1# Cultivate Patriotism
The kingdom of Athens was putting up a strong defence against the Dorian invaders. But the invaders were quite confident because they had received the words, Either Athens must perish or her king! from the Oracle. The Athenians were desperate. They could not bear the thought of their beloved king, Codrus being killed by the enemy.
One night, an Athenian
peasant entered the Dorian camp and deliberately picked a fight with some of
the soldiers. A fight ensued and the Dorian soldiers killed the Athenian
peasant. The news spread through the army and there was panic in the general
public. Before morning, the Dorians found themselves fleeing, for they
remembered the words of the Oracle.
1. Why did
the Dorians flee?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
2. The king was
prepared to die for his country. His sacrifice is quite laudable. From that
time on, no Athenian thought himself good enough to wear the crown of King Codrus.
2# Believe In God
Remaud, a French senator, had rented a hotel room for a month and paid for it in advance. The hotelkeeper asked him if he wanted a cash receipt. Oh, don’t bother, said the senator. It is enough that God has seen it.
“Why monsieur, you believe in God?”
asked the hotelkeeper. Of course. And you do too, don’t you? No Sir, I don’t.
QUESTIONS
1. What did the senator say to the hotelkeeper?
2. What is
the implication of this story ?
ANSWERS
1. The senator said, “On second thought, I feel that I should have a receipt from you.”
2. Fear of God brings discipline in a person. Strong belief in the presence of God would make a person more sincere, honest and truthful.
In the absence
of this belief, one may be tempted to do all types of antisocial activities.
This is the main reason for all religions to propound the theory of the
existence of one God.
3# No One Is Too Stupid To Learn
There was once a boy who was dismissed and sent back from school because his teachers claimed that he was too stupid to learn anything. He came back and told this to his disheartened mother. She told him to ignore their comments.
She came forward to teach him. This boy didn’t go to any school or university and was self-taught. Years later, the same boy grew up to create history in the scientific world.
QUESTIONS
1. Can you
guess this boy’s name?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. The boy’s name is Thomas Alva Edison.
2. It is pathetic that some teachers make unholy remarks about students, which may discourage them and lead them to discontinue school itself. Edison’s mother came forward and encouraged him.
But for the encouragement of his mother, the world would have lost a super genius in the scientific world. This is a lesson to all teachers and parents.
There was once a very young-hearted colonel, Thomas Hart Benton, who was well known for his jovial and humorous nature.
People would often mistake him to be much younger than he really was, and he was often questioned about his age. Each time, he would have the same reply.
QUESTIONS
1. What was the reply of Thomas Hart Benton?
2. What is
the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. He would always say, “According to the calendar, my age is seventy four; when anything is to be done, I am only thirty-five years old.”
2. Chronological age starts as soon as we are born. Biological age indicates the condition of our body as regards health and disease. Mental age refers to our capacity to discriminate, create and imagine, and how we use our mental faculties. We can have different ages.
In this connection, the words of Norman Vincent Peale are worth quoting: The person who is young awakes with a strange feeling which he was not able to explain but which is as if to say, This is the great day; this is the day on which wonderful things can happen.
The individual
who is old, regardless of age arises with the spirit unresponsive, not
expecting any great thing to happen.
This day will be no worse. Some people retain the spirit of expectation at three-score and ten. Some lose it early in life. The measure of one’s age is actually how well he retains
the romance of
life.”
5# Calamities Can Bring Growth And Enlightenment
In the midst of a vast, lonely desert, there was an old dying tree. Its withering branches had been home to a beautiful bird. The tree had been its home for many years.
But one day, as luck would have it, a whirlwind uprooted the tree, forcing the poor bird to fly a tiring hundred miles in search of another shelter. The depressed bird, searching for shelter, kept wondering what ill it had done to deserve such a calamity.
After several days of continuous flying and almost giving up with tiredness, it finally came to a forest of fruit-laden trees. And thus, it built another home in the new paradise.
QUESTION
1. What is the moral of this story?
ANSWER
1. If the withered tree had survived nothing would have induced the bird to give up its security and fly. Calamities and difficulties are only temporary setbacks. They bring along growth and enlightenment and even better opportunities.
