Eight Minutes

A movie theater announced that it is going to screen the worlds best Short Film for free.

A large crowd gathered to watch the movie.

The movie began with a showing the ceiling of a room. The Ceiling was devoid of any decoration or details. 

Just a Blank…. White…. Ceiling....

3 minutes passed…. But the camera did not move anywhere else. It did not move to any other scene

It stayed still…. the same room …. 

“Just the Blank…. White…. Ceiling....”

Another 3 minutes passed without the camera moving anywhere else and without any change in the scene….

After 6 boring minutes, the viewers started grumbling. Some of them were about to leave the theater hall while few began yelling at the officials of the house because they wasted their time watching a ceiling ...

Suddenly, before the majority could leave, the camera lens slowly moved on one of the walls of the room until it reached down to show the floor….

It now was showing a man lying on a bed gazing at the ceiling. They then realized that the man was left totally handicapped due to a severe spinal injury.

The camera moved to the ceiling again to show the sentence:

"We showed you only 8 minutes of this man's daily activity. Just 8 minutes from the scene that this man has been watching every day for 8 years….and you couldn't bear to watch it...!

Begin now....

Enjoy your existence till you lose it.... Value every second of your life that you spend in wellness.

The Gardener

He was pruning the plants in the posh gardens of an International school. 

The scorching heat and dust didn't seem to affect him….

"Ganga Das, Principal Ma'am wants to see you…. right now".

The last two words of the peon had lots of emphasis on them, trying to make it sound like an urgency.

He quickly got up, washed and wiped his hands and headed towards the Principal's chamber.

The walk from the garden to the office seemed never ending... his heart was almost jumping out of his chest….

He was trying all the permutation and combination to figure out, as to what has gone wrong that she wants to see him urgently....

He was a sincere worker and never shirked from his duties...

knock knock...

"Madam, you called me?"

"Come inside..." an authoritative voice laced with crispness made him further nervous...

Salt n pepper hair, tied neatly in a french knot, a designer sari-sober and very classic, glasses resting on the bridge of her nose...

She pointed out towards a paper kept on the table...

"Read this"...

"B..but Ma'am…. I don't know to read....

Ma'am please forgive me if I have done anything wrong... give me another chance...

And he broke down in fear….

"Hold on, you assume a lot... Let me call a teacher in, she will read it out and translate it to you...."

Soon enough the teacher was called and she started reading it, translating each line in Hindi...

It read- Today is Mother's Day and we have been asked to write an essay on “Mother”….

I belong to a village in Bihar, a tiny village where medical and education still seem like a far-fetched dream. Many women die every now and then while giving birth. My mother was one of them too. She has never held me in her arms. My father was the first person to hold me…. or perhaps the only person.

Everyone was sad and angry at me.. as I was a girl and I had "eaten up" my mother at birth itself.

My dad was instantly asked to remarry but he refused.

My grandparents forced him by giving all logical, illogical and emotional reasons but he didn't budge. My grandparents wanted a grandson, they threatened him to remarry else he will be disowned...

Without giving a second thought, he left behind everything…. his acres of land, all his relatives, friends, comfortable house, cattle, rather everything that will count for a good lifestyle in a village.

He came to this huge city with absolutely nothing, but me in his arms. Life was tough, he worked hard day and night.. raised me with tender love and utmost care.

Now I understand why suddenly he developed a dislike for things that I would love to eat when there was only one piece left in the platter.... he would say that he hates eating it and I would finish it considering that he does not like it.... but as I grew older I realized the reason and what sacrifice is all about.

He gave me the best possible comforts beyond his capacity.

If love and care defines a mother... then my father fits in there.

If compassion defines a mother, my father fits in well in there too...

If sacrifice defines a mother, my father dominates that category.

So in nut shell.. if a mother is made of love, care sacrifice and compassion...

MY FATHER IS THE BEST MOTHER ON EARTH

On Mother's Day, I would like to wish my father for being the best parent on earth... I salute him and say it with pride that the hardworking GARDENER working in this school is my father.

I know I may fail this test after my teacher reads this…. but this would be a very small price one would pay towards an ode to the selfless love of my father.

Thanks"

There was a deafening silence in the room... one could only hear soft sobbing of Ganga Das....

The harsh sun could not wet his clothes with sweat but soft words of his daughter had soaked his chest with tears.... he was standing there with hands folded….

He took the paper from teacher's hands... held it close to his heart and sobbed.

