Happiness is in the path, not in destnation.

Two brothers once decided to dig a deep hole behind their house. As
they were working, a couple of other boys stopped by to watch.

“What are you doing?” asked one of the visitors. “We’re going to dig a
hole all the way through the earth!” one of the brothers volunteered
excitedly.

The other boys began to laugh, telling the brothers that digging a
hole all the way through the earth was impossible. After a long
silence, one of the diggers picked up a jar full of spiders and worms
and insects and interesting stones. He removed the lid and showed the
wonderful contents to the scoffing visitors. Then he said confidently,
“Even if we don’t dig all the way through the earth, look what we
found along the way!”

Their goal was far too ambitious, but it did cause them to dig. And
that is what a goal is for  - to cause us to move in the direction we
have chosen, in other words, to set us to digging!

But not every goal will be fully achieved. Not every job will end
successfully. Not every relationship will endure. Not every hope will
come to pass. Not every love will last. Not every endeavour will be
completed. Not every dream will be realized. But when  you fall short
of your aim, perhaps you can say, “Yes, but look at what I found along
the way! Look at the wonderful things which have come into my life
because I tried to do something!”

It is in the digging that life is lived. And it is the joy in the
journey, in the end, that truly matters!

Nothing is insignificant

Along with his brother Lakshmana, Rama went in search of his wife, and
enlisted the help of the Vanara king, Sugreeva. Learning that Sita was
kept at Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana, which lay across the ocean,
Rama, along with the Vanara army, arrived at the seashore.

To reach Lanka, they had to cross the vast ocean, and after much
discussion, it was decided that a bridge would be built across the
ocean. The multitudes of monkeys and bears which formed the Vanara
army were asked to bring stones and boulders to the seashore, so that
a bridge could be built.

Shouting with excitement, and happy at the prospect of helping Rama,
the monkeys and bears ran around, looking for the biggest stones they
could find. The Vanaras were a strong race, and they carried huge
boulders, and even hills, on their shoulders easily, and dropped them
in the ocean to help build the bridge.

The other animals at the seashore too wished to help Rama, and each of
them helped him in his own way – the fishes and the other sea
creatures did their bit by helping the boulders rest at the right
place, while the birds flying overhead brought small stones to fill
the gaps.

A small squirrel was seeing this huge effort, and he too wished to
help. He thought for a moment, and then started collecting small
pebbles lying on the shore, and dropped them in the ocean. After a
while, he was too tired to even carry those pebbles, but still wanted
to participate. He ran to the edge of the water, and, after rolling in
the sand, ran to the water and washed himself. He ran back to the
shore and rolled again, and more sand got stuck to him, since he was
now wet. Again he ran to the water to wash himself. The small grains
of sand which stuck to his body were all he could contribute to the
massive task of building a bridge across the ocean!!

However, the small squirrel rushing to and fro on the shore was now
getting in the way of the monkeys who were carrying huge boulders, and
they started shouting at him, asking him to get out of the way.

“Brothers, I too want to help you. These small grains of sand are all
I can throw into the ocean as my contribution to the bridge. Please do
not shout at me”, said the little squirrel.

The monkeys laughed out aloud, and shouted, “Of what use are these
tiny grains of sand, which can scarcely be seen among the huge
boulders and hills we are bringing. Get out of the way and let us do
our work!”

The squirrel was unperturbed, and continued its work calmly. Finally
one of the monkeys, in his anger, picked up the squirrel and flung him
far away from the shore.

Rama, who was watching this, caught the squirrel before it fell, and
set it down carefully. He then addressed the Vanara army, “O Vanaras,
you are brave and strong, and are doing a wonderful job bringing all
these huge boulders and stones from far and dropping them in the
ocean. But did you notice that it is the tiny pebbles and stones
brought by this small squirrel and some of the other smaller creatures
which are filling the small gaps left between the huge stones?
Further, do you not realize that the tiny grains of sand brought by
this squirrel are the ones which bind the whole structure and make it
strong? Yet you scold this small creature and fling him away in
anger!”

Hearing this, the Vanaras were ashamed, and bowed down their heads.
Rama continued, “Always remember, however small, every task is equally
important. A project can never be completed by the main people alone.
They need the support of all, and however small, an effort should
always be appreciated!”