A father and son, out for an evening walk, spotted a huge stone blocking their path. At once, the little boy tried to lift the stone, but it was far too heavy for him.
His father standing close by asked him, “Have you used all your strength?” The boy promptly replied, “Yes.” The father then commented…
QUESTIONS
1. What was
the father's comment?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. “No, my son,
you are not using all your strength. You have not asked
me to help you out.”
2. Strength
lies in exploring all possibilities to accomplish a task.
This includes requesting someone to help you. No one can build an institution without getting the help of others. Only with others’ cooperation, great things can be accomplished.
7# Worship Through Dance
There was once a dervish (member of a Muslim religious order), who worshipped Allah through his hard and rigorous dance sessions. He would regularly travel many miles and perform his whirling dance in front of each mosque, before moving to another one.
That’s how he lived. People who watched him would very often give him food, water and also shelter to spend the night. He was once asked why he worshipped God through dance. “Because, to worship God means to kill the Self, and dancing has the passion and the life that kills the Self.
When the Self dies, all the problems die with it. Where the Self is not, love is, God is,” he said.
QUESTION
1. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWER
1. To worship God, one needs love in the heart and love comes only from selflessness and sacrifice.
8# Courage Wins The Heart
The Emperor of Russia, Peter the Great was blessed with a son after many years of prayers and waiting. Unfortunately, good luck didn’t last long and death took away his little one. The death of the newborn son affected Peter the Great so much that he closed himself up in a room to starve himself to death.
He gave it to be understood that whoever dared to disturb him in his retirement would be sentenced to death. The senate assembled to discuss this urgent issue and Dologorouki, one of his ministers, volunteered to save the Czar from certain death. He courageously went up to the Czar’s room and knocked on the door.
Whoever you be, fly off or I will open the door and knock out your brains!” threatened the Czar’s terrible voice from within. Open I say, countered Dologorouki in a resolute tone.
After that, he said something to the Czar which made him come out and embrace him. He yielded to the counsel of his faithful courtier and resumed the rule of his country.
QUESTIONS
1. What did
Dologorouki say to the Czar?
2. What is the implication of this story ?
ANSWERS
1. He said, It is the duty of the senate to come and ask you whom you wish to have named the emperor in your absence, since you have resigned.
2. Dologorouki’s courage won the heart of the Emperor. Let me quote here, the words of Dr. Alexis Carrel Nature has no pity for those who are lazy or feeble minded.
She favours those who are sober, alert, intelligent and enthusiastic; most of all, those who have the courage to take risks and who possess the will to succeed.
She smiles on those who are ready to live hard and dangerously. Whoever refuses to take risks pays the penalty of loss of life in one form or another.”
9# Spirituality In Productive Activity
The Master,
while being gracious to all his disciples, could not conceal his preference for
those who lived in the world the
married, the merchants and the farmers over those who lived in the monastery.
When he was finally confronted about this, he said something which explained everything.
QUESTIONS
1. What did the Master say?
2. What is
the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. The Master said, “Spirituality practiced in the state of activity is incomparably superior to that practiced in the state of withdrawal.”
2. A person who, for his own liberation or mukthi sits in meditation for hours together, is not as productive to society, as the farmer who cultivates and produces grains for the people to consume.
This is why the priests and nuns of the Catholic community, embracing spirituality and renunciation, plunge into activity by way of establishing educational institutions, hospitals and also rendering social service to the poor and downtrodden.
10# Every Bit Of Knowledge Is Useful
There was an intelligent young man who studied physiognomy, spending six years of hard work on research. On his way back home, after having completed his studies, he met a man who offered him his place to stay for the night. The scholar’s first intuitive feeling on meeting the hospitable man was that he was wicked.
But then, he changed his mind when the stranger showered all love and affection on him. Ultimately, this man gave him a bill which was a hundred times more than what it should have been. To pay it off, the scholar had to give up everything he had. But in the end, he joyfully cried and thanked God.
QUESTIONS
1. Why did
he thank God?
2. What is the implication of this story?
ANSWERS
1. The man thanked God because it was proved that his six years of studies had not been a waste of time and he had assessed the man correctly.
2. Knowledge is power. The more we learn, the better would be our capacity to tackle problems that we confront in life.
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