Morally Right

Leaving In Good Time

2009-11-03T09:50:00.005+08:00

Anthony was an intelligent boy who knew many Math answers. However, he is rather a greedy boy. Every morning, before leaving for school, he gets himself some bread and butter, packets of biscuits, lots of fruit and puts it all in his big lunch box.

One morning, he was longer than usual in the kitchen. "Hurry up, Anthony!" his mother cried out. "You will have to run if you don't want to be late for school."

Seeing the time, Anthony began running as fast as his legs could carry him, taking a short cut through the park for speed. And that was where he tripped up on a big stone!

Everything spilled out of his school bag, and without looking or stopping to think, Anthony just crammed the food back inside his lunch box!

Anthony just managed to get to school in time! The teacher was about to revise Algebra word problems with the class. Anthony, on the other hand, was so greedy, he could not wait until this lesson was over. Anthony dislikes Math problems, and he hope time can pass quickly so that he could eat his food.

Looking down at his school bag, he was amazed to see that it was moving! All eyes turned to see where the funny rustling noise was coming from! "A mouse!" cried Anthony in amazement. "How did it get inside my lunch box?" It's nibbling all my food!" How his friends laughed!

"It must have been when I fell over on my way to school," he told them. "Next time, I'll leave a bit earlier!"

Pride Comes Before A Fall

2009-10-12T08:28:00.019+08:00

"Pride comes(goes) before a fall" is a wise saying that means if you are too confident about your abilities, something bad will happen which shows that you are not as good as you think. This can be quoted from the Bible as well as in Proverbs 16:18.

Proverbs 16:18 - Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

There are a few Aesop Fables which illustrate this wise sayings, but over here, I want to use my own life example.

A happy family is what I have always look forward to. Nothing is more happy than a family able to live in peace and harmony. A family always starts with a marriage couple and their procreation. It was said that 'Two is enough' by our government. Following that 'advice', my sister, my brother and I have two children in the family. (But now I have three children.) My sister could have more children in her family -- probably one or two more. However, her babies were not destined to come to this world. My own baby, some years back, was decided by me not to come to this world (to suffer) also. Life is not easy. Life is hard in fact -- having to work to support the family and to look after the welfare of the family as well. It is so difficult to have the best of everything in this world. You just cannot have everything perfect. But all I want is just a peaceful home to be filled with love.

I am a spiritual person. My husband, on the other hand, is a worldly person (I learned about this only during my Bible studies with Auntie Mary. I realized and understand a lot of things from Bible studies.) He enjoys 'looking at' magazines like FHM, sexy women photographs and websites and electronic stuff or gadgets like computers, netbook and handphones. He also loves to 'invest' in shares, which he believes will make him rich -- earn more money (A smarter way of working in life than to work for other people.).

Whenever we go shopping, he would love to frequent handphone shops. Looking at various models of handphones and even handphone stuff like iphone accessories and even iphone car charger is his hobbies even though he don't have a car. Every two years, he would change his handphone. He just cannot wait for the two years contract to end. Recently, he bought iPod Touch, a iphone comparable, just that it does not have a phone function.

A leopard is always a leopard. The spots on the leopard would not fade away. I just have to accept the spots on it. In the past, I would be very mad at him for wasting money on unnecessary stuff like that. He has so much debts, and yet he spent money on unnecessary items. But now, I would treat the black spots as 'gems'. My children get to enjoy them!

This is Isaac, learning Animals Sound from iPod Touch.

You have to read my other blogs to know about the details. I always think of him and put him in the first place but he said I am the 'king' but in actual fact, I have treated him like a 'king'. For him, all is money and money is everything. But I learned as well. Without something to compare, I would not know the meaning of life till this day. Having something to compare, I understand the meaning of blessed now.

Not knowing who is God and whether God (Jesus) is real or not real (or just imaginary like most people said), my prayer was answered. God appeared. I told him what I had experienced and he does not believe me. He always changed his subject and shun the topic when I told him about God or Jesus. He wanted to be rich but in the end he is debt rich.

Jesus said,

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. ~ Matthew 6:33 (KJV)

I went to church. I have such a clearer picture now what Christians means and are. To be specific, I am a Catholic. Jesus is telling me not to be afraid. He is 'come to help me pull through the deep' (yesterday when I attended 28th ordinary Sunday Mass). Yes, I am in deep trouble. It is raining now, and I am not bluffing. Two claps of thunder has gone as I typed this. The truth is revealed.

Pride Comes Before A Fall. Man is known to be egoistic, full of pride and always think that there is no God. That is why in the Bible history, there is so many downfall of mankind.

I came to this world with nothing and I cannot leave this world with all possessions. As long as we can live happily, and have the means to support the children, I am happy enough. When he had bought the iPod Touch (secretly), I did not utter a word. I did not buy a fanciful iphone case for him to put his iPod, but an ordinary $12 phone pouch that can suit any handphone. But I did not see him using it.....

What It Means To Be A Teacher

2008-08-26T20:03:00.000+08:00

These are my students at Boon Lay Garden Primary School... was intending to go in on 22nd August 2008, the day I went Boon Lay, but 'forbidden'......

I was a relief teacher. I was not a qualified teacher. Yet, I know what is called teaching, handling the class, teaching the class, 'projecting my voice', tried my best to impact my knowledge to them.

I was an untrained teacher, yet I had experienced how it would be like to teach full-time in the school. I had made the teacher's pledge before. I had forgotten about it. But I searched the web for it.

I am who I am today, because I have firstly, my mother, my father, my brothers and sister, and then the rest of the members (nephews, nieces and in-laws). I am who I am today, I must also thanked all my teachers, from Kindergarten to the University.

This is me, my first child, on the day I was supposed to be discharged from the hospital, Mount Alvernia Hospital. I was fat, so much overweight, but I DID NOT NEED TO GO any slimming centres AT ALL. I had NEVER need to go SLIMMING TREATMENT. Look at my weight now you can be your own judge whether what I am writing in my BLOGS are all the truth, from MY HEART.

Even though I am no more a teacher, Tell Me, what is a teacher? DO YOU NEED TO BE EMPLOYED to be a teacher?

MOE, Ministry of Education -- The Teachers' Pledge

Pledge By Teachers
We, the teachers of Singapore, pledge that:

We will be true to our mission to bring out the best in our pupils.

We will be exemplary in the discharge of our duties and responsibilities.

We will guide our pupils to be good and useful citizens of Singapore.

We will continue to learn and pass on the love of learning to our pupils.

We will win the trust, support and co-operation of parents and the community so as to enable us to achieve our mission.

Teachers’ Creed
We, the teachers of JWSS
Pledge that: We will be true to our mission of moulding the academic, social, physical and aesthetics lives of our pupils. We will work hand in hand with one another and with our stakeholders to maximize the potential of our pupils. We will conduct ourselves in a manner befitting this noble profession. We will continue in our quest to learn and pass the love of learning to our pupils.

Teachers have children themselves, teachers are people also. If what I had done is all LIES and COOKING UP STORIES, then I would not be called APOSTLE THERESA LIM POH CHOO, not fit to be a disciple of Jesus also, a coward I am if I allowed such companies 'to mislead' women. We did not see many on the net. How many ignorant women are internet savvy? There are more women who knows? If there is one, there would be two! But I would not want to make unjust remarks, but I MERELY wrote on MINE opinion, my experience, and NOT defame the company! Discernment, I am sure a wise person would know how to do that.

If MY baptism name, Theresa and my Confirmation name Theresa. If God's name is not holy, all the Saints and the faithful, the believer of Jesus Christ, who had died would be in vain.

What would be the reputation of our Singapore's Education?

I Love Quotes: We learn from each other. There is no end to education. Everyday we discover new things that we might have never seen before!