Rama then turned to the squirrel and said softly, “My dear squirrel, I
am sorry for the hurt caused to you by my army, and thank you for the
help you have rendered to me. Please go and continue your work
happily.” Saying this, he gently stroked the back of the squirrel with
his fingers, and three lines appeared where the Lord’s fingers had
touched it.

Thus did the squirrels get the 3 stripes on their backs, as a blessing
from Lord Rama, to remind us that no task, however small, is
unimportant! Every task should be looked upon as service to the lord,
and his blessings will always be with us.

Has complaining become your habit?

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, the great philosopher and former President of India, made his first visit to the United States when John F. Kennedy was the President. The weather was dark and stormy in Washington and when Dr. Radhakrishnan alighted from the plane, it began to pour cats and dogs, as the expression goes.

The young American President greeted his Indian counterpart with a warm hand¬shake and a smile. "I'm so sorry we have such bad weather during your visit," he remarked courteously. The philosopher-statesman smiled. "We can't change bad things, Mr. President," he observed. "But we can change our attitude to them.

"A few years ago I was in Delhi, I was invited by Doordarshan to visit their studios. There I met a wonderful man. He had lost both his arms in an accident. But he had a positive attitude. He trained his feet so that he could take up the job of composing in a press. With a smile on his face and a feeling of joy, he said, 'I earn Rs.500 a month. I am not a burden on anyone.'

"There was another man whom I met in Pune. He was sitting by the wayside, and he had no legs, only stumps beneath his hips.

'What happened to you?' I asked him.

'Nothing!' he replied. 'I was born this way.'

'May I ask, who takes care of you, my friend?' I enquired.

'My mother - and above all, God.'

'Do you find it difficult, inconvenient to move about?'

'Do you find it difficult and inconvenient that you don't have wings?' he asked me. 'Don't you think it would be far better if you could fly on your own, rather than wait to catch a plane?'

'Life is a matter of habit,' he added. 'If you start complaining, there is so much to complain about. It is the attitude that counts.'

Expansion is life! Contraction is death.

Once upon a young man came to a revered teacher, who was seated under a tree near a beautiful lake, and asked for the solution of his unhappiness. After some minutes of conversation, the old master kindly instructed the visitor to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink a few mouthfuls.

“How does it taste?” the teacher asked. “Awful”, said the apprentice after he had spat out the revolting liquid a few paces away. The teacher chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the youngster swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man told him, “Now drink from the lake.”

As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked him again, “How does it taste?” “Good!” he replied. “Do you taste the salt?” asked the Master. “No,” said the young man. The Master sat beside the troubled youth, took his hands, and said, “the pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the level of ‘pain we taste’ depends on the container we put it into.

So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake. And you can become a lake where you broaden your outlook; when you stop looking only at yourself and your own miseries. Look at life as a whole and the many things without which you would not be what you are today – your friends, family, hobbies, nature around you.

When you are confronted with a problem, you see only the problem and ruminate over it endlessly which only makes the situation more tragic. Think of previous instances when things were better. Look at all the blessings that God has filled your life with about which you never give a thought.

Never compare yourself negatively with others. You are a unique person and if you have the faith, God will provide what you need. When you have a pain in your life, put it in front of GOD-then it will surely lessen. Do not put it in front of yourself – as you cannot see beyond it.

God is Infinite. Tap this source, with confidence.

You are your hindrance

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big advice on the door on which it was written:

'Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. We invite you to join the funeral in the room that has been prepared in the gym'.

In the beginning, they all got sad for the death of one of their colleagues, but after a while they started getting curious to know who was that man who hindered the growth of his colleagues and the company itself.

The more people reached the coffin, the more excitement heated up. Everyone thought: 'Who is this guy who was hindering my progress? Well, at least he died!'.

One by one thrilled employees got closer to the coffin, and when they looked inside it they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby the coffin, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul.

There was a mirror inside the coffin: Everyone who looked inside it could see himself. There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:

'There is only one person who is capable to set limits to your growth: It is you.

You are the only person who can revolutionize your life. You are the only person who can influence your happiness, your realization and your success. You are the only person who can help yourself.

Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when you change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs, when you realize that you are the only one responsible for your life. The most important relationship you can have is the one you have with yourself

Examine yourself, watch yourself. Don't be afraid of difficulties, impossibilities and losses: be a winner, build yourself and your reality. It's the way you face Life that makes the difference.

Old Age

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder over it, and let her know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love I will. I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to.

They, too, will get old. I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day, if I feel like it!

All that glitters is not gold!

Catherine's mother one day sent her to the woods to look for mushrooms, because her father liked them very much and her mother wanted to give him a surprise.

"Mother," cried the girl when she returned home, "Today I found some truly beautiful mushrooms! Look at them," she said, opening her basket, "they are all shining red and purple color as if embroidered with lovely pearls. There were also some plain mushrooms like the ones you brought home last time, but they seemed so ugly that I left them there."

"My sweet little girl! Don't you realize how silly you are?" exclaimed her mother. "The beautiful mushrooms that you brought home today, even if they do seem so brightly colored and enchanting, are poisonous. The brown ones, instead, which you despised, because of their plain look, are edible and are the best kind. Such is also the case with the things of this world, my dear. There are virtues that have little splendor, and blinding errors which people admire. The deceitful appearance more than often leads us into sin."

So don't be misled by appearance. Be the admirer and follower of true virtues.

To be joyful bring joy in other lives

A young student, was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly called the students' friend, for his kindness to those who waited on his instructions. As they went along, they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed, belonged to a poor man who was employed in a field close by, and who had nearly finished his day's work. The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them." "My friend" answered the professor, "We should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure to the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how the discovery affects him."

The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes. While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it round, and looked at it again and again. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin. His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving, in which he spoke of his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom the timely bounty, from some unknown hand, would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, "Are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?" The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of those words, which I never understood before:

'It is more blessed to give, than to receive.’

Refuse to take other's garbage

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.

Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

How do you want to spend your money?

The wisdom of Birbal was unparalleled during the reign of Emperor Akbar. But Akbar’s brother in law was extremely jealous of him. He asked the Emperor to dispense with Birbal’s services and appoint him in his place. He gave ample assurance that he would prove to be more efficient and capable than Birbal. Before Akbar could take a decision on this matter, this news reached Birbal.

Birbal resigned and left. Akbar’s brother in law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Akbar decided to test the new minister. He gave three hundred gold coins to him and said, “Spend these gold coins such that, I get a hundred gold coins here in this life; a hundred gold coins in the other world and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.”

The minister found the entire situation to be a maze of confusion and hopelessness. He spent sleepless nights worrying over how he would get himself out of this mess. Thinking in circles was making him go crazy. Eventually, on the advice of his wife he sought Birbal’s help. Birbal said, “Just give me the gold cons. I shall handle the rest.”

Birbal walked the streets of the city holding the bag of gold coins in his hand. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son’s wedding. Birbal gave a hundred gold coins to him and bowed courteously saying, “The Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son. Please accept the gift he has sent.” The merchant felt honoured that the king had sent a special messenger with such a precious gift. He honoured Birbal and gave him a large number of expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king.

Next, Birbal went to the area of the city were the poor people lived. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them in the name of the Emperor.

When he came back to town he organized a concert of music and dance. He spent a hundred gold coins on it.

The next day Birbal entered Akbar’s darbar and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. The Emperor waited to know how he had done it. Birbal repeated the sequences of all the events and then said, “The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son – you have got back while on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor – you will get it in the other world. The money I spent on the musical concert – you will get neither here nor there.”

This is true even today.

The money you spend on friends is returned or reciprocated in some form or the other.

Money spent on charity gets converted into blessings from God which becomes your eternal property.

Money spent on pleasures is just frittered away!

What are you worrying about?

Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but how we react to what happens, not by what life brings us but the attitude we bring to life.

One Sunday morning, a wealthy man sat in his balcony enjoying sunshine and his coffee when a little ant caught his eye which was going from one side to the other side of the balcony carrying a big leaf several times more than its size. The man watched it for more than an hour. He saw that the ant faced many impediments during its journey, paused, took a diversion and then continued towards destination.

At one point the tiny creature came across a crack in the floor. It paused for a little while, analyzed and then laid the huge leaf over the crack, walked over the leaf, picked the leaf on the other side then continued its journey.

