroll down for the answer.
Candidate A is Franklin D. Roosevelt And by the way, the answer to the abortion question - if you said yes, you just killed Beethoven.
A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a \\$20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this \\$20 bill?" Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this \\$20 to one of you but first let me do this." He proceeded to crumple the dollar bill up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?" Still the hands were up in the air. "Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air. "My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth \\$20. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special - Don't ever forget it! "Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams" Send it to everyone.You will never know the lives it touches, the hurting hearts it speaks to, or the Hope that it can bring. ...last time sharpened your axe? Once upon a time a very strong woodcutter ask for a job in a timber merchant, and he got it.The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason ,the woodcutter was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he was supposed to work. The first day, the woodcutter brought 18 trees."Congratulations," the boss said. "Go on that way!" Very motivated for the boss' words, the woodcutter try harder the next day,but he only could bring 15 trees. The third day he try even harder, but he only could bring 10 trees.Day after day he was bringing less and less trees."I must be losing my strength", the woodcutter thought. He went to the boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been very busy trying to cut trees." Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to sharpen the axe." In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But God doesn't want us to get so busy that we neglect the truly important things in life, like taking time to pray, to read .We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If we don't take time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness.So start Today , Think about the ways by which you could do your job more effectively and add a lot of value to it .
Muslims are bullies and Hindus cowards? Muslims are bullies and Hindus cowards,' Mahatma Gandhi once said. He was right -- at least about Hindus. There has been in the past 1,400 years, since the first invasions started, very few Shivajis and Rajput princes to fight the bloody rule of the Moghuls, or hardly any Rani of Jhansis to stand against the humiliating colonial yoke of the British. If a nation's soul is measured by the courage of its children, then India is definitely doomed. Without the Sikhs, whose bravery is unparalleled in the more recent history of India, Hindus would have even lost additional land to Muslim invaders and there would have been infinitely more massacres of Hindus by Muslims during the first weeks of Partition. Are Hindus more courageous since they have an independent nation? (Thanks -- not to the non-violence of Gandhi -- but to the true nationalists such as Sri Aurobindo and Tilak, who prepared the ground for the Mahatma at the beginning of the century.) Not at all. Because of Nehru's absurd and naïve 'Hindi-Chini-bhai-bhai' policy, the Indian army was shamefully routed in 1962 by the Chinese, a humiliation which rankles even today. Beijing is still able to hoodwink Indian politicians by pretending it has good intentions, through the interviews the Chinese leaders very generously give to The Hindu newspaper (which should rightly be called the 'anti-Hindu') and Frontline ('the mouthpiece in India for the Chinese Communist party'), while quietly keeping on giving nuclear know-how to Pakistan, as well as the missiles to carry their atomic warheads to Indian cities, arm separatists groups in the northeast and continuing to claim Arunachal Pradesh or Sikkim. Everywhere in the world, Hindus are hounded, humiliated,routed, be it in Fiji where, once more, an elected democratic government was deposed in an armed coup or in Pakistan and Bangladesh, where Muslims indulge in pogroms against Hindus every time they want to vent their anger against India (read Taslima Nasreen's Lajja). In Kashmir, the land of yogis, where Hindu sadhus and sages have meditated for 5,000 years, Hindus have been chased out of their ancestral home by death, terror and intimidation. There were 25 percent of Hindus at the beginning of the century in the Kashmir valley... and hardly a handful today. And how did India start the new millennium? By surrendering as a lamb goes to the slaughterhouse to a handful of terrorists who took over Flight IC 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi, (Nepal is another small, inconsequential country, which owes its culture to India but keeps on indulging India's enemies, whether Pakistan or China.) India had the opportunity to storm the plane when it landed in Amritsar, at a time when the