Principal got up.. offered him a chair, glass of water and said something... but, strangely the crispness of her voice was taken over by a surprising warmth and sweetness....

"Ganga Das.. your daughter is given (Blank)/10 marks for this essay.... Her Teacher has felt that this essay is far beyond her capacity to be assessed. We all felt that this is the best essay on a Mother ever to be written on a Mother’s Day….

"You are a True Gardner, who is not only looking after the gardens, but also nurturing the most precious flower of your life in such a beautiful way...."

We are having the Mother's Day gala event tomorrow…"So Ganga Das, will you be our Chief Guest for the event?"

This is to honor all the love and sacrifice a man can do to raise his children... to show that you do not have to be a woman to be the perfect parent...

Everyone has a Story

A father was travelling along with his 24 year old son in a train.

The son was seated near the window. But his behavior seemed to be crazy and disturbing to the co-passengers.

Looking out of the train’s window the boy shouted, “Dad, look at the trees, they are running behind!” and his Dad would smile

The other passengers felt that it was slowly getting beyond limits…

Now again the boy shouted, “Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple sitting opposite couldn’t resist anymore. They said to the old man, “You should have travelled with him in a cab rather than taking a public transport. Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?”

The old man smiled and replied, “I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today. Moreover, I would have loved to take him in a cab, but I couldn’t afford as I have already spent whatever I had on his treatment.”

Every single person on the planet has a story.

57 Cents

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. "I can't go to Sunday School?" she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by. Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kind hearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school."

For two years she had saved for this offering of love. When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there! A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents. Church members made large donations. Cheques came from far and wide.

Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday school children, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, Acres of Diamonds.

"Suffer the little children to come unto Me, for theirs is the Kingdom of God."

The Touchstone

When the great library of Alexandria got burned, only one book was saved. But it was not a valuable

book and a poor man who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers. The book wasn’t very interesting but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”!

The Touchstone is a small pebble that could turn any common metal into Gold. 

The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this; The real Touchstone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold. 

So the man sold his few belongings, camped on the seashore and began testing the pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebbles hundreds of times. So, when he felt the one he picked up was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent the whole day doing this but none of them was the touch stone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick a pebble, throw it into the sea if it was cold. Pick up another, throw it into the sea….this went on and on…

The days stretched into weeks and week into months. But he was not ready to quit…He believed in what he was doing....

Finally, the day arrived….

About noon, he picked up a pebble that was warm….

….and he threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done.

He had formed such a strong habit for throwing the pebbles into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.

A Fairy's Tale

"And then the princess found herself locked in a tower surrounded by a stinky moat with crocodiles and a huge scary giant guarding the door," I read to my niece with lots of expression….eyes wide open and a deep voice….

A routine bed time story activity that we follow…..

Then, I made a sad face and continued softly… "So, the poor princess waited and waited for her prince to come--"

"But, why was she waiting for the prince, mama?!" asked the little girl, impatiently.

Now I became impatient and asked…”Who do you think will come and save her”…

I added…”If you are going to ask such silly questions, I will be forced to stop the story”

But she went on.."But, mama, why did she need a prince to save her?"

I was at a loss of words and completely blank…”Uhh... hmm...to fight with the giant and….”

She continued….."If it were me, I would have fought with the giant and killed him…then rode on the white horse all the way down the hill…through that thick forest….swam across the sea….and reached the palace….and……

"This princess is stupid….I don’t like the story"….. she discarded the book and walked away.

Something about the girl made me extremely happy.

I guess it is time to rewrite the fairy tales……

Modern Fairy Tales: Lets teach the girl child to be self-sufficient and independent rather than waiting for a prince or a miracle to happen!

Right Decisions

A group of children were playing on two railway tracks, one still in use and the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track while the rest played on the operational track.

The train comes, and you are just beside the track interchange.

Now you could let the train go on its way or change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, this would mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed.

Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make.... 

Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice the lone child. I guess you too might have made the same choice.

Initially, I thought exactly the same way because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was the most rational decision that majority of the people would chose to make, morally and emotionally.

But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?

Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was and no one would shed tear for him.

However one of my friends who read this story said that she would not try to change the course of the train because she believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they would have run away if they heard the train's sirens.

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track!

Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people.

Moral : Life is full of tough decisions… "Just remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't always right."

JUMP

There was a Student who was doing his research on a Frog. He somehow managed to train a frog to jump when he said “JUMP”. 