The man was captivated by the cleverness of the ant, one of Nature’s tiniest creatures. The incident left the man in awe and forced him to contemplate over the miracle of Creation. In front of his eyes there was this tiny creature, lacking in size yet equipped with a brain to analyze, contemplate, reason, explore, discover and overcome. Along with all these capabilities, the man also noticed that this tiny creature shared some human shortcomings.

The man saw about an hour later the creature had reached its destination – a tiny hole in the floor which was entrance to its underground dwelling. And it was at this point that the ant’s shortcoming that it shared with man was revealed. How could the ant carry into the tiny hole the large leaf that it had managed to carefully bring to the destination? It simply couldn’t!

So the tiny creature, after all the painstaking hard work and exercising great skills, overcoming all the difficulties along the way, just left behind the large leaf and went home empty-handed.

The ant had not thought about the end before it began its challenging journey and in the end the large leaf was nothing more than a burden to it. The creature had no option, but to leave it behind to reach its destination. The man learned a great lesson that day.

Isn’t that the truth about our lives? We worry about our family, we worry about our job, we worry about how to earn more money, we worry about where we should live – 5 bedroom or 6 bedroom house, what kind of vehicle to buy – a Mercedes or BMW or a Porsche, what kind of dresses to wear, all sorts of things, only to abandon all these things when we reach our destination – The Grave. We don’t realize in our life’s journey that these are just burdens that we are carrying with utmost care and fear of losing them, only to find that at the end they are useless and we can’t take them with us.

Mind is powerful

Once upon a time, there was a General who was leading his Army into battle against an enemy ten times the size of his own.

Along the way to the battle field, the troops stopped by a small temple to pray for victory.

The General held up a coin and told his troops, "I am going to implore the Gods to help us crush our enemy. If this coin lands with the heads on top, we'll win. If it's tails, we'll lose. Our fate is in the hands of the gods. Let's pray wholeheartedly."

After a short prayer, the General tossed the coin. It landed with the heads on top. The troops were overjoyed and went into the battle with high spirit.

Just as predicted, the smaller army won the battle.

The soldiers were exalted, "It's good to have the Gods on our side! No one can change what they have determined."

"Really?" The General show them the coin--both sides of it were heads.

Never compare yourself to anyone

A Samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a Zen Monk to ask him for his advice.

When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked, “Why do I feel so inferior? I have faced death many times, have defended those who are weak. Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.”

“Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you.” – replied the monk.

The Samurai spent whole day sitting in the temple gardens, watching people go in and out in search of advice. He saw how the Monk received them all with same patience and same illuminated smile on his face.

At nightfall, when everyone had gone, he demanded: “Now can you teach me?”

The Master invited him in and lead him to his room. The full moon shone in the sky, and atmosphere was one of profound tranquility.

“Do you see the moon, how beautiful it is? It will cross the entire firmament, and tomorrow the sun will shine once again.”

“But sunlight is much brighter, and can show the details of the landscape around us: trees, mountains, clouds.”

“I have contemplated the two for years, and have never heard the moon say: why do I not shine like the sun? Is it because I am inferior?”

“Of course not.” – answered the Samurai. “The moon and the sun are different things, each has its own beauty. You cannot compare the two.”

“So you know the answer. We are two different people, each fighting in his own way for that which he believes, and making it possible to make the world a better place; the rest are mere appearances.”

Leader

A few years ago, the terrorist organization Hamas, sent a gift to the President of Israel in an elaborate box with a note. After having the box checked for safety reasons, the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, opened the box and saw that the content was faeces (shit). He opened the note which said, "For you and the proud people of Israel."

Being a wise and experienced person, he decided to reciprocate, sending Hamas a very pretty package and a note.

The leaders of Hamas were very surprised to receive the parcel and opened it very carefully suspecting that it might contain a bomb.

But to their surprise they saw that it contained a tiny computer that was rechargeable with solar energy, had a 1800 GB memory and could output a 3D hologram display capable of functioning in any type of cellular phone, tablet or laptop.

It was one of the world's most advanced technologies. Invented and produced in Israel.

The accompanying note to the Hamas leaders stated very courteously...

" A leader can give, only what his people can produce."