militants had not been furnished with explosives and more guns by the Taliban, but it did nothing thanks to bureaucratic bungling and sheer incapability. And not only did this Hindu government (yes, BJP/Hindu, not Congress/secular) make an ass of itself by calling the Taliban 'friendly,' whereas all along the Taliban only helped the terrorists,but also by its weak 'Gandhian' attitude, it lost any credibility in a world, where Might is the only criteria, as the US proves to us every day. And what happens when there is ONE man in India -- hatever his faults, quirks, or excesses -- who dares to call a spade a spade,is not afraid of words and is ready to stand-up for his opinions? Not only, of course, is he attacked by Christians and Muslims, but he is also hounded by his own brothers and sisters, the "secular" Hindus, the human rights activists, the journalists, the police, the (Congress) politicians! Are Hindus so intent to show the world that not only are they cowards but also idiots? This man, of course, is Bal Thackeray. When Bal Thackeray said many years ago that there was no point in playing cricket against Pakistan as long as Islamabad was sending militants to kill and maim into Indian territory, he was ridiculed by the secular press as fanatic and un-sportive (and cricket is certainly not a gentleman's game, as the recent scandal has shown). But he was proved right, when during Kargil, India refused -- for once -- to play cricket with Pakistan. When he says too, that since 14 centuries, Muslims always strike first against Hindus, he has another good point, for those who live in Indian cities which have important Muslim minorities will tell you that every time there are Hindu-Muslim riots, it is the Muslims who start them, either by attacking the police, or by provoking the Hindus. And this is exactly what happened in Mumbai after the Ayodhya mosque was brought down by Hindu militants: Muslims, angry with he "terrible" affront done to Islam, started pelting the police with stones and burning shops; but unfortunately for the Muslims, they found that for once, the Hindus, under the leadership of the Shiv Sena, retaliated blow for blow -- an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth -- as the Israelis, who have been for so long at the receiving end of Muslim bullying, say so well. It is not for us to condone violence: But how long can the Hindus be the butt of killings and persecution, be sacrificial lambs that meekly go to the slaughter house? For, in a way, Gandhi was right: Muslims are bullies, they have bullied India and they continue to bully Hindu India, as Pakistan has demonstrated by receiving a well-meaning but naïve Vajpayee at Lahore, while its soldiers werequietly invading the heights above Kargil; or as Musharraf shows by giving gullible Indian journalists pep talks about how he wants peace with India while Islamabad is still training and arming murderous jihadis for Kashmir. And what monstrous murder was Bal Thackeray accused of? What crime against humanity had he committed? He was accused of having written two 'inflammatory' editorials in the Shiv Sena's mouthpiece. Editorials? Inflammatory? But did Bal Thackeray ever kill anyone? Are not the leaders of the Muslim organisation which spearheaded the recent bombing of churches in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, to sow disharmony between Christians and Hindus, still scot-free, by pretending that they believe in secularism? Has 'Tiger' Memon, who planted deadly bombs in Mumbai in 1992, ever been caught and brought to court? Are not the Muslim organisations, which organised the bomb attacks in Coimbatore a few years back, still functioning under different names? The truth is that there are two standards in India -- one for the Hindus and one for the Muslims. Did the "fanatic" Hindus who brought down the mosque in Ayodhya (and brought shame onto secular India, according to the Indian media) kill or even injure anyone in the process? No. But Muslims do not have such qualms. When Gandhi said they were bullies, he was being very nice or very polite. For, forget about the millions of Hindus killed during the ten centuries of Muslim invasions, probably the worst holocaust in world history; forget about the hundreds of thousands of Hindu temples razed to the ground, whose destruction -- whatever our "secular" Hindus of today say -- was carefully recorded by the Muslims themselves, because they were proud of it (see Aurangzeb's chronicles); forget about the millions of Hindus forcibly converted to Islam and who sadly are now rallying under a banner, a language, a scripture which have nothing to do with their own ethos and culture. This is not to say that all Muslims are fanatics; on the contrary, many of India's Muslims are extremely gentle and their sense of hospitality unsurpassed. The same thing can be said about Pakistan: Pakistani politicians, for instance, are much more accessible than Indian