Belief is the key ingredient in my becoming an effective teacher. ~Shahul Hameed, Compassvale Sec

A teacher is not someone who merely teaches content, but also one who teaches ‘life’. ~Agnes Pang, Kuo Chuan Presbyterian Pri

I have chosen to celebrate little things in big ways and make each day count for [my students] and for myself. ~ Shikhvir Kaur, Zhangde Pri

Every teacher has a story to tell about his job and every teacher has a legacy he wishes to leave behind. ~ Jason Ng, Northland Pri

A teacher never stops being a teacher in the eyes of her students. ~ Shirley Bong, Montfort Junior

Protecting Our Country

Facial Company Sue Customer Matter:
Singapore I: The Divine Revelation; Moulding Our Nation
NUS REPUTATION:Singapore II: Answer Will Soon Be Out
Developing Courage
Do You Want To Save Your Mother
Unity Is Strength

Three Vinegar Tasters

2008-06-04T16:20:00.000+08:00

The Unity of the Three Creeds were popular in China from the tenth century onwards because of a movement called Neo-confucianism which incorporated elements of Buddhism and Taoism.

Three men are standing around a vat of vinegar. Each one has dipped his finger into the vinegar and has tasted it. The expression on each man's face shows his individual reaction. Since the painting is allegorical, we are to understand that these are no ordinary vinegar tasters, but are instead representatives of the "Three Teachings" of China, and that the vinegar they are sampling represents the Essence of Life. The three masters are Confucius, Buddha, and Lao Zi, author of the oldest existing book of Taoism. The first has a sour look on his face, the second wears a bitter expression, but the third man is smiling.

To Confucius, life seemed rather sour. He believed that the present was out step with the past, and that the government of man on earth was out of harmony with the Way of Heaven, the government of, the universe. Therefore, he emphasized reverence for the Ancestors, as well as for the ancient rituals and ceremonies in which the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, acted as intermediary between limitless heaven and limited earth. Under Confucianism, the use of precisely measured court music, prescribed steps, actions, and phrases all added up to an extremely complex system of rituals, each used for a particular purpose at a particular time. A saying was recorded about Confucius, "If the mat was not straight, the Master would not sit." This ought to give an indication of the extent to which things were carried out under Confucianism.

To Buddha, the second figure in the painting, life on earth was bitter, filled with attachments and desires that led to suffering. The world was seen as a setter of traps, a generator of illusions, a revolving wheel of pain for all creatures. In order to find peace, the Buddhist considered it necessary to transcend "the world of dust" and reach Nirvana, literally a state of "no wind." Although the essentially optimistic attitude of the Chinese altered Buddhism considerably after it was brought in from its native India, the devout Buddhist often saw the way to Nirvana interrupted all the same by the bitter wind of everyday existence.

To Lao Zi, the harmony that naturally existed between heaven and earth from the very beginning could be found by anyone at any time, but not by following the rules of the Confucianists. As he stated in his Tao Te Ching, the "Tao Virtue Book," earth was in essence a reflection of heaven, run by the same laws - not by the laws of men. These laws affected not only the spinning of distant planets, but the activities of the birds in the forest and the fish in the sea. According to Lao Zi, the more man interfered with the natural balance produced and governed by the universal laws, the further away the harmony retreated into the distance. The more forcing, the more trouble. Whether heavy or light, wet or dry, fast or slow, everything had its own nature already within it, which could not be violated without causing difficulties. When abstract and arbitrary rules were imposed from the outside, struggle was inevitable. Only then did life become sour.

To Lao Zi, the world was not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons. Its lessons needed to be learned, just as its laws needed to be followed; then all would go well. Rather than turn away from "the world of dust," Lao Zi advised others to "join the dust of the world". What he saw operating behind everything in heaven and earth he called Tao (Dao), "the Way".

A basic principle of Lao Zi's teaching was that this Way of the Universe could not be adequately described in words, and that it would be insulting both to its unlimited power and to the intelligent human mind to attempt to do so. Still, its nature could be understood, and those who cared the most about it, and the life from which it was inseparable, understood it best.

Over the centuries Lao Zi's classic teachings were developed and divided into philosophical, monastic, and folk religious forms. All of these could be included under the general heading of Taoism. But the basic Taoism that we are concerned with here is simply a particular way of appreciating, learning from, and working with whatever happens in everyday life. From the Taoist point of view, the natural result of this harmonious way of living is happiness. You might say that happy serenity is the most noticeable characteristic of the Taoist personality, and a subtle sense of humor is apparent even in the most profound Taoist writings, such as the twenty-five-hundred-year-old Tao Te Ching. In the writings of Taoism's second major writer, Zhuang Zi, quiet laughter seems to bubble up like water from a fountain.

In the painting, why is Lao Zi smiling? After all, that vinegar that represents life must certainly have an unpleasant taste, as the expressions on the faces of the other two men indicate. But, through working in harmony with life's circumstances, Taoist understanding changes what others may perceive as negative into something positive. From the Taoist point of view, sourness and bitterness come from the interfering and unappreciative mind. Life itself, when understood and utilized for what it is, is sweet. That is the message of The Vinegar Tasters.

Knowledge & Learning

2007-12-07T11:07:00.000+08:00

What The Master Said:

The subjects on which the Master did not speak were extraordinary things, feats of strength, disorder, and spiritual beings.

Knowledge & Learning

Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn and readily attain knowledge are the next. Those who are dull and stupid, and yet encompass learning, are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and do not learn, they are the lowest of people.

The superior man has nine things he considers thoughtfully: to see clearly when he uses his eyes; to hear distinctly when he uses his ears; to look benign; to be respectful in his demeanor; to be sincere in his speech; to be reverent in his doing business; to ask advice when he has doubts; to think of consequences when he is angry; to think of righteousness when he sees gain to be gotten.

Contemplating good and pursuing it as if they could not reach it; contemplating evil and shrinking from it, as they would from thrusting their hands into boiling water -- I have seen such men, as I have heard such words. Living in retirement to study their aims, and practicing righteousness to carry out their principles -- I have heard those words, but I have not seen such men.

I have spent the whole day without eating, and the whole night without sleeping, occupied with thinking. It was of no use. The better plan is to learn.

Learn as if you could not reach your object, and were always afraid lest you should lose it.

I am not one who was born in possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.

The silent treasuring up of knowledge, learning without satiety, and instructing others without being wearied -- these things belong to me.

When a man's knowledge is sufficient to attain but his virtue is not sufficient to enable him to hold whatever he may have gained, he will lose again.

When his knowledge is sufficient to attain and his virtue enough to hold fast, if he cannot govern with dignity, the people will not respect him.

When his knowledge is sufficient to attain, when he has virtue enough to hold fast, and when he governs also with dignity, yet if he try to move the people contrary to the rules of propriety, full excellence is not reached.

Shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it -- this is knowledge.

I do not open up the truth to one who is not eager to get knowledge, nor help out anyone who is not anxious to explain himself. When I have presented one corner of a square to anyone, and he cannot from it learn the other three, I do not repeat my lesson.

The Master said, "Yu, have you heard the six words to which are attached six obfuscations?"

Yu replied,"I have not."

"Sit down," said the Master, "and I will tell them to you. There is the love of being benevolent without the love of learning: the obfuscation leads to foolishness. There is the love of knowing without the love of learning: the obfuscation here leads to lack of principle. There is the love of being sincere without the love of learning: the obfuscation here leads to an injurious disregard of consequences. There is the love of straightforwardness without the love of learning: the obfuscation here leads to rudeness. There is the love of boldness without the love of learning: the obfuscation here leads to insubordination. There is the love of firmness without the love of learning: the obfuscation here leads to recklessness."

Superior Man

2007-12-06T11:42:00.000+08:00

The Master said:

There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth, when the physical powers are not yet settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong and the physical powers are full of vigour, he guards against quarrelsomeness. When he is old and the animal powers are decayed, he guards against covetousness.