He now wanted to get much deeper into his research.

As the first step, he cuts off one of the legs of the frog and said “JUMP”

With pain the Frog took the Jump….

He now cuts off the second leg of the frog and said “JUMP”

Though the pain was more severe, the frog still Jumped

He then cuts off the third leg and said “JUMP”

The pain was excruciating and the frog laid there without any movement.

He increased his volume and shouted again “J..U..M..P”

With all its strength that remained, the Frog made it again…

He now cuts off its fourth leg also and shouted “J..U..M..P”

With blood oozing out the Frog lay there without any movement.

He shouted, shrieked and squalled “J....U....M....P”

....yet the frog remained motionless.

Finally he concluded his research with the findings…..

“If one cuts off all the legs of a Frog, then the frog will become deaf”

Our research begins here: Does this reflect the efficiency of this student or the education system that created him.

Corporate Lessons

Corporate Lesson 1:

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.

A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”

The crow answered: "Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.

All of a sudden, a fox appeared, Jumped on the rabbit... and ate it.

Moral of Story 1: 

Corporate Lesson 2:

A turkey was chatting with a bull......

"I would love to be able to get to the top of that  tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.”

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating more dung, he reached  the second branch.

Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree

Moral of Story 2:

Corporate Lesson 3:

A little bird was flying south for the winter.

It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field.

While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug  him out and ate him!

Moral of Story 3:

Cause and (the GOD) Effect

Once four disciples of a Guru were feeling extremely disappointed at the way things were happening in this World. They were debating on why God had created the beings in this world with such partiality.

They were not able to understand why even within humans some were born rich and others poor, some intelligent and others ignoramus…some kind and others cruel and so on. They could not understand the way creation was designed by God. They felt God was imperfect and finally decided to seek the help of their Guru in finding the answer to their questions.

The Guru listened to them calmly. He then told them to be ready early in the morning the next day so that they could go exploring the world to understand God’s design of creation.

The next day, the Guru asked them to get on to a Pushpak Vimaan (Something like an aeroplane). They started flying high above the ground.

The Guru now said, ”Dear Students, while on this flight I will ask you a question. The answer to my question will be the answer to all your queries. But the only condition is that if your answer is not satisfactory, then this Pushpak Vimaan will push you down to the earth." He also added that the moment one of you gives the right answer, the rest of you will be pushed from the Vimaan.

The Guru then pointed to the earth and asked the Disciples to observe a scene on the earth.

Down on the earth, a Deer was grazing along with its newly born Calves. At the same time, a Tigress that was pregnant had set out for its hunt. The Tigress began chasing the Deer, killed it and began eating it in front of the Calves, leaving them motherless.

Now the Guru turned to his Students and asked, now tell me what went right or wrong in the scene you just watched.

Student 1 was spontaneous : Guruji, what the Tigress did was wrong. It had no rights to orphan the calves. Now, what will the Poor Calves do…….(and Student 1 was seen falling to the ground)

Student 2 plunged in : Guruji, What the Tigress did is right. After all the deer is the Tigress's food and so it has all the rights to kill the Deer….(and Student 2 was seen falling to the ground)

Student 3 was very Smart : Guruji, What the Tigress did is neither wrong nor right. Now I have completely understood God’s design of creation….(and Student 3 went following Student 1 and 2)

It was the turn of Student 4 : He was very silent. He looked at the Guru with tears and said “Guruji, I am extremely sorry. I have not been to conclude anything from what I observed….the more I try the more confusing it becomes.…”

The Guru and Student 4 went travelling the rest of the journey and were back safely to the earth.

Intelligence is also about accepting the fact that there are things beyond Human comprehension ….like GOD. Let us stop fighting in the name of religion and begin being spiritual. The irony is that for being spiritual you actually do not require a GOD.

Cost of Knowledge

It has been 2 years since Sudheer’s birth that Joe had literally spent any time with him due to her busy schedule at Office. This has been a regular complaint even by her Husband.

One fine Saturday, Joe seemed to be relatively free from all her busy schedules and decided to take Sudheer to the nearby park.

She made him sit on the grass and play with the toys that she had brought from home. Since going to the Park was a new experience to Sudheer, he showed little interest in any of those costly toys. He was very excited and started running all over the Grass. He fell down with a thud but instead of crying started laughing and rolling all over the Grass….

