The Rose & The Thorn

"It always happens this way', the Sun told the Wind. "What does?" The Wind, as usual, was curious."Thorns and roses - they always co-exist." "But their outer self is in such irony to the inner self."The Sun gave the Wind a blank look.

Summarising the hint, the Wind chose to clarify further.

"Yesterday when I was blowing, I overheard the rose talking to itself…"

The Rose: "I don't know why the hell people smile when they see me. I look so pathetic. All my life I simply exist being a sharp and pointed thing, good for nothing except hurting people. Or maybe they feel better about themselves after seeing my silly and ugly existence!"


The Wind sighed and continued. "I overheard the thorn too..."

The Thorn:"I don't know why people are afraid of me. Some even ask their children to maintain a safe distance from me whereas I think I am one of the most beautiful things ever created. My petals, my design, my color, my softness, my aura, my romance...where else would they get such an austere mix? And yet...still, I thank God for the way he made me and no matter what others think or do to me, I would rather prefer to remain happy forever as in the end there are so few things in this world which are as beautiful as I am."

"So", this time the Sun sighed, "the rose is unhappy for it assumed itself - probably looking at the thorn all its life - to be just a thorn and thus ignored the happiness that it deserved all these years. While on the other hand the thorn assumed itself to be a rose and thus enjoyed happiness ever since."The Wind nodded.

"It always happens this way", the Sun said."What does?" asked the Wind.

"Happiness can definitely follow us wherever we go and whatever we do ... only if we know what we are and what actually we are looking at."

The King and the Sage

Once there was a king who was always fighting. One day he was badly wounded in a battle. A sage passed by and touched him, and the king was cured. He wanted to give the sage a reward for saving him, but the sage didn't want anything.

The king said, "I don't want to be indebted to you."The sage said, "In the future I'll ask for something. I don't need anything now, but one day I'll come."

Months passed and the sage was praying to God one day for peace, light and bliss, when a desire entered his mind. For the past few months his cow had not been producing milk. "She's old," he said. "I'll ask the king for a new cow."

He went to see the king and found him in a temple. He was praying for more wealth and more fame. The sage said to himself, "I won't ask him for a cow. He's a beggar like me." And he turned to leave.

The king stopped him and said, "Sage, you saved my life. Please tell me what you want. I'll give you anything."

The sage said, "I pray to God and meditate. He is all I need. I don't want to take anything from anyone in need. You told me you took an oath that you would not be indebted to anyone. I, too, have taken an oath. My oath is that if anyone is in need, then I won't take anything from that person. That's why I won't take anything from you. You're praying to God for material things. You're begging for God to give you wealth and fame. So how can I ask anything of you? God has shown me that everyone is a beggar. So if I need something, I'll get it from Him."

The Pawn

Once there was a pawn who wanted to be independent. He was sad, and chafed against his limitations. These rules are so unfair, said the little pawn. I can only move forward, and then only one space at a time, except for my first move.

Furthermore, complained the little pawn, I cannot attack an opponent directly in front of me, nor beside me, nor behind me. I can only attack at the front angle to the right or left. This is s-o unfair!

How the little pawn pined and longed to be a bishop or a knight. Sometimes, he even longed to be a rook. It was just so irritating to have to be linked to other pawns to have any strength. The little pawn wanted to be able to stand on his own and have an impact on the contest, instead of being a disposable, lowly pawn.

As the game progressed, the little pawn advanced and advanced. He helped his team by holding his spot. For, as lowly as he was, no other stronger piece in the opponent's team cared to be sacrificed for a mere pawn. Such strength! To be so lowly the enemy would not attack the little pawn for fear of its losses.

Finally, the little pawn was standing on the 7th rank. Suddenly, the chessmaster spoke to the little pawn: you will now bring victory for our team. For of ALL the pieces on the board, only the insignificant, lowly pawns have the potential to become the strongest of them all, a queen!

We are all like pawns: in the greater overall events of the world and history, we are insignificant. And, we all lean upon something. Some lean upon alcohol. Some lean upon material possessions. Some lean upon prozac.

But to become a victor in this life, the only true leaning post is Almighty God. The peace of God is found in fulfilling the created purpose of God for our lives: Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

The Echo of Life

A son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly, the son falls, hurts himself and screams, "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"

To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh! !!"

Curious, he yells, "Who are you?"
He receives the answer, "Who are you?"

Angered at the response, he screams, "Coward!"
He receives the answer, "Coward!"

He looks to his father and asks, "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says, "My son, pay attention."