Those who stand before a man of virtue and station are liable to three errors. They may speak before being spoken to; this is called rashness. They may not speak when spoken to; this is called concealment. They may speak without looking at the countenance of their superior; this is called blindness.

There are three things of which the superior man stands in awe. He stands in awe of the ordinances of Heaven. He stands in awe of great men. He stands in awe of the words of the sages. The inferior man does not know the ordinances of Heaven and consequently does not stand in awe of them. He is disrespectful to great men. He makes sport of the words of sages.

The object of the superior man is truth, not food. Even in farming there is sometimes famine. So with learning, compensation may be found in it. The superior man is anxious lest he should not get truth; he is not anxious lest poverty should come upon him.

He who does not anticipate attempts to deceive him or who does not presume he will not be believed yet understands these things readily when they occur -- is he not a superior man?

He whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh are successful may be called intelligent indeed. Yes, he with whom neither soaking slander nor startling statements are successful may be called far-seeing.

I cannot see a sage; could I see a man of real talent and virtue, that would satisfy me.

A good man is not mine to see; could I see a man possessed of constancy, that would satisfy me.

The superior man cannot be known in small matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The inferior man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters.

Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue.

When the multitude dislike a man, it is necessary to examine into the case. When the multitude like a man, it is necessary to examine into the case.

A minister is serving his prince, reverently discharges his duties and makes his pay a secondary consideration.

The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete.

It is only the truly virtuous man who can love or hate others.

If superior man does not, even for the space of a single meal, act contrary to virtue. In moments of haste, he cleaves on it. In seasons of danger, he cleaves on it.

The superior man is modest in his speech but exceeds in his actions.

The superior man wishes to be slow in his speech and earnest in his conduct.

The way of the superior man is threefold, but I am not equal to it. Virtuous, he is free from anxieties; wise, he is free from perplexities; bold, he is free from fear.

When a man can be spoken to, not to speak to him is to waste the man. When a man cannot be spoken with, to speak to him is to waste our words. The wise err neither in regard to their man nor to their words.

Perfect Virtue

2007-12-05T12:12:00.000+08:00

Natural Virtues and Supernatural Virtues

Hsien asked what is shameful. The Master said,"When good government prevails in a State, to be thinking only of salary; and when bad government prevails, to be thinking, in the same way, only of salary -- this is shameful. When the love of superiority, boasting, resentments and covetousness are repressed, this may be deemed perfect virtue."

The Master said:

Virtue & Intelligence
Only the individual possessed of the most entire sincerity that can exist under Heaven can adjust the great invariable relations of mankind, establish the great fundamental virtues of humanity, and know the transforming and nurturing operations of Heaven and Earth. Does this individual depend on any being or anything beyond himself?

Call him man in his ideal; how earnest is he! Call him an abyss; how deep is he! Call him Heaven; how vast is he!

Who can know him, except he who is indeed quick in apprehension, clear in discernment, of far-reaching intelligence, and all-embracing knowledge, possessing all heavenly virtue?

Leaving virtue without proper cultivation; not thoroughly discussing what is learned; not being able to move towards what is right; and not being able to change what is not good -- these things cause me concern.

Specious words confound virtue. Want of forbearance in small matters confounds great plans.

To have faults and not to reform them, this indeed should be pronounced having faults.

I will not be concerned by men not knowing me. I will be concerned by my own lack of ability.

There may be those who act without knowing why, but I do not do so. Hearing much and selecting what is good and following it, and seeing much and keeping it in memory -- this is the second style of knowledge.

Benevolence: is to love all men. Knowledge: is to know all men. Employ the upright and put aside all the crooked; in this way, the crooked can be made to be upright.

Peer Pressure

2007-09-15T21:17:00.000+08:00

Daniel was waiting for his best friend, Sunil, outside the college gate. He had arranged with Sunil to walk home together as they lived in the same housing estate near the school. He had met Sunil at the age of seven. It was then their first day in school and they both felt lost and afraid. They had vowed to stick close to each other and had been the closest of friends since. Daniel especially enjoyed his walks home with Sunil for it was usually then that they had their heart-to-heart talks or exchanged ideas on various issues.

Daniel suddenly heard someone calling out to him from a corner of the school compound. He saw that it was Sunil, who was waving at him to go over. Feeling intrigued, Daniel walked towards his friend. Sunil was behaving suspiciously. He asked Daniel to go to a more secluded place.

Daniel was very curious about Sunil's mysterious behaviour. He followed him without question. Finally they stopped at a deserted staircase at the far end of school archives and storage block. Sunil took something out from his breast pocket. It was a crumpled and creased cigarette. Daniel's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Where did you get it from? Don't you know that it's illegal for minors like us to possess cigarettes?" Daniel asked incredulously. He could not believe that Sunil, who was so sensible and wise would do something so foolish.

"Come on...don't be a coward. Everybody smokes nowadays. It's hip and cool; it will prove that we are adults and people will respect us. Anyway, its only one cigarette. Let's try it together... we're best friends, aren't we?"

Sunil took out a box of matches from his pocket as he said this. Daniel was torn between loyalty to his friend and his own principles. Smoking was something which he had always felt strongly against for environment. Yet he could not help feeling that somehow what Sunil had said made some sense: everybody was smoking, so why should he be so moralistic?

Still, Daniel knew that he would be betraying his own ideas if he smoked simply to conform or to be accepted by others. He knew that what mattered most was that he did not want to smoke and that if Sunil was a true friend, then he would not force him to do something the did not want to do. Daniel did not want to disappoint his mother, who had always told Daniel about the harmful effects of smoking. What Daniel wanted was to achieve good examination results so as not to disappoint his mother. He wanted to have a successful career path after he graduated from his studies.

Daniel decided to put their friendship to the test after some deliberation and told Sunil how he felt. At first Sunil looked at Daniel in dismay, but the determined expression on Daniel's face stopped Sunil from striking the match. "You know something, Daniel?" Said Sunil thoughtfully. "You've just shown me what being hip and cool really means. It means standing up and doing the right thing under any circumstances, regardless of what people might say." With that, he squashed the cigarette and threw it away.

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When someone stands tottering at the edge, it takes only a whisper to pull them back to safety.

First Impression

2007-08-03T11:20:00.000+08:00

First impressions are important but they are by no means good guides to the true qualities of a person.

In any situation, there is always the cliché that first impressions are very important. Where first impressions are concerned, we do not look into a person's academic record. We do not know how well they fare for their Algebra or their Science. We judge a person according to what we see them when we first saw them. Thus strategies of personal management always stress on the need for a person to look presentable and smart to create a good lasting impression on anyone he meets. It is a sad but inevitable fact of life that many people have short term memories, thus a memorable first impression could lead to greater achievements because people are able to remember you amidst all the other faces in the crowd.

There are many ways with which an individual can make a lasting impact on the people he meets. Usually one way to attract attention is to dress smart and professional. Such a ploy is however tricky because looking good does not necessarily equate with real capabilities. Other superficial ways of making lasting impressions deal with ways and means of looking good; but the main failing of such a tactic is that it may not stand up to real testing especially in important situations like interviews.

A more lasting form of impact relies on cultivating good personal etiquette. In this case, things like courtesy matter more. For example, on a first date, the man would usually be tested for his etiquette in treating his female companion well like pulling the chair out for her in the dinner table and other little details.

Perhaps the best way to create good first impressions is to display the finer points of one's character. Certain traits like humour, confidence and intelligence are definite winners in any meeting with strangers. To be able to win over, for example, the interviewer based on the strengths of your character is a definite guarantee that you have made a favourable impact. Although comparatively, strength of character is the most important, first impressions come in a package; thus superficialities like dressing well cannot be totally ignored either.

In judging any person one meets, it is also necessary to look for more enduring traits rather than make hasty character appraisals based on very shallow criterion. For example, it is easy to dismiss a tutor who wears thick glasses and acts awkwardly in front of people as a nerd. However, such a hasty judgment is definitely unwarranted and it also shows how crude you are as a person. One should always seek to understand another person fully before deciding on his merits or vices.