politicians and Pakistan has its own identity which cannot be wished away. No, the problem is not with Muslims, whether they are Indians or Pakistanis, the problem is with Islam, which teaches Indian Muslims from an early age to look beyond their national identity to a country -- the Mecca, in Saudi Arabia -- which is not their country, to read a scripture which is not written in their own language, to espouse a way of thinking, which is inimical to their own roots and indigenous culture. Indian Muslims, have to think of themselves first as Indians and only secondly as Muslims. Muslim soldiers fighting against Pakistan in Kargil have shown the way. Yesterday and also today, when the Muslim world feels it has been slighted in even a small measure by Hindus, these infidels who submitted meekly to Muslim rule for ten centuries, it retaliates a hundred fold -- this is the only way one intimidates cowards. After Ayodhya, Pakistan, with the help of Indian Muslims, planted bombs in the heart of Mumbai and killed a thousand innocent human beings, most of them, once more, Hindus. Tomorrow, Pakistan might wage, with the blessing of the Muslim world,the ultimate jihad against India, which if necessary, will utilise the ultimate weapon, nuclear bombs. For has not the Koran said 'Choose not thy friends among the infidels till they forsake their homes and the way of idolatry. If they return to paganism then take them whenever you find them and kill them.' (Koran, 98:51-9:5-4:89)? Unfortunately for India, the British, when they were here, had created an intellectual elite to act as a via media between themselves and the "natives," which today, thanks to the successive Congress governments, looks at its own country not by means of its own Indian eyes but through a western prism, as fashioned by the white colonisers and the missionaries. These Brown Sahibs, these true children of Macaulay, the secular politicians, the journalists, the top bureaucrats, in fact the whole westernised cream of India, are very critical of anything Hindu. And what is even moreparadoxical is that 98 per cent of them are Hindus! It is they who, upon getting independence, have denied India its true identity and have borrowed blindly from the British education system without trying to adapt it to the unique Indian mentality and psychology; and it is they who are refusing to accept a change of India's education system, which is totally Western-oriented and is churning out machines, learning by heart boring statistics which are of little usefulness in life. And what India is getting from this education is a youth which apes the West: They go to McDonald's, thrive on MTV culture, wear the latest Klein jeans and Lacoste T-shirts, and in general are useless, rich parasites in a country which has so many talented youngsters who live in poverty. They will grow-up like millions of other Western clones in the developing world who wear a tie, read The New York Times and swear by liberalism and secularism to save their countries from doom. In time, they will reach elevated positions and write books and articles which make fun of their own country, ridicule the Bal Thackerays of India and put them in jail; they will preside over human rights committees, be "secular" high bureaucrats who take the wrong decisions and generally do tremendous harm to India because it has been programmed in their genes to always run down their own country. It is said a nation has to be proud of itself to move forward and unless there is a big change in this intellectual elite, unless it is more conscious of its heritage and of India's greatness, which has begun to happen in a small way, it is going to be very difficult for India to emerge as a real 21st century superpower. One would be tempted to say in conclusion: 'Arise ô Hindus, stop being cowards, remember that a nation requires Kshatriyas, warriors, to defend knowledge, to protect one's women and children, to guard one's borders from the enemy....' And do Indians need a Bal Thackeray to remind them of that simple truth? The author, correspondent in South Asia for Le Figaro, France's largest circulated daily, will release his new book Arise Ô India (Har-Anand) on August 25, 2000.
Happy Dassera
Courtesy: Sivaji As we all know that the day time decreases from September 22nd, the days from Sep 22 to Dec 22 are the darkest days of the year meaning less light on the earth, which has a direct relation to us living on it ,we will be more looking for material satisfaction, for example: the past two months we will have rains and man will be busy in the work, looking for only attaining objectivity etc.. Man will be more attracted to Objective world rather than Subjectivity, hampering his poise, I do not mean that objectivity is bad, we should be attaining objectivity to enjoy the splendor of creation, but at the same time we should be oriented to subjectivity, as Krishna said to be yogi is to at poise (equilibrium) ...
