REFLECTIONS ON LIFE

With a timid voice and idolizing eyes, the little boy greeted his father as he returned from work. SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?" DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?" SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?" DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?" SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour." (Giving just an answer to get rid of him) SON: "Oh! (With his head down). SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?" The father was furious. DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior." The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get eve...

One day a young lady was driving along with her  father.  They came upon a  storm,  and the young lady  asked her  father, What should I do? After analising the situation, he said "Keep driving". Cars began to pull over to the side, the storm was getting worse. "What should I do? the young lady asked again  "Keep driving, don't stop," her father replied. On up a few feet, she noticed that eighteen wheelers were also pulling over. She told her dad, "I must pull over, I can barely see ahead. It is terrible, and everyone is pulling over!" Her father told her, "Don't give up, just keep driving! Go on!" Now the storm was terrible, but she never stopped driving, and soon she could see a little more clearly. After a couple of miles she was again on dry land, and the sun came out. Her father said, "Now you can pull over and get out."  She said "But why now?" He said "When you get o...

Most people love giving advice, and jump into any opportunity to tell to others what to do and what not to, what is good and bad, what is moral and immoral. When they find themselves in times of trouble, however, they feel helpless and frustrated, unable to apply the very same advice they would give to others facing a similar situation. Such people not only can’t help themselves deal with the difficulties they encounter in their lives, but also they cannot help others when in need, since their advice doesn’t sprout from their own understanding. Below there is a beautiful story of a wise old man who is offering an inspiring lesson on the importance of teaching by example: An old woman visited a wise man and asked him to speak to her son, as he was spending all the money he was earning on dates, while she was really poor and did not get anything from him. The wise man promised the woman he would speak to ...

M ost people get easily offended or insulted by people who behave in an rude manner, not realizing that each and  every person has a story , and unaware of the  healing power kindness. But not all people do so, and here’s wonderful story from the life of a wise man carrying a beautiful lesson on forgiveness: A wise man was sitting under a tree talking to his disciples when a man came and spat in his face. He wiped it off, and he asked the man, “What next? What do you want to say next?” The man was a little puzzled because he himself never expected that when you spit in someone’s face he should ask “What next?” He had no such experience in his past. He had insulted people and they had become angry and they had reacted. Or if they were cowards and weaklings, they had smiled, trying to bribe him. But the wise man was like neither, he was not angry, nor in any way offended, nor in any way cowardly. But just matter-of-factly he said, “What next?” Th...

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away.  “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were. Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply bec...

Horror gripped the heart of a World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the “no man’s land” between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. “You can't go,” said the lieutenant, “I don’t want you to risk your life for someone that is probably dead, you may throw your life away.” The lieutenant’s advice didn’t matter, and the soldier managed to go anyway. Miraculously he was able to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer was furious, he looked at the wounded soldier. “I commanded you not to go” he said. “Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded.” “It was worth it, sir,” said the soldier. “What do you mean; worth it?” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead and you are...

A donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.  Finally, After trying different ways to help the animal unsuccessfully and without a clear idea, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.  He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.  At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.  A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.  As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey step...

I went to a party, Mum, I remembered what you said, You told me not to drink, Mum, so I drank soda instead, I felt really proud inside, Mum, the way you said I would, I didn’t drink and drive, Mum, even though others said I should. I know I did the right thing, Mum, I knew you’re always right, Now the party is finally ending, Mum, as everyone drives out of sight, As I got into my car, Mum, I know I’ll get home in one piece, Because of the way you raised me, Mum, as responsible and sweet. I started to drive away, Mum, but as I pulled onto the road The other car didn’t see me, Mum, and it hit me like a load. As I lie here on the pavement, Mum, I hear the policeman say The other guy is drunk, Mum, and I’m the one who’ll pay. I’m lying here dying, Mum, I wish you’d get here soon, How come this happened to me, Mum, my life burst like a balloon? There is blood all around me, Mum, most of it is mine, I hear the paramedic say, Mum, I’ll be dead in a short time...

An old man sits with his grown up son on a bench outside their house. The day is sunny and clear. The son is reading a newspaper, and ignoring his father. The father looks emptily into the bright garden before him. Then, a sparrow flies into a nearby bush. "What's that?" asks the old man instinctively. "A sparrow" replies the young man nonchalantly, without looking up. The old man justs sits quietly. Then, the sparrow flies up into the tree under which they are sitting. The old man looks up, and asks the son again, "What's that?" “A sparrow!” the young man says a little louder, looking a bit annoyed now. The old man continues to sit quietly as before. Then, the sparrow flies onto the green grass before them, happily pecking at seeds and bugs on the ground. “What’s that?” asks the father a third time. This annoys the young man greatly. He puts down his papers, looks at his father really upset, and shouts: “It’s a sparrow, ...

Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, "Things aren't always what they seem."  The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest and they went to sleep on an old sofa.  When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?...

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it for the first time, virtues and vices floated around and were bored, not knowing what to do. One day, all the vices and virtues were gathered together and were more bored than ever.  Suddenly, Ingenious came up with an idea: "Let's play hide and seek!" All of them liked the idea and immediately Madness shouted: "I want to count, I want to count!" And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek Madness, all the others agreed. Madness leaned against a tree and started to count: "One, two, three..."  As Madness counted, the vices and virtues went hiding. Tenderness hung itself on the horn of the moon, Treason hid in a pile of garbage. Fondness curled up between the clouds and Passion went to the centre of the earth. Lie said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake, whilst Avarice entered a sack that he ended up breaking. And Madness continued to co...

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80’s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb.  He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized hi...