Thus first impressions are important but they are by no means good guides to the true qualities of a person. One must always remember that most people put up their best front on first meetings which may be mere facades of their true selves. It is up to the discerning person to uncover the truth beneath the veneer.

Chinese Wisdom

2007-06-01T00:04:00.000+08:00

If you let cloudy water settle, it will become clear. If you let your upset mind settle, your course will also become clear. Let your mind become clear like a still forest pool.

If you take care of each moment, you will take care of all time.

Victory creates hatred, defeat creates suffering. Those who are wise strive for neither victory or defeat.

Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.

Weigh the true advantages of forgiveness and resentment to the heart. Then choose.

In the beginner's mind, there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few.

Happiness comes when your work and words are of benefit to yourself and others.

Spiritual life should include a great measure of common sense.

We can be spacious, yet full of loving kindness; full of compassion, yet serene. Live like the strings of a fine instrument -- not too taut and not too loose.

If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.

Good-humoured patience is necessary with mischievious children and your own mind.

Life is so hard, how can we be anything but kind?

Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion.

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

There is only one time when it is essential to awaken. That time is now.

Through our senses the world appears. Through our reactions we create delusions. Without reactions the world becomes clear.

It is not our preferences that cause problems but our attachment to them.

The trouble is that you think you have time.

Some days we feel like strangers. When our heart opens, we will realize that we belongs just here. Those who are awake live in a state of constant amazement.

Common Faults of Men

2007-05-31T21:40:00.000+08:00

There are many weapons which cause harm to oneself, for example wine, sex, fame, benefit and power. Sword-play is also one of them. A minor skill does harm and is nothing to be conceited about.

According to Zhuang Zi, there are eight weaknesses and four shortcomings of men, which you must watch out for. These are:

The eight weaknesses of men

1. Meddling : To do something you ought not to do
2. Wheedling : Rambling on despite having your suggestion rejected
3. Fawning : Figuring out people's minds and pleasing them with words
4. Toading : Agreeing with others without judgment
5. Back-biting : Criticizing people's weakness behind their backs
6. Trouble-making : Breaking up friendship between two persons
7. Intriguing : Praising the vicious while ostracizing people we detest
8. Slippery : Not telling good from evil while being ingratiating

Outwardly these eight weaknesses create trouble for people, inwardly they can damage the true self. They are qualities which a man of wisdom keeps clear of.

The four Shortcomings of men

1. Ambitious : A penchant for talking on big jobs to seek credit and fame
2. Presumptuous : Being self-righteous and self-important
3. Stubborness : defending one's fault while resenting exhortation from others
4. Bigotry : Endorsing those with the same views as ours and condemning those with different views from ours

A man dressed in snow-white clothes is not necessarily clean at heart. It is better for one to remain poor than to get rich by wicked deeds.

Wisdom of Zhuang Zi

2007-05-30T22:31:00.000+08:00

There are ups and downs in one's life. When one's in a low ebb, one must observe with wisdom and wait quietly for changes to come.

Live every act fully, as if it were your last.

Love in the past is only a memory. Love in the future is a fantasy. Only here and now can we truly love.

Most of the sorrows of the earth humans cause for themselves.

Even loss and betrayal can bring us awakening.

Words have the power to destroy or heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.

Every wakeful step, every mindful act is the direct path to awakening. Whenever you go, there you are.

Our own worst enemy cannot harm us as much as our unwise thoughts. No one can help us as much as our own compassionate thoughts.

In one's family, respect and listening are the source of harmony.

To give your cow or sheep a large, spacious meadow is the best way to control him.

The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

Do not blindly believe what others say. See for yourself what brings contentment, clarity and peace. That is the path for you to follow.

The mind contains all possibilities.

If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you think you will find it?

Life is as fleeting as a rainbow, a flash of lightning, a star at dawn - knowing this, how can you quarrel?

Hatred never ceases by hatred; by love alone is it healed. This is the ancient and eternal law.

We are not independent but interdependent.

The artisan can only teach you the basic rules, not his success secret; the swordsman can only teach you the basic styles, not his skills. The intellectuals always value words printed in books, not knowing what's laid in between the lines are more valuable. That explains why people who memorise passages are not necessarily good readers.

No Pains No Gains

2007-03-05T19:49:00.000+08:00

Mary was a thrifty and hardworking girl. She worked in London English School. Mary, a receptionist, often wished that she could have some fun like other girls. Some of her friends whom she knew, always went to watch the latest movies, had meals in expensive restaurants and always wearing fashionable clothes. Diana, for example, had at least three party dresses and many designer gowns. "My life is all work!" Mary said to herself one day.

It was indeed all work, because Mary's mother was dead and so, as well as working hard all day in the London English School in the large town in which she lived, Mary had to look after her father. She cooked all his meals and kept the house spotlessly clean. But she did not want to spend all her life doing this and so one night, when everything else was done, she decided to improve herself. She wanted to be a good secretary in future. She wanted to get a better pay job and she wanted to improve her English. So Mary began to learn typing and shorthand. She enrolled herself English Courses in London too.

Weeks and months passed. Mary was working harder and harder than before. Work at the London English School was tiring. She was had to wake up early in the morning to go to work. Besides answering numerous phone calls, she had to help in some administrative duties as well. After work, she had to hurry to attend courses. At night, when she reached home, she had to do household chores and after which she had to revise her studies. However tiring and hard life is, she knew that she had to persevere, as she wanted to earn more money in her future.

"It will all pass, if I work hard enough," she thought as she walked with her shorthand book to the Commercial School, where she learnt shorthand and typing. The room was busy as she entered it. Other students were already seated behind the typewriters which were all new, since the school had only just opened. The pupils were putting long pieces of white papers into the machines and setting the spaces and margins. Soon the tap, tap, tap, of the keys could be heard as the class began its evening's work. Mary became absorbed in hers. She was very tired, but she tried her best to concentrate, looking all the time at the copy book lying beside her typewriter.

"You have a good touch." said a voice. "I have great hopes for you in the Diploma examination next week." She looked up to find the Principal of the School standing by her desk. This was indeed an honour. "Your shorthand speeds are good too," went on the Principal. "Try hard in your examination and then I will help you to find a good job. Remember to practice your shorthand at home. If you have no one to dictate to you, the voices on the radio can be used instead." He walked to the next desk leaving Mary to her work and wondering just what time she could find to fit in any more practice.

The Principal was right of course, as they usually are and Mary obtained her Diploma with very good marks. Her English improved drastically as well. She became the private Secretary to the Principal himself and had a pleasant job with a good salary. She engaged a private nurse to care for her aged father. Although she was still very industrious, she had time for pleasure and recreation. She worked hard to achieve her dreams. She knew that without pain there can never be any gain.

Right Or Wrong

2007-02-23T11:16:00.000+08:00

When do you know that you are doing the right thing and you are doing the wrong thing? Every religion, there is a set of 'rules' to follow for you to lead an acceptable life, a good disciple of God. In Christians, there are the Ten Commandments. In school, there are rules for you to obey, in the nation, there are rules and regulations to follow as well. When there is a standard for you to follow and you deviate from it, you are consider a bad person. Just like in school, if you disobey the teachers, if you bully other students, then you are bad, you are evil if you purposely do the actions knowing that it is wrong and that such actions bring you satisfaction. Such a person is morally wrong.

This is an article I have written at Helium:

Beyond the principles of good and evil
I never study philosophy before. What really is philosophy I am no expert in this field. I learned little about it through browsing the internet for information. And living life is an experience and learning journey. From young we are taught in school what is right and what is wrong. What are the things that we should do and what are the things that we should not do. And today, children are still learning these through civics and moral education.