As we are more attaining objectivity(Material), we will be less looking for the light, the same what Kabir has said in his poem(Doha),
So the ancient seekers of the truth whom we call as “Rishis” , has given this Dassera as the ten day festivel , where we will worship the godess Durga ("Durga" meaning the light in the absolute darkness ) praying her to show us the light in darkness, even in grand epic "MahaBhartha" lord Krishna( Man in God ) had asked Arjuna( god in Man) to pray for the godess Durga for blessings to show him the light even while Arjuna is busy in preparing for the great war packing all weapons during “ Vanavasam”. Now by praying during these ten days we were asking the mother to be with us, even while we were attaining our objective goals and show us the light in the coming days of the darkness, this is how all our indian culture has got different worships hidden with respect to time, we were also given with worship to Siva during the Karthika Masam (in sun sign Scorpio starting from diwali) where we will be in darkness to be with him, if u notice in our calendar, all the important festivals like Diwali, Dassera, Vikunta Ekadasi (11th Ascending Phase of Moon in Capricorn), etc. are all in the months Sep - Dec , this is how our ancient seekers of truth has given us all these sadhana paths so that we are never missed on our way.
A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said: "This will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. (And they call some of these people "retarded?"..) People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course. Pass it on...we need to change our hearts.
Count Your Blessings And Do Not Complain !
One day a father and his rich family took his son to a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "My dear Son, How was the trip? "Very good Dad!" "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?" The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars.Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon." When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are!" Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude towards life you've got everything! You can't buy any of these things, but still you can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc., but ...if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing! Attitude is everything! Make a decision to have a good ,positive and productive attitude every day!
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force it's body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.. So, the man decided to help the butterfly, he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. BUT, it had a swollen body, and small shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly, because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of it's life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. What he had done in his well intentioned kindness and haste, he did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into it's wings so that it would be ready for flight ONCE it achieved it's freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If god allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been...... And we could never fly....... Have a great day, great life, and struggle a little.... Then fly!!!!! Success is just a matter of attitude. !!!
Though the marathon runner may be completely exhausted from the effort, when the finish line is in view her pace will quicken. When the goal is in sight, things change dramatically. Those who can clearly visualize the goal from the farthest away are the ones who will surely reach that goal. When the goal is clearly in sight you are drawn to it by a force that is nearly unstoppable. You cannot help but make whatever effort is necessary to reach it. When the goal is in sight, so is the path which will get you there. The more precisely you can visualize your ultimate goal, the more clearly you will understand how to achieve it. What are you working to accomplish? Precisely, exactly, specifically, what is it? What color is it? How does it feel when you touch it? What does it smell like? How does it sound? Make it real in your mind. See all the rich details. Clearly visualize where you're going and you will find a way to get there.
When is the right time to be happy? We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice holiday, when we retire. The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. A quote from Alfred D Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. "This perspective helps me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time... And remember, that time waits for no-one. So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten kilograms, until you gain ten kilograms, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until autumn, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you are born again... to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy. Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
We don't have to wait for a tragedy to happen to learn some precious lesson : A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into a pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital. Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said," Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide. Think about the story the next time you see someone spill milk at a dinner table or hear a baby crying. Think first before u lose your patience with someone you love. Trucks can be repaired. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever. Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Understand & love.
The Bank Account What would you do with Rs.86, 400 per day? Imagine there is a bank that credits your account each morning with Rs.86, 400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every paisa, of course! Each of us has such a bank. Its name is TIME. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is YOURS. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success. The clock is running. Make the most of today. To realise the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who failed a grade. To realise the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby. To realise the value of ONE WEEK, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper. To realise the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet. To realise the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who missed the train. To realise the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who just avoided an accident. To realise the value of ONE MILLISECOND, ask the person who won a silver medal in the Olympics. Treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time. And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present
Heaven and Hell - The Real Difference A man spoke with the Lord about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell." They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible. "Come, now I will show you heaven," the Lord said after a while. They entered another room, identical to the first - the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?" The Lord smiled, "Ah, it is simple," he said. "here they have learned to feed each other."
|
||||||||||||||||||||