Suddenly he saw some colourful insects flying. He began chasing them and almost had one in hand before which he heard a sound. It was so smoothening to the ears…he tried replicating..”chirp..chirp”

Another sound and this time it was musical…He became curious yet enjoying every bit of it….he tried “coooo…..coooo”

Joe, who was observing all this, also felt happy for Sudheer. She wanted to spend the time more qualitatively with him. So she decided to join the game…

She started running along with Sudheer chasing those colourful insects….

She said to him…Those are butterflies….

Sudheer babbled…”Buttelplies”....”Buttelplies”.....”Buttelplies”......

Now she pointed at the direction from where the sound was coming…

She told Sudheer…..those are Sparrows….

He repeated…”Spallows”...”Spallows”....”Spallows”....

The other sound…and she said, that is a Cuckoo…

And he replied….Cuk…cuk…cuk and began laughing…..

She was extremely happy for having spent Quality Time with her beloved Son…

It was time for them to return home…

Everything around remained the same…the park, the grass, the colorful insects, beautiful sounds and even Joe....ONLY THAT SUDHEER WAS CHANGED...

Sudheer could no longer see the magic in colors…he started seeing the “Buttelflies”.......no longer listen to mesmerizing music in the air…He began to search for the…Spallows and Cuk..cuk.cuk…

Pin Drop Silence

I am sure every one of us should have heard the phrase "Pin drop silence" at some point of time in our lives. I have always tried to make a figurative meaning out of this phrase but couldn't. Finally, I came across some real life situations, where at the end there was stark silence.....a silence that spoke much more than words could have.....Situations in which the heart sinks to levels from where one can hear nothing else but their own heart beat and probably the sound of a pin drop.....

Situation 1:

Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Maneckshaw once started addressing a public meeting at Ahmedabad in English. 

The crowd started chanting, "Speak in Gujarati. We will hear you only if you speak in Gujarati." 

Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Maneckshaw stopped. Swept the audience with a hard stare and replied, "Friends, I have fought many a battle in my long career. I have learned Punjabi from men of the Sikh Regiment; Marathi from the Maratha Regiment; Tamil from the men of the Madras Sappers; Bengali from the men of the Bengal Sappers, Hindi from the Bihar Regiment; and even Nepali from the Gurkha Regiment. Unfortunately there was no soldier from Gujarat from whom I could have learned Gujarati.".............

You could hear a pin drop....

Situation 2:

Robert Whiting, an elderly US gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.

At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur ?", the Customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, “The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !", the Customs officer sneered.

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long, hard look.

Then he quietly explained ...

"Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach, at 4:40am, on D-Day in 1944, to help liberate your country, I couldn't find a single Frenchman to show a passport to.... "

You could hear a pin drop....

Situation 3:

Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of senior Army Officers to select the first General of the Indian army.

Nehru proposed, "I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of The Indian Army, as we don't have enough experience to lead the same."

Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the civilians and men in uniform present nodded their heads in agreement.

However one senior officer, Nathu Singh Rathore, asked for permission to speak. Nehru was a bit taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, though, he asked him to speak freely.

Rathore said, "You see, sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn't we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India?"

You could hear a pin drop....

After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, "Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army?"........

Rathore declined the offer saying "Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us."

This is how the brilliant Gen. Cariappa became the first General and Rathore the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army.

Balance

A man often bought oranges from an old lady. 

After they were weighed, paid for and put in his bag, he would always pick one from his bag, peel it, put a segment in his mouth, complain it is sour and pass on the orange to the seller.

The old lady would put one segment in her mouth and retort, “why it is sweet”, but by then he was gone with his bag.

One day his wife asked, “The oranges have always sweet but then why do you do this to the poor lady every time”.

The Man replied with a smile, “The old mother sells sweet oranges but never eats them herself. This way I get her to eat one, without losing her money.”

The Vegetable seller next to the Old lady saw this and chided, “Mother, Every time this man purchases your oranges, I see that you weigh a few extra for him. Why?

The old lady smiled. “I know that he does this to feed me an orange. Only that he thinks I don’t understand.”

She continued, “I never weigh extra. It’s just that his love tilts the balance a bit in his favor every time”

The Branch

Once there was a King who received a gift of two magnificent Falcons from Arabia.

He gave his precious birds to his Head Falconer to get them trained. Months passed and one day the Head Falconer informed the King that though one of the Falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the Sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it arrived.

The King summoned healers and sorcerers from all over the land to tend to the Falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. 