Not all things can be taught and learn in school. As grown adults, even parents and teachers are not perfect beings. Teachers can only impart what they know. Not all people, like I say, is perfect. Nobody have knowledge of everything. So it is not possible for a whole class of students grasp what is good and evil at times.

To a little child, good is something that do not harm them. Good is something that they could be happy and probably comfortable with. Tell a child that something is evil. This child would not understand what is evil. Evil is something bad. Evil is something that harm you and cause you to be in pain, in grief or sadness. A person will appreciate what is good when faced with what is bad, in this case it could be something evil. Bad and evil? Evil seem more 'bad' than bad!

The existence of of religion governs people to be good. However, people err. People make mistakes. It is said that the nature of people is Good. But life is hard. To make a living and to fight for existence in this competitive world, people have to go beyond their own principles of good and evil. These people may even leading life with no principles at all. There are immoral people, swindlers, thief, robbers, etc who can do anything to bully people for thrill and for money.

Why people do bad things and ultimately they become evil? Through life circumstances, where there is love, there is hatred. Love becomes hate. When there is hatred, there is an urge to seek revenge on the person whom hurt you most. These will be evil thoughts in the mind on how to deal with this person. Evil thoughts lead to evil actions if the person cannot control themselves. Some people retort to other means to 'destroy' themselves.

When people are at odds ends, they can do anything such as killing people for revenge, blackmail people for money, plotting for bank robberies, raping to vent their frustration or anger, and so on.

At times when people are not sure what they did is right or wrong, good or evil, on first attempt, they might wonder and feel guilty. But on second attempt and subsequent attempt, they find ways and means to justify their actions. They find excuses and reasons to show why they do such actions. To viewers, they might be wrong and consider evil to people around them. To them, they are feeling fine and happy and is consider good to them. In this way, good and evil like what some other people say, are just view points. It is true. However, certain things is clearcut. When it comes to committing adultery or killing people, there is no excuse. It is clear that whatever reasons you support is not going to justify your actions for these. Even though it is common for married couples to have affairs and for people to kill people, yet this is clear that they are NOT SOMETHING GOOD and remarkable.

Whatever it is, this world is all about survival of the fittest. People are born with combination of genes pass down from ancestors. There are good genes and bad genes. There are circumstances that trigger the 'work' of the bad genes and there are more evil doers in the nation.

Read what others have written for this topic or write another article here

Read all topics I have written at Helium

Great Love

2007-01-24T17:28:00.000+08:00

The musty odour of mould hung heavily in the attic. Lynn is a career woman. She has an accounting job. Lynn could not remember when she had last entered the room. She know however that it was a place that always fascinated her when she was a child; it seemed to be a repository of strange and mysterious relics, each with a long and chequered history behind it.

She could recall how she was once scared out of her wits when she saw a fierce tiger staring intently at her, only to discover that it was a stuffed animal that her grandfather had bought when he was visiting a faraway place. There were also scrolls of maps, another legacy of her sailor grandfather, which showed in archaic design, strange lands with drawings of odd looking creatures at the fringes. She always thought that they were treasures at the fringes. She always thought that they were treasure maps leading to vast riches amassed by some infamous pirates.

As she walked through the litter of boxes in the attic, childhood memories flooded through her mind. They transported her back to the time when she was still naive and innocent; when everything in the attic was special and magical. Her eyes fell upon a dress hanging in one corner of the attic. It was a beautiful wedding gown. Although the pearls which lined the sleeves of the gown had lost their lustre, the immaculate craftsmanship of the gown was still unmistakable. The multitude of fine and intricate designs gave the gown a shimmering effect, even though it was old with age.

As Lynn bent down closer to examine the gown, she saw a quaint little book placed neatly under the folds of the dress. Curiosity overwhelmed her and she opened the book. She realized that it was her late grandmother's diary.

The writing was elegant and flowing, betraying the refined spirit of her grandmother. Lynn had never had a chance to meet her grandmother, who had a finance job. Her grandmother had passed away when Lynn was still a baby. However, the diary gave her a window into her grandmother's personality and Lynn found out how romantic her grandmother was.

Many of the pages were depictions of her love story with Lynn's grandfather, who had a finance career. (Visit AccountancyAgejobs.com for a list of finance jobs and accounting jobs in the UK. You can search for your favourite accountancy and finance jobs there.) Punctuated between the lines were poems she composed herself to describe the joys and sorrows of their courtship. They had fought against convention to be together and endured many bouts of forced separation during their tumultuous relationship. Never once, however, did she waver in her undying love for Lynn's grandfather.

Words of hope filled the pages when they were not together. Finally, on 21 September 1934, they were finally married. Lynn cried when she read the joyous lines on that particular page,"He came into my house with the gown in his hands and went down on bended knees to ask for my hand in marriage. My heart cried tears of joy. I never dared believe that this day was possible."

Although no guests attended the wedding, both families disapproved of the union -- it did not matter. The emptiness of the church was filled with the love of the married couple. They were together and nothing else mattered.

As Lynn shut the diary, she wished that she could have met her grandmother. She also finally understood why her grandfather always had a wishful look of loss in his eyes when she was a child. They must have truly loved each other.

True happiness consists in decreasing the distance between our desires and our powers, in extablishing a perfect equilibrium between power and will.

An Aged Student

2007-01-17T15:28:00.000+08:00

Sikaki was a skilled artist an artisan. With great expertise and interest, he made such a nice and beautiful inkpot that it could be presented to the king. He expected that, appreciating his artistic skill, the king would encourage him as far as possible. So, with countless hopes and thousand of desires, he presented that inkpot to the king. In the beginning the king was very impressed by his artistic skill but afterwards an unpleasant event occurred that caused an extraordinary change in Sikaki' s life and way of thinking.

When the king was observing the skilled artistry of the beautiful inkpot and Sikaki was lost in the world of thoughts, the people informed that a scholar-literary person or jury is about to enter the court. As soon as the scholar entered, the king got so much absorbed in welcoming and talking to him that he forgot Sikaki and his skilled artistry. This incident caused an adverse and deep effect on the heart of Sikaki.

He realized that now he would not receive the encouragement he had expected and all his desires and hopes are useless now. But Sikaki's high spirited mind did not allow him to be in peace, so he started thinking as to what should he do. He decided to do what the others have done and go on the same way that the others have gone (uptill now). Therefore, he decided to search for his lost hopes in the world of knowledge, literature and books. Although for a wise man who has passed the days of his young age, it was not easy to study with young children and to start right from the preliminary stage. But he did not have a choice . After all whenever the fish is taken out of water, it is fresh.

Worse than that, in the beginning he did not find any sort of interest in himself regarding reading and writing. Perhaps spending a long time in artistic works and handicraft was the reason for stagnancy in his scientific and literary talent. But neither his advanced age nor lack of capability, none of these could change his decision. With great enthusiasm and zeal for attaining knowledge, he strictly got busy with his studies, until another incident occurred:

The teacher who was teaching him Shafi 'I jurisprudence (fiqh Shafi 'I), taught him this lesson,"The teacher believes that the skin of a dog becomes clean (tahir) after tanning." Sikaki repeated this sentence a lot of times so that at the time of examination he should be able to succeed. But when he was asked to answer this question, he said, "The dog believes that the skin of a teacher becomes clean after tanning."

The audience upon hearing this answer started laughing. It was clear for everybody that this old man is absolutely incapable of reading and writing. After this incident Sikaki not only left the school , but he left the town and went towards the jungle. By chance, he reached the foot of a mountain, where he saw that the water is falling drop by drop from the top and due to the continuous falling of water, a hole had been formed in that hard stone. He reflected for sometime, a good idea crossed his mind like lightning. And he said, "Maybe my heart is not ready to accept (knowledge) but it is not harder than this stone. It is impossible that continuous studying and hard work would be ineffective."

Therefore, he came back and with hard work, he got busy in the attainment of knowledge. As a result he was reckoned as one of the popular scholars of his time.

