REFLECTIONS ON LIFE

A teacher walks into a classroom and sets a glass jar on the table. He silently places 2-inch rocks in the jar until no more can fit. He asks the class if the jar is full and they agree it is. He says, “Really?” and pulls out a pile of small pebbles, adding them to the jar, shaking it slightly until they fill the spaces between the rocks. He asks again, “Is the jar full?” They agree. So next, he adds a scoop of sand to the jar, filling the space between the pebbles and asks the question again.  This time, the class is divided, some feeling that the jar is obviously full, but others are wary of another trick. So he grabs a pitcher of water and fills the jar to the brim, saying, “If this jar is your life, what does this experiment show you?”  A bold student replies, “No matter how busy you think you are, you can always take on more.”  “That is one view,” he replies. Then he looks out at the class making eye contact with everyone, “The rocks represent the BIG thi...

One afternoon, Socrates was standing outside the gates of Athens when he noticed a traveller who had been staring at him for a long time. Socrates asked the man why he had come to Athens. “I am thinking of moving to Athens”, the man said. “What is it like to live here?” He added. Socrates looked at him. “First, would you tell me what it was like in your home city?” The man replied: “Oh, it was awful. Everyone stabs you in the back and wants to steal money from you” Frowning, Socrates told him: “Well, you will find the same thing here. I suggest you go somewhere else” Socrates was standing there a few hours more when another man approached him. This man too had just arrived in Athens and was considering moving to the city. He also asked Socrates, “Can you tell me what it is like to live here?” Socrates asked, “First, would you tell me what it was like to live there where you come from?” “Where I come from, all the people work together and help each other”...