Saturday Story from Siva (8): The Story of a King and his definition of Peace

Hi,

Good morning. Good to come back to you with another short story this Saturday. This one was shared with me by a friend of mine. Found it to be good and felt like sharing it with you immediately. This is the "Story of a King and his definition of Peace." Here it goes...

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The Story of a King and his definition of PeaceAnonymous
(Contribution by D. Edakhe)
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.

The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest-in perfect peace.


The king chose the second picture for the Prize. "Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.
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There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.

There is hustle and bustle everywhere now-a-days. Stress at work and home have become the order of the day. Everyone is more or less on the run in search of prosperity, and may be peace too. There is so much beauty and peace in the work we do and the life we live. The time has come for us to spare a few minutes each day to sit quietly, introspect, and find the goodness in what we do. Joy and peacefulness should be the result.

The Best for you, always!

With love and regards

Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (7): The Story of "Six Blind men and the Elephant"

Hi,
I would like to share with you an old Indian fable, "The Story of Six Blind men and the Elephant." Here it is.....
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The Blind Men and the Elephant
Anonymous

A long time ago in the valley of the Brahmaputra River in India there lived six men who had all been blind since birth. They would compete with each other at every given opportunity. One day, they fell to arguing about how an elephant would look like. Since they had never seen or felt an elephant, they hired a young guide, Dookiram by name, who took them to the forest so that they could have their first encounter with an elephant.

The man who felt the elephant's side said that the animal was a big, flat thing. The one who felt the elephant's leg thought the elephant was like a column. Another felt only the elephant's trunk, and described the animal as being very much like a snake. Similarly, others also expressed their view of the elephant differently. Since they approached the beast from different directions, they all ended up with different impressions of the elephant. After sharing their perceptions, the men began disputing loud and long, each of them convinced that he was right and all the others were wrong.
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None of the men is wrong, exactly. All are faithfully reporting their honest, first-hand impressions. And yet each of them has gotten a false impression because his experience has been limited to just a part of the whole of the elephant. We too encounter in our daily life many such instances where we get to hear others' opinions that are quite contrasting from those of ours. While we may believe that we are right, perhaps, there exists an opportunity to consider others' point of view too to get a holistic picture of the situation and make right decisions.

The Best for you.
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story from Siva (6): The Big John Doesn't Pay

Hi,

Here goes the Saturday Story # 6. This is the story of Big John.

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The Story of Big John

Anonymous

(Contribution by M Chandiramani)

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops, a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a guy got on. Six feet eight, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the driver and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.

The driver was five feet three, thin, and basically meek... Naturally, he didn't argue with Big John, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened -Big John got on again, said "Big John doesn't pay!" and sat down. And the next day, and the one after that, and so forth. This irritated the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of his size. Finally he could stand it no longer.

He signed up for a body building program, karate, judo and all that good stuff. By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; So on the next Monday, when Big John got on the bus and said, "Big John doesn't pay!" the driver stood up, glared back and screamed, "And why not?" With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a Bus Pass."

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It has been my experience to view the irksome issues with a magnifying lens, allow my mind to work excessively on them, and presume their consequences in a disastrous manner, only to realise at some time later, that those issues were never a real problem. At times, the whole process appeared to be a big joke, and I had to laugh at myself for the way I made a mountain out of a mole hill. I am sure you too have had such an experience.

The Best for you!
With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Story From Siva (4): Story of a farmer with a cracked pot

Here goes my Saturday Story for today.....
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Story of a farmer with a cracked pot
Anonymous

An elderly farmer had two large pots, each hung on the ends 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 house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the farmer bringing home only one and a half pots of water. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the farmer one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The farmer smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table in our home. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace our home."

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Each of us has our own flaw(s), of which one or many of them could not perhaps be repaired just as in the case of cracked pot. However, like what the farmer did, we could perhaps look into the opportunity of taking advantage of it for our own benefit and also to the benefit of others. Similarly, we could also appreciate each person for what they are and look for the opportunity of helping them achieve their best, despite as well as out of the flaws they may possess.

Have a great weekend!
With love and regards,
Siva
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B. Sivaprasad
Corporate Trainer and Motivational Speaker
SS Technologies, 401, Rajya Lakshmi Nivas
5-2-26/1, Kukatpally, Hyderabad 500072, India
value4value@gmail.com
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Saturday Story From Siva (3): Story of a Scottish Farmer and his son

Hi,
Here goes the story of a Scottish Farmer and his son. Even if you have read it earlier, it may be worth reading it for one more time.
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His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make out a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in 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 Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy 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'll make you a deal. Let me take him and give him a good education. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll grow to a man you can 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 Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman's son was stricken with pneumonia. What saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

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While some say that this is a true story, others suggest that it is a fiction. Whether it is true or not, the story definitely reveals "what goes around comes around". When I look back into my own life, I find several instances of my own acts, good or bad, that have already reflected the consequences in equal or greater measure. I am sure you too will.

With love and regards,
Siva

Saturday Stories From Siva (2): The Wise Woman's Stone

Hi,

Given below is the story with a great message: "The Wise Woman's Stone"

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The Wise Woman’s Stone ( http://www.mjhb.net/?p=45 )

Author Unknown

A wise woman who was travelling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.

The traveler left, rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the wise woman.

“I’ve been thinking,” he said, “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me the stone.”

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To your SUCCESS,
With love and regards,
Siva