Books are the gardens of learned. The man of learning is alive even after his death. The man of ignorance is dead even while he is alive. A person is never too old to learn anything. Whether you are a working business person or a retiree or students, you can learn additional language. You can be a take up Business Language Courses anytime. Language Trainers focuses on Business Language Courses. They offer all types of language training such as Spanish, English, Italian, French and others.

Story Of Crystal Ball

2007-01-15T22:56:00.000+08:00

In the south of Spain, there was a small village whose people were very joyful and lucky. The children played under the shade of trees in the gardens of their home. A shepherd boy whose name was Nasir, stayed near the village with his father, mother and grandmother. Early morning each day, he takes his herd of goats up the hills to find a suitable place for them to graze. In the afternoon he would return with them to the village. At night his grandmother would tell him a story. The story of stars. This story really interested Nasir. As usual, on one of these days, as Nasir was watching his herd and playing his flute he suddenly saw a wonderful light behind the flower bush. When he came towards the branches he saw a transparent and most beautiful crystal ball.

The crystal ball was glittering like a colorful rainbow. Nasir carefully took it in his hand and turned it around. With surprise suddenly he heard a weak voice coming from the crystal ball. It said, "You can make a wish that your heart desires and I will fulfill it." Nasir could not believe that he had actually heard a voice. But he became so engrossed in his thoughts for he had so many wishes but he must wish for something which was impossible like the wish to be able to fly. He said to himself, if I wait till tomorrow I will remember many things. He put the crystal ball in a bag and gathered the herd, happily returned back to the village. He decided that he would not tell anyone about the crystal ball. On the following day also, Nasir could not decide what to wish for, because he really had everything he needed.

The days passed as usual, and Nasir appeared to be very cheerful that the people around him were amazed to see his cheerful disposition. One day a boy followed Nasir and his herd and hid behind a tree. Nasir as usual sat in one corner, took out the crystal ball and for a few moments looked at it. The boy waited for the moment when Nasir would go to sleep. Then he took the crystal ball and ran away. When he arrived in the village, he called all the people and showed them the crystal ball. The citizens of that village took the crystal ball in their hand and turned it around with surprise. Suddenly they heard a voice from inside the crystal ball, which says, "I can fulfill your wish." One person took the ball and screamed, "I want one bag full of gold." Another took the ball and said loudly, "I want two chest full of jewelry."

Some of them wished that they would have their own palace with grand door made from pure gold instead of their old houses. Some also wished for bags full of jewelry, but nobody asked for gardens in their palaces. All their wishes were fulfilled but still the citizen of the village were not happy. They were jealous because the person that had a palace had no gold and the person that had the gold had no palace. For this reason, the citizens of the village were angry and were not speaking to each other. There was not even one garden which existed in the village where the children could play. The patience of the children was running out and they were uncomfortable. Nasir and his family were happy and pleased. Every morning and afternoon he would play the flute.

The children could not wait anymore and decided to return the crystal ball to Nasir. The parents and neighbours went to him. The children said to Nasir, "When we had a small village we all were happy and joyful." The parent also spoke,"In one way or another nobody is happy. The expensive palaces and jewelry only bring us pain." When Nasir saw that the people were really regretful, he said,"I have not wished till now, if you really want everything to return to its own place, then I will wish for it." Everyone happily agreed. Nasir took the crystal ball in his hand turned around and wished that the village become the same as it was before. Everyone quickly turned towards the village and saw it became the same old village with gardens full of trees and fruits. Once again the people started to live happily and the children played under the shade of trees. From the next day and everyday at sunset the sound of Nasir's flute could be heard in the village.

Moral

This story teaches us that we should be happy and content always, with whatever we have and not to be greedy, because of the following reasons (Wise Old Sayings):

Money can't buy Happiness
MONEY can buy bed, but not sleep;
MONEY can buy books, but not wisdom;
MONEY can buy food, but not appetite;
MONEY can buy medicine, but not health;
MONEY can buy finery, but not real beauty;
MONEY can buy paintings, but not the artistry;
MONEY can buy a house, but not a home;
MONEY can buy luxuries, but not culture;
MONEY can buy companions, but not friends;
MONEY can buy marriage, but not love;
MONEY can buy clothes, but not personality;
MONEY can buy anything, but not heaven;
MONEY can buy tombstone, but not death;
MONEY can buy almost everything, but not the dignity and respect of being who we are!

Stanford University

2007-01-14T23:50:00.000+08:00

A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walk timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President's outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge.

"We want to see the president," the man said softly.

"He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped.

"We'll wait," the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted.

"Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they'll leave," she said to him.

He sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office.

The president, stern faced and with dignity, strutted toward the couple.

The lady told him, "We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus."

The president wasn't touched.... He was shocked.

"Madam," he said, gruffly, "we can't put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery."

"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, and then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard."

For a moment the lady was silent.

The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don't we just start our own?"

Her husband nodded.

The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford got up and walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name, Stanford University, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Stanford University By Landmark Publishing Corperation

You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing.

Do Not Judge a Book by its Cover!

The Cats & Roosters Story

2007-01-12T07:40:00.000+08:00

Once upon a time in Africa, roosters ruled cats. The cats worked hard all day and at night they had to bring all they had gathered for the roosters. The king of the roosters would take all the food for himself and for the other roosters.

The roosters loved to eat ants. Thus, every cat had a purse hung round its neck, which it filled with ants for the king of the roosters.

The cats did not like the situation. They wanted to rid themselves of the king so that the food they gathered through hard work and great difficulty would be their own. But they were afraid of the roosters.

The roosters had told the cats that rooster's combs were made out of fire and that the fire of their combs would burn anyone who disobeyed them! The cats believed them and therefore worked from early morning until night for the roosters.

One night, the fire on the house of Mrs. Cat went out. She told her kitten, Fluffy, to bring some fire from Mr. Rooster's house.

When Fluffy went into the house of the rooster, she saw that Mr. Rooster was fast asleep, his stomach swollen with the ants he had eaten. The kitten was afraid to wake the rooster, so she returned home empty handed and told her mother what had happened.

Mrs. Cat said, "Now that the rooster is asleep, gather some dry twigs and place them near his comb. As soon as the twigs catch fire, bring them home."

Fluffy gathered some dry twigs and took them to the rooster's house. He was still asleep. Fluffy fearfully put the dry twigs near the rooster's comb but it was no use, the twigs did not catch fire. Fluffy rubbed the twigs against the rooster's comb again but it was no use they would not catch fire. Fluffy returned home without any fire and told her mother, "The rooster's comb does not set twigs on fire."

Mrs. Cat answered "Why can't you do anything right! Come with me I'll show you how to make fire with the rooster's comb." So together they went to the house of Mr. Rooster.

He was still asleep. Mrs. Cat put the twigs as near to the rooster's comb as she could. But the twigs did not catch fire. Then, shaking with fear, she put her paw near the rooster's comb and gently touched it. To her surprise, the comb was not hot, it was very cold, and it was just red colored.

As soon as Mrs. Cat realized that the roosters had lied to the cats about their combs, she joyfully went out and told the other cats about the rooster's tricks. From that day on, the cats no longer worked for the roosters.

At first, the king of the roosters became very angry and said to the cats, "I will burn all of your houses if you do not work for me!"

But the cats said, "Your comb is not made of fire. It is just the color of fire. We touched it when you were sleep. You lied to us.

When the king of the roosters found out that the cats knew that he had lied to them, he ran away. Now, whenever roosters see a cat, they scurry away, because to this very day they are afraid of cats.

Never Lie or Cheat

The Illusion Of Reflection

2007-01-11T00:35:00.000+08:00

We should open our minds and hearts to new information, ideas, and points of view, and be willing to change our paradigms when it becomes clear that they are wrong.

Once there was a king who had presented his daughter, the princess, with a beautiful diamond necklace. The necklace was stolen and his people in the kingdom searched everywhere but could not find it. Some said a bird might have stolen it. The king then asked them all to search for it and put a reward for $50,000 for anyone who found it.

