Important Things in Life

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else. The small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.

Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

Anecdotes

It Filled the Whole Room

A wealthy business man in Hong Kong had spent the best years of his life building up his mammoth textile business. One day, he was told that he was dying from an incurable disease. His immediate thought was of his business. Who would carry it on? And which of his three sons could he trust it to?He called his three sons and gave them a 10 cent coin each. To each he said, go into the market place and buy something that will fill this empty room. You must not spend anything more than 10 cents and you must be back before sunset.?When evening came, the first boy dragged a bale of hay into the room. When he undid it, it hid two walls of the room. The old man gave a grunt of satisfaction. The second boy brought in two bags of cotton and when he undid them it covered the three walls.?Excellent!? exclaimed the old man. Then he turned to the third boy, ?what have you bought??? Father,? he replied uncertainly. ?part of it went to feed a hungry child, and part I gave it the church. After I had done that I found that I had only one cent left. With that I bought this candle.?Saying that , he lit the tiny candle ? the light from it filled the whole room! Only Wisdom can fill the whole empty heart!

Moral Story

Two Frogs In Trouble

Once a big fat frog and a lively little frog were hopping along together when they had the misfortune of jumping into a pail of fresh milk. They swam for hours and hours hoping to get out somehow; but the sides of the pail were steep and slippery and death seemed to be certain. When the big frog was exhausted he lost courage. There seemed no hope of rescue. “Why keep struggling against the inevitable? I cannot swim any longer.” He moaned. “Keep on! Keep on!” urged the little frog, who was still circling the pail. So they went on for a while. But the big frog decided it was no use. “Little brother, We may as well give up” he gasped. “I am going to quit struggling.” Now only the little frog was left. He thought to himself. “Well, to give up is to be dead, so I will keep swimming.” Two more hours passed and the tiny legs of the determined little frog were almost paralyzed with exhaustion. It seemed as if he could not keep moving for another minute. But he thought of his dead friend, and repeated, “To give up is to be meat for someone’s table, so I’ll keep paddling on until I die – if death is to come – but I will not cease trying – while there is life, there is hope.”Intoxicated with determination, the little frog kept on swimming around and around the pail, chopping the milk into white waves. After a while, just as he felt completely numb and thought he was about to drown, he suddenly felt something solid under him. To his astonishment, he saw that he was resting on a lump of butter which he had churned by constant paddling! And so the successful little frog leaped out of the milk pail to freedom.

Anecdotes

Goddess of Truth

In the olden days there was great king named Aparajita. he loved his subjects dearly. All were happy and joyous under his care. The country was prosperous under him.

One morning, he went to bathe in a nearby river. There, he saw a beautiful girl who had actually come out of his palace. He stopped her and asked, ‘Oh Mother, who are you? Where are you going at this hour all along?’

She replied ‘O King! I am the goddess of wealth, I don’t stay at one place for long. But I stayed here for a long time, as you are a good man. Now I am leaving this place.’

‘Is it so? If you are not happy here, you may go’ said the king.

After some time another girl was passing along, ‘O Mother! Where are you going?’ asked the King. She said, ‘Your Majesty! I am the goddess of virtue. I follow the goddess of wealth.’

‘As you wish mother. You may go’, said the king

After sometime another lady came along. ‘Who are you and where are you going? asked the king. She replied ‘I am the goddess of justice. I reside where the goddess of virtue resides. So I am leaving.’ ‘All right! I will not stop you’ said the king.

After sometime, he saw yet another lady ready to leave. The king asked, ‘Mother! Who are you and where are you going?’ She replied, ‘I am the goddess of truth. I stay where my sisters are. I am leaving as all my sisters have left.’

Hearing this, the king became very sad. He instantly fell at her feet and said, ‘Mother! Please be gracious. I did not worry where the other three left, but I cannot exist without truth. So kindly do not forsake me.’

The goddess of truth was moved by these words of the king and said, ‘All right, I am not leaving your kingdom.’ The king was happy and he said.’O Compassionate Mother! Glory to thee.’

Since Truth stayed back, the goddess of justice returned. She said, ‘O King! I stay only where the goddess of truth resides.

‘ It is my good fortune Mother! You are welcome!’ said the king.

Goddess of virtue returned and pointing to her two sisters said, ‘ I do not stay without them. So let me also stay back.’ After a while, the goddess of wealth too returned. She said, ‘without justice, virtue and truth, wealth will be the cause of disaster. So I too have returned.’

The happy king prostrated before the goddesses and said, ‘ O Mothers! Let the people of my kingdom too realize the greatness of truth and understand that wherever truth is, there will be justice, virtue and wealth.’

Anecdotes

Forgiving is Greatness


Thomas Carlyle is the author of the book ‘The French Revolution’. Once, John Stuart Mill, the famous Philosopher and writer asked him, would you kindly lend me the manuscript of your work ‘The French Revolution’ ? I would like to go through the first part of your work. ‘Carlyle readily gave him the manuscript.

After some days Mill knocked at his door one night and entered the hall in a dazed condition, ‘What is it Mill?’ asked Carlyle.

‘My friend,’ stammered the philosopher gasping; ‘I am ….. I am ….sorry; your manuscript was swept away by the maid and destroyed except for a few torn pages.’

Carlyle was stunned!

Gathering his wits, he slowly said, ‘Why do you keep standing? Pray sit down. Well, what has happened has happened. So do not worry.’

Mill sat down with a sigh. He talked with his friend for hours, well past midnight thinking that he should console Carlyle. In the end Carlyle came closer to him and said ‘Listen, my friend! Now do not think about it any more. Take it like this; it is like a master asking a pupil who has written a bad essay to rewrite it to perfection.’