And then he screams to the mountain, "I admire you!"
The voice answers, "I admire you!"

Again the father screams, "You are a champion!"
The voice answers, "You are a champion!"

The boy is surprised, but does not understand.Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this is LIFE. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.If you want more love in the world, create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you have given to it.Your life is not a coincidence. It's a reflection of you!"

The Story of Two Teardrops

 
Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life. One drop said to the other, "I am the teardrop of a girl who loved a man and lost him." Who are you? "Well, I am the teardrop of the girl who won him."

Love is very strange. Love is unconditional commitment to an imperfect individual. You need it but when you love, it's like destining yourself for pain. You become addicted and dependent on the person. You become strong and at the same time, you open yourself up to being hurt.

Love can make you bear any kind of pain and any kind of sacrifice. It can also make you feel stupid and act stupidly. Sometimes when you love and end up giving so much of yourself, subconciously you only discover how much you've given when the person you love hurts you or has to say goodbye.

 Then you realize, an important part of yourself is already with that person. It goes away when he leaves and you are left with a sickening, empty feeling inside. Tears are bound to shed from your eyes no matter how you force yourself to keep them in. Most teardrops ever shed on this earth have been for love or lack of it. When tears dry, a silent loss sticks to your heart for a long, long time.

Well, that's what you get for caring so much about someone. But how can you regret it? To give yourself freely and lovingly is the most beautiful thing you can do. Loving makes you real. Loving also makes you cry.

An Elephant & A Fly

 A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

 The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

 This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

 The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

 Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher,"The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."

The Genghis Khan & His Hawk

 
 One morning Genghis Khan, the great king and warrior, rode out into the woods to have a day's sport. Many of his friends were with him. They rode out gayly, carrying their bows and arrows. Behind them came the servants with the hounds.

 It was a merry hunting party. The woods rang with their shouts and laughter. They expected to carry much game home in the evening. On the king's wrist sat his favorite hawk, for in those days hawks were trained to hunt. At a word from their masters they would fly high up into the air, and look around for prey. If they chanced to see a deer or a rabbit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow. All day long Genghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods. But they did not find as much game as they expected.

 Toward evening they started for home. The king had often ridden through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley between two mountains.

The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home. The king rode slowly along. He had once seen a spring of clear water near this pathway. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of summer had dried up all the mountain brooks.

 At last, to his joy, he saw some water trickling down over the edge of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it came only one drop at a time. The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops. It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last it was nearly full. He put the cup to his lips, and was about to drink.

 All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked from his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground. The king looked up to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk. The hawk flew back and forth a few times, and then alighted among the rocks by the spring.

The king picked up the cup, and again held it to catch the trickling drops. This time he did not wait so long. When the cup was half full, he lifted it toward his mouth. But before it had touched his lips, the hawk swooped down again, and knocked it from his hands.And now the king began to grow angry. He tried again, and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking.

The king was now very angry indeed. "How do you dare to act so?" he cried. "If I had you in my hands, I would wring your neck!" Then he filled his cup again. But before he tried to drink, he drew his sword. "Now, Sir Hawk," he said, "that is the last time." He had hardly spoken before the hawk swooped down and knocked the cup from his hand. But the king was looking for this. With a quick sweep of the sword he struck the bird as it passed.

The next moment the poor hawk lay bleeding and dying at its master's feet. "That is what you get for your pains," said Genghis Khan. But when he looked for his cup, he found that it had fallen between two rocks, where he could not reach it. "At any rate, I will have a drink from that spring," he said to himself.

 With that he began to climb the steep bank to the place from which the water trickled. It was hard work, and the higher he climbed, the thirstier he became. At last he reached the place. There indeed was a pool of water; but what was that lying in the pool, and almost filling it? It was a huge, dead snake of the most poisonous kind.

The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him. "The hawk saved my life!" he cried, "and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him."

He clambered down the bank. He took the bird up gently, and laid it in his hunting bag. Then he mounted his horse and rode swiftly home. He said to himself,

"I have learned a sad lesson today, and that is, never to do anything in anger."

Morality

"Morality may consist solely in the courage of making a choice. Wickedness is always easier than virtue, for it takes a short cut to everything. But over time you learn, you can't make wrong work."

"There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And your only reward is that it's easy. You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong."

"Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results."

"You can never lose anything that really belongs to you, and you can't keep that which belongs to someone else."

"You always experience the consequences of your own acts. If your acts are right, you'll get good consequences; if not, you'll suffer for it."