The River was completely polluted. One day a clerk was walking home along a river next to an industrial area. This river was completely polluted, filthy and smelly. As he was walking, the clerk saw a shimmering in the river and when he looked, he saw the diamond necklace. He decided to try and catch it so that he could get the $50,000 reward. He put his hand in the filthy, dirty river and grabbed the necklace, but somehow missed it and did not catch it. He took his hand out and looked again and the necklace was still there. He tried again, this time he walked in the river and dirtied his pants in the filthy river and put his whole arm in to catch the necklace. But strangely, he still missed the necklace! He came out and started walking away, feeling depressed.

Then again he saw the necklace, right there. This time he was determined to get it, no matter what. He decided to plunge into the river, although it was a disgusting thing to do as the river was polluted, and his whole body would become filthy. He plunged in, and searched everywhere for the necklace and yet he failed. This time he was really bewildered and came out feeling very depressed that he could not get the necklace that would get him $50,000.

Just then a saint who was walking by, saw him, and asked him what was the matter. The clerk didn't want to share the secret with the saint, thinking the saint might take the necklace for himself, so he refused to tell the saint anything. But the saint could see this man was troubled and being compassionate, again asked the clerk to tell him the problem and promised that he would not tell anyone about it. The clerk mustered some courage and decided to put some faith in the saint. He told the saint about the necklace and how he tried and tried to catch it, but kept failing. The saint then told him that perhaps he should try looking upward, toward the branches of the tree, instead of in the filthy river. The clerk looked up and true enough, the necklace was dangling on the branch of a tree. He had been trying to capture a mere reflection of the real necklace all this time.

Moral of the story
Material happiness is just like the filthy, polluted river; because it is a mere reflection of the TRUE happiness in the spiritual world.

We can never achieve the happiness we are looking for no matter how hard we endeavor in material life. Instead we should look upwards, toward God, who is the source of real happiness, and stop chasing after the reflection of this happiness in the material world. This spiritual happiness is the only thing that can satisfy us completely.

The 99 Club

2007-01-10T21:22:00.000+08:00

Story About Contentment

Some time ago, there lived a King. This King should have been contented with his life, given all the riches and luxuries he had. However, this was not the case! The King always found himself wondering why he just never seemed content with his life.

Sure, he had the attention of everyone wherever he went, attended fancy dinners and parties, but somehow, he still felt something was lacking and he couldn't put his finger on it.

One day, the King had woken up earlier than usual to stroll around his palace. He entered his huge living room and came to a stop when he heard someone happily singing away... following this singing... he saw that one of the servants was singing and had a very contented look on his face.

This fascinated the King and he summoned this man to his chambers.

The man entered the King's chambers as ordered. The King asked why he was so happy?

To this the man replied, "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but I make enough of a living to keep my wife and children happy. We don't need too much, a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummy. My wife and children are my inspiration, they are content with whatever little I bring home. I am happy because my family is happy."

Hearing this, the King dismissed the servant and summoned his Personal Assistant to his chambers.

The King related his personal anguish about his feelings and then related the story of the servant to his Personal Assistant, hoping that somehow, he will be able to come up with some reasoning that here was a King who could have anything he wished for at a snap of his fingers and yet was not contented, whereas, his servant, having so little was extremely contented.

The Personal Assistant listened attentively and came to a conclusion. He said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired.

To which the Assistant replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, you will have to do the following... place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep, you will then understand what The 99 Club is."

That very same evening, the King arranged for 99 Gold coins to be placed in a bag at the servant's doorstep. Although he was slightly hesitant and he thought he should have put 100 Gold coins into the bag, but since his assistant had advised him to put 99 that is what he did.

The servant was just stepping out of his house when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about its contents, he took it into his house and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, he let out a great big shout of joy...Gold Coins... so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife to show her the coins.

He then took the bag to a table and emptied it out and began to count the coins. Doing so, he realized that there were 99 coins and he thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and again and again only to come to the same conclusion... 99 Gold Coins.

He began to wonder, what could have happened to that last 1 coin? For no one would leave 99 coins. He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to lose out on that one coin. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to make up for that 1 Gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 Gold Coins.

He got up the next morning, in an extremely horrible mood, shouting at the children and his wife for his delay, not realizing that he had spent most of the night conjuring ways of working hard so that he had enough money to buy himself that gold coin. He went to work as usual - but not in his usual best mood, singing happily - as he grumpily did his daily errands.

Seeing the man's attitude change so drastically, the King was puzzled. He promptly summoned his assistant to his chambers. The King related his thoughts about the servant and once again, his assistant listened. The King could not believe that the servant who until yesterday had been singing away and was happy and content with his life had taken a sudden change of attitude, even though he should have been happier after receiving the gold coins.

To this the assistant replied, "Ah! But your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club." He explained,"The 99 Club is just a name given to those people who have everything but yet are never contented, therefore they are always working hard and striving for that extra 1 to round it out to 100!"

We have so much to be thankful for and we can live with very little in our lives, but the minute we are given something bigger and better, we want even more!

We are not the same happy contented person we used to be, we want more and more and by wanting more and more we don't realize the price we pay for it. We lose our sleep, our happiness; we hurt the people around us just as a price to pay for our growing needs and desires. That is what joining The 99 Club is all about."

Hearing this the King decided that from that day onwards, he was going to start appreciating all the little things in life.

Striving for more is always good, but let's not strive so hard and for so much that we loses all those near and dear to our hearts, we shouldn't compromise our happiness for moments of luxuries!

Philosophical Quotes II

2006-07-17T11:57:00.000+08:00

When I die, I will not see myself die, for the first time. ~Antonio Porchia

The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground. ~Buddha

We become aware of the void as we fill it. ~Antonio Porchia

If I make the lashes dark
And the eyes more bright
And the lips more scarlet,
Or ask if all be right
From mirror after mirror,
No vanity's displayed:
I'm looking for the face I had
Before the world was made.
~W.B. Yeats

Almost every wise saying has an opposite one, no less wise, to balance it. ~Santayana

The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. ~Niels Bohr

Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light? ~Maurice Freehill

I believe that men are generally still a little afraid of the dark, though the witches are all hung, and Christianity and candles have been introduced. ~Henry David Thoreau

Because they know the name of what I am looking for, they think they know what I am looking for! ~Antonio Porchia

Eggs cannot be unscrambled. ~American Proverb

A thing, until it is everything, is noise, and once it is everything it is silence. ~Antonio Porchia

The road was new to me, as roads always are going back. ~Sarah Orne Jewett

We used to think that if we knew one, we knew two, because one and one are two. We are finding that we must learn a great deal more about "and." ~Arthur Stanley Eddington

No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place. ~Zen

The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing. ~Eric Berne

Nearly all men die of their remedies, and not of their illnesses. ~Jean Baptiste Molière

The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different. ~Aldous Huxley

Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights. ~Georg Hegel

When I break any of the chains that bind me I feel that I make myself smaller. ~Antonio Porchia

We are spirits clad in veils. ~Christopher P. Cranch

If I am not pleased with myself, but should wish to be other than I am, why should I think highly of the influences which have made me what I am? ~John Lancaster Spalding

Before I travelled my road I was my road. ~Antonio Porchia

If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. ~Francis Bacon

To believe with certainty we must begin with doubting. ~Stanislaus I of Poland

The world always makes the assumption that the exposure of an error is identical with the discovery of truth - that the error and truth are simply opposite. They are nothing of the sort. What the world turns to, when it is cured on one error, is usually simply another error, and maybe one worse than the first one. ~H.L. Mencken

The future influences the present just as much as the past. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. ~John Muir

