Thoughtful moment
Author unknown
A water bearer in India had two large pots. Each
hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots
had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full
portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s
house,
The cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full
two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half
pots full of water in his master’s house.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its
accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked
pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to
accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter
failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream.
“I am ashamed of myself, and want to apologize to
you.”
“Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“I have been able, for these past two years, to
deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak
out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to
do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot
said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked
pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want
you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked
pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of
the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt
bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again he expressed his
feeling to the water bearer.
He replied by saying, “Did you notice that flowers
were only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side?
That’s because I have always known about
your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of
the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered
them. For two years,
I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.
Author unknown
The carrot, the egg, and the coffee bean Author unknown
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things
were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted
to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.
It seemed that, as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took
her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high
fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the
second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In about twenty minutes,
she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a
bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the
coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked,
"Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," the young woman replied. The mother
brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that
they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling
off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip
the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then
asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity
- boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard
and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened
and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid
interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became
hardened! The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the
boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" the mother asked her daughter. "When
adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or
a coffee bean?" Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems
strong but, with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my
strength? The bean actually changes the
hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot,
it releases the fragrance and flavour.
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and
change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are
their greatest, do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
I hope you are the Coffee Bean Author unknown
paradox and have concluded
that adversity is the test that you must pass on the path to accomplishing
anything worthwhile. Herodotus, the Greek philosopher, said, “Adversity has the
effect of drawing out strength and qualities of a man that would have lain
dormant in its absence.” The very best qualities of strength, courage,
character, and persistence are brought out.
A wise man
adapts himself to circumstances as water shapes itself to the vessel that
contains it.
Chinese Proverb
There can
be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm.
J. H. Vincent
There
is no education like adversity.
Benjamin Disraeli
In
prosperity, our friends know us; in adversity, we know our friends.
John Collins
Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives.