He presented the task to the members of his court but in vain. The King saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its branch.

Having tried everything else, the King thought to himself, “May be I need someone who is more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature if this problem”.

So he ordered his Court, “Go and get some Farmers”.

In the morning the King was thrilled to see the Falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle”.

The Court quickly located the Farmer, who came and stood before the King.

The Kind asked him, “How did you make the Falcon fly?”

The Farmer bowed before the Kind and replied,” It was easy my lord….I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting”…

We are all made to fly…to realise our incredible potential as human beings. But at times we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us they remain undiscovered. We confine ourselves to the familiar “Comfort Zones”, making our lives mediocre..

Break free from your mediocrity…cut off the branches you are clinging to…New horizons will unfold in front of you….

Why me?

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon Player was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.

He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:

“Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease as this?”

Arthur replied:

50 million children start playing Tennis every year…of which….

5 million just learn how to play Tennis….

500 thousand learn Professional Tennis….

50 thousand come to the Circuit….

5 thousand reach Grandslam….

50 reach Wimbledon….

4 reach the Semi finals….

2 reach the Finals…

And when I was holding the cup in my Hand…I never asked God….“Why Me?”

So now that I am in pain, should I be asking God : “Why me”

Happiness keeps you sweet.

Trials keep you strong.

Sorrows keep you Human

Failure keeps you Humble

Success keeps you Glowing

But…Only Faith keeps you Going

Gratitude

When Alexander the Great was coming to India he met one great man, Diogenes. In their dialogue there is one point which is relevant. Diogenes asked him, “What are you going to do after you have conquered the whole world?”

Alexander said, “After I have conquered the whole world, I am going to relax, just like you.”

Diogenes was having a sunbath, naked. He lived naked, by the side of a river, and he was lying in the sand enjoying the morning sun and the cool breeze.

Diogenes laughed and he said, “If after conquering the whole world you are just going to relax like me, why not relax right now? Is conquering the whole world a precondition for relaxation? I have not conquered the whole world.”

Alexander felt embarrassed because what he was saying was right. Then Diogenes said, “Why are you wasting your life in conquering the world – only to relax, finally, just like me. This bank of the river is big enough, you can come, your friends can come. It is miles long and the forest is beautiful. And I don’t possess anything. If you like the place where I am lying down, I can change!”

Alexander said, “Perhaps you are right, but first I have to conquer the world.”

Diogenes said, “It is up to you. But remember one thing: have you ever thought that there is no other world? Once you have conquered this world, you will be in difficulty.”

It is said that Alexander became immediately sad. He said, “I have never thought about it. It makes me feel very sad that I am so close to conquering the world … and I am only thirty-three, and there is no other world to conquer.”

Diogenes said, “But you were thinking to relax. If there was another world, I think first you would conquer that and then relax. You will never relax because you don’t understand a simple thing about relaxation – it’s either now or never. If you understand it, lie down, throw these clothes in the river.

If you don’t understand, forget about relaxation. And what is the point in conquering the world? What are you going to gain by it? Except losing your life, you are not going to gain anything.”

Alexander said, “I would like to see you again when I come back. Right now I have to go, but I would
have loved to sit and listen to you. I have always thought of meeting you – I have heard so many stories about you. But I have never met such a beautiful and impressive man as you. Can I do anything for you? Just a word, a hint from you, and it will be done."

Diogenes said, "If you can just stand a little to the side, because you are blocking the sun. That will be enough gratitude – and I will remain thankful for my whole life."

One String

Niccolo Paganini, a colourful and gifted Violinist of the nineteenth century was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with full support. Suddenly, one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument.

Beads of perspiration popped out of his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully. To the conductor’s surprise, a second string broke and shortly after, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the remaining one string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion filled the Hall with shouts of “Bravo! Bravo!”

As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back to their seats. He held the Violin up high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then turned back to the crowd.

With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, “Paganini and one string!”

After that he placed the single string Stradivarius (violins manufactured by Antonio Stradivari) beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience shook their heads in silent amazement.

Our life may very well be filled with troubles, worries and disappointments. We spend most of the time concentrating and fretting over the strings that snap or at things that can’t be changed. If you are one of them who is still grieving over the snapped strings in life, then lookout for that “one string” that is still intact and start playing the single string with conviction. Let it yield a sweet, winsome melody that the world needs so desperately. 

You can if you will…