One does what one is; one becomes what one does. ~Robert von Musil

You can't fall off the floor. ~Author Unknown

Philosophical Quotes I

2006-07-16T11:35:00.000+08:00

If you're going to tickle, use a feather not a whip. ~Audrey Foris

He who has seen present things has seen all, both everything which has taken place from all eternity and everything which will be for time without end; for all things are of one kin and of one form. ~Marcus Aurelius

If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one. ~Russian Proverb

The observer, when he seems to himself to be observing a stone, is really, if physics is to be believed, observing the effects of the stone upon himself. ~Bertrand Russell

Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet. ~Roger Miller

The obstacle is the path. ~Zen Proverb

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers. ~James Thurber

It is easy to stand a pain, but difficult to stand an itch. ~Chang Ch'ao

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man. ~Heraclitus

You are fastened to them and cannot understand how, because they are not fastened to you. ~Antonio Porchia

One day, someone showed me a glass of water that was half full. And he said, "Is it half full or half empty?" So I drank the water. No more problem. ~Alexander Jodorowsky

What deep wounds ever closed without a scar? ~George Gordon, Lord Byron

Extreme remedies are very appropriate for extreme diseases. ~Hippocrates

It takes all the running you can do just to keep in the same place. ~Lewis Carroll

We waste a lot of time running after people we could have caught by just standing still. ~Mignon McLaughlin

You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into. ~Author Unknown

I slept with faith and found a corpse in my arms on awakening; I drank and danced all night with doubt and found her a virgin in the morning. ~Aleister Crowley

You can see a lot by just looking. ~Yogi Berra

Proverbs often contradict one another, as any reader soon discovers. The sagacity that advises us to look before we leap promptly warns us that if we hesitate we are lost; that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but out of sight, out of mind. ~Leo Rosten

Who depends on another man's table often dines late. ~John Ray

Things are entirely what they appear to be and behind them... there is nothing. ~Jean Paul Sartre

When the pain is great enough, we will let anyone be doctor. ~Mignon McLaughlin

A thousand men can't undress a naked man. ~Greek Proverb

I stop wanting what I am looking for, looking for it. ~Antonio Porchia

We often repent the good we have done as well as the ill. ~William Hazlitt

Quotes About Philosophy

2006-07-15T14:37:00.000+08:00

The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth stating, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it. ~Bertrand Russell

Leisure is the mother of Philosophy. ~Thomas Hobbes

Philosophy is just a hobby. You can't open a philosophy factory. ~Dewey Selmon

The natural philosophers are mostly gone. We modern scientists are adding too many decimals. ~Martin H. Fischer

My definition of a philosopher is of a man up in a balloon, with his family and friends holding the ropes which confine him to earth and trying to haul him down. ~Louisa May Alcott

Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains. ~Alfred North Whitehead

All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusion is called a philosopher. ~Ambrose Bierce

To live alone one must be a beast or a god, says Aristotle. Leaving out the third case: one must be both - a philosopher. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Being a philosopher, I have a problem for every solution. ~Robert Zend

Metaphysics is a dark ocean without shores or lighthouse, strewn with many a philosophic wreck. ~Immanuel Kant

Nobody can have the consolations of religion or philosophy unless he has first experienced their desolations. ~Aldous Huxley

Philosophy, like medicine, has plenty of drugs, few good remedies, and hardly any specific cures. ~Nicolas Chamfort

Philosophers, for the most part, are constitutionally timid, and dislike the unexpected. Few of them would be genuinely happy as pirates or burglars. Accordingly they invent systems which make the future calculable, at least in its main outlines. ~Bertrand Russell

To teach how to live with uncertainty, yet without being paralyzed by hesitation, is perhaps the chief thing that philosophy can do. ~Bertrand Russell

Philosophy will clip an angel's wings. ~John Keats

What is the first business of philosophy? To part with self-conceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn what he thinks that he already knows. ~Epictetus

Philosophy is a state of fermentation, a process without final outcome. ~Esa Saarinen

To ridicule philosophy is really to philosophize. ~Blaise Pascal

We come late, if at all, to wine and philosophy: whiskey and action are easier. ~Mignon McLaughlin

Philosophy will clip an angel's wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine -
Unweave a rainbow.
~John Keats

Philosophy triumphs easily over past evils and future evils; but present evils triumph over it. ~La Rochefoucauld

Philosophy: A route of many roads leading from nowhere to nothing. ~Ambrose Bierce

Aesop's Fables

2006-07-14T04:46:00.000+08:00

Fables are little anecdotes that show us life, values and principles fleshed out using humans, animals, or even objects as characters. Hence, fables are valuable tools for us to communicate messages of morality and values to the young.

Regarded by many as the father of all fables, Aesop's tales have shed light on many important issues in life. These whimsical fables vividly illustrate human nature and all its foibles that have remained unchanged through the centuries. Each tale entertains and amuses even as it instructs and inspires. You will grapple with age-old moral issues and find liberating insights. Click on the link below to read these fables.

1. Stories Related To Efficiency
The Astronomer
The Fox And The Goat
The Mice In Council
The Travellers By The Shore
The Widow And Her Maids
The Man, His Son And The Ass
The Farmer And His Sons
The Swan And The Master
The Piping Fisherman
The Greying Man And His Sweethearts
The Hunter And The Woodcutter
The Fortune-Teller The Trumpeter

2. Stories About Self-Control
The Deer and The Vine
The Coward and The Crow
The Goat And The Wolf
The Horse and The Boar
The Fox And The Monkey Who Was Chosen King
The Young Man and The Painted Lion
The Boy Hunting Locusts And The Scorpion
The Mouse And The Frog
Two Fighting Cocks and The Eagle
The Mice and The Weasels
The Wolf Who Is Proud Of His Shadow And The Lion

3. Stories Related To Foresight
The Fox Who Was Too Full
Mother Lioness And The Fox
The Cicada And The Ant
The Father And His Two Daughters
The Lion And The Hare
The Drowning Boy
The Milkmaid
The Boy And The Filberts
The Hare And The Tortoise
The Two Dogs
The Two Men Who Were Enemies
The Fowler And The Viper
The Mosquito And The Lion

4. Stories Related To Contentment
The Herdsman and the Lion
The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
The Raven and the Pigeon
The Ass and His Master
The Snake, The Weasel and the Rats
The Goose Which Laid Golden Eggs
The Man Who Discovered the Golden Lion
The Ass and the Charger
The Dog and His Reflection
The Miser

5. Stories That Teach About Integrity
The Boy Who Cried Wolf
The Woman and Her Drunkard Husband
The Young Thief and His Mother
The Monkey and the Dolphin
The Man and The Lion
The Flea and the Man
The Frog Doctor and the Fox
The Wolf and the Lion
Venus and the Cat
The Kingdom of the Lion
The Old Woman and the Physician

6. Stories About Discernment
The Thief and The Watchdog
The Cicada and The Wolf
The Thief and The Cock
The Bald Knight
The Farmer and The Snake
The Sick Lion
The Stag and His Antlers
The Spendthrift and The Swallow
The Doe and The Lion
The Ass, The Cock and The Lion
The Lion Who Fell In Love
The Wolf and The Sheepdog
The Ant and The Fly

7. Stories About Cooperation
The Farmer and the Eagle
The Travellers and The Axe
The Wolf and the Crane
The Lion and the Dolphin
The Wolf and The Shepherd
The Goatherd and the Wild Goats
The Farmer and His Quarrelsome Sons
The Fox and the Bramble
The Gnat and the Bull
The Donkey and the Dog Who Travelled Together
The Horse and His Rider
The Lion and the Mouse

8. Stories Related To Creativity
The Travellers And The Plane-Tree
The Kid And The Piping Wolf
The Farmer And The Tree
The Salt Merchant And His Donkey
The Donkey And The Dog
The Hares And The Frogs
The Crow And The Pitcher
The Lamb And The Wolf
The Bat And The Weasels
The Fox And The Crow
The Wind And The Sun
The Wolf And The Sleeping Dog