Do not judge anything by its utility

Once there was a farmer who owned a large garden with a number of fruit-trees. But one apple tree had gone barren. It no longer bore any fruit, though it provided shelter to many birds.

Now, seeing the apple-tree useless, the farmer made up his mind to fell it. He came to the garden with his axe and got ready to cut down the apple-tree.

But the birds living on that tree begged the farmer, “Spare this tree, sir. If you fell it, we shall have to go elsewhere. It will deprive you of our merry notes when you are at work here.”

But the farmer turned a deaf-ear to the plea and struck at the tree with his axe. A few strokes of the axe discovered a hollow in the tree-stem. It had a large honey-comb inside it.

Delighted at his find, the farmer threw his axe and said to himself, “This tree is really worth keeping. I must not fell it.”

Most men gauge things by their utility only. See the inner strength or inner beauty.

Silence gives answers

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him.

After searching high and low among the hay for a long while; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn.

He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded.

Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance.

The farmer looked at him and thought, “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.”

So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn. After a while the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed.

The boy replied, “I did nothing but sit on the ground and listen. In the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and just looked for it in that direction.”

A peaceful mind can think better than a worked up mind. Allow a few minutes of silence to your mind every day, and see, how sharply it helps you to set your life the way you expect it to be!

Kind gestures help

Ram worked at a vegetable distribution factory. One day, when he finished with his work schedule, he went into the vegetable cold room to inspect something, but in a moment of bad luck, the door closed and he was locked inside with no help in sight.

Although he screamed and knocked with all his might, his cries went unheard as no one could hear him. Most of the workers had already gone, and outside the cold room it's impossible to hear what was going on inside.

Five hours later, whilst Ram was on the verge of death, the security guard of the factory, eventually opened the door and saved Ram's life. Ram then asked the security guard how he got to open the door, as it wasn't part of his work routine, and he explained thus:

"I've been working in this factory for 35 years, hundreds of workers go in and out every day, but you're one of the few who greets me in the morning and says goodbye to me every night when leaving after working hours. Many treat me as if I am invisible. Today, like every other day, you greeted me in your simple manner 'Hello' at the entrance when resuming for work. But curiously, after working hours today, I observed I've not heard your ‘Bye! see you tomorrow'. Hence I decided to check around the factory. I look forward to your 'Hi' and 'Bye' every day. To you, I am someone. By not hearing your farewell, I knew something had happened. Then I sought and found you!

Be humble, love and respect those around you. Someone seemingly so insignificant and irrelevant today could be the only help you can get tomorrow.

Respect the Law

It was 1923. Gandhiji was serving his sentence in the Yervada jail. In those days, visitors were allowed to see the inmates only at an appointed time in the evening. One day, Kasturba came to meet Gandhiji. According to the rules of the jail, the inmates were allowed to speak to their dear ones only in the presence of the warden. But because of the great stature of Gandhiji the warden did not wait there.

When it was time to leave, the warden came in to inform them. He was shocked to see both, Kasturba and Gandhiji standing still like statues, without having uttered a single word during all that time.

“Why are you two so silent? Is there a problem?” Inquired the warden.

Gandhiji replied, “I am aware of the rules of this jail. I am no different from my fellow inmates. Then, why should I be given the privilege of talking to my wife in private when the others can’t? I’m sure my wife agrees with my opinion because she believes in equality too. Since you went away, we did not speak to each other because we would have then violated the rules of the jail.”

No work, No food

Hyakujo, the Chinese Zen master, used to labour with his pupils even at the age of eighty, trimming the gardens, cleaning the grounds and pruning the trees.

The pupils felt sorry to see the old teacher working so hard, but they knew he would not listen to their requests to stop, so they hid away his tools.

That day the master did not eat. The next day he did not eat, nor the next. “He may be angry because we have hidden his tools,” the pupils surmised. “We had better put them back.”

The day they did so, the teacher worked and ate the same as before. In the evening he instructed them, “No work, No Food.”

How wonderful it would be if all of us made a similar commitment with ourselves. How many of us just while away the day in eating, drinking and sleeping. This is not life; this is just ‘existing’. Make life meaningful by doing something that makes life worthwhile. Don’t just ‘pass time’ but do something constructive and meaningful with your time, so that when you look back at life, you can smile and not cry for having wasted life.