Think about it…. LIMITATION OF WORDS Once all the students of a monk were absorbed in a discussion about his dictum, “Those who know do not say; Those who say do not know.” When he entered all of them asked exactly what the words meant. Said the monk, “How many of you know the fragrance of a rose?” All of them nodded their head in affirmation. Then he said, “Put it into words.” All of them were silent…! DO THE RIGHT THING A father asked his son to return a shopping cart they had just used. The son protested, “C’mon, Dad! There are carts all over. No one returns them. That’s why they hire people to collect them.” After a brief argument, Mom chimed in, “For heaven’s sake, it’s no big deal. Let’s go.” The Dad was about to surrender when he noticed an elderly couple walking together to return their cart. After a moment he said, “Son, there are two kinds of people in this world: those who put their carts away and those who don’t. We are the kind that returns their shopping cart. Now go return the cart!” Obviously, this story is about more than grocery carts. It’s about doing the right thing in a world that promotes rationalizations and excuses, and demeans or trivializes simple acts of virtue. Lets suppose another way of putting it is—There two kinds of people: Those who have the character to do what they ought to and those who find reasons not to. People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world. PAGANINI’S VIOLIN The great violinist, Nicolo Paganini, willed his exquisite violin to Genoa—the city of his birth—but only on the condition that the instrument never be played again. It was an unfortunate condition, for it is a characteristic of wood that as long as it is used and handled, it shows little decline in quality. However, as soon as it is set aside in storage, it begins to decay. The fabulous, mellow-toned violin became worm-eaten stored in its gorgeous case, valueless now except as a relic. The deteriorating instrument is a reminder that gifts and talents are tools meant to be used, not treasures to be stored up. Likewise, a life withdrawn from love and service to others loses its meaning. - fwd: ruben tellis (from ICAN newsletter)
Posted on: Sat, 06 Jul 2013 09:20:42 +0000
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