Once upon a time all feelings
and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their
nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm
was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.
The announcement caused sudden
panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and
commissioned for duty. Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so
much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realized it was time to leave.
Alas, there were no boats to
spare. Love looked around with hope.Just then Prosperity passed by in a
luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your
boat?”
“No,” replied Prosperity, “my
boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for
you.”
A little later Vanity came by in
a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded
and need a lift. Please take me with you.”
Vanity responded haughtily, “No,
I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”
Sorrow passed by after some
time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take
you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”
When Happiness passed by a few
minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it
did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.
Love was growing restless and
dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.”
Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat,
greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.
On getting off the boat, Love
met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so
generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”
Knowledge smiled, “Oh that was
Time.”
“And why would Time stop to pick
me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.
Knowledge smiled with deep
wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you
are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”
“The important message is that
when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget
love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize
the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your
life today?”
Father was a hardworking man who
delivered bread as a living to support his wife and three children. He spent
all his evenings after work attending classes, hoping to improve himself so
that he could one day find a better paying job. Except for Sundays, Father
hardly ate a meal together with his family. He worked and studied very hard
because he wanted to provide his family with the best money could buy.
Whenever the family complained
that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he was doing
all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his family.
The day came when the
examination results were announced. To his joy, Father passed, and with
distinctions too! Soon after, he was offered a good job as a senior supervisor which
paid handsomely.
Like a dream come true, Father
could now afford to provide his family with life’s little luxuries like nice
clothing, fine food and vacation abroad.
However, the family still did
not get to see father for most of the week. He continued to work very hard,
hoping to be promoted to the position of manager. In fact, to make himself a
worthily candidate for the promotion, he enrolled for another course in the Open
University.
Again, whenever the family
complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he
was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his
family.
Father’s hard work paid off and
he was promoted. Jubilantly, he decided to hire a maid to relieve his wife from
her domestic tasks. He also felt that their three-room flat was no longer big enough;
it would be nice for his family to be able to enjoy the facilities and comfort
of a condominium. Having experienced the rewards of his hard work many times
before, Father resolved to further his studies and work at being promoted
again. The family still did not get to see much of him. In fact, sometimes
Father had to work on Sundays entertaining clients. Again, whenever the family
complained that he was not spending enough time with them, he reasoned that he
was doing all this for them. But he often yearned to spend more time with his
family.
A mouse and a frog were friends.
Every morning the frog would hop out of his pond and go to visit his friend who
lived in a hole in the side of a tree. He would return home at noon.
The mouse delighted in his
friend’s company unaware that the friend was slowly turning into an enemy. The
reason? The frog felt slighted because though he visited the mouse every day,
the mouse on his part, had never made an attempt to visit him.
One day he felt he had been
humiliated enough. When it was time for him to take leave of the mouse, he tied
one end of a string around his own leg, tied the other end to the mouse’s tail,
and hopped away, dragging the hapless mouse behind him.
The frog dived deep into the
pond. The mouse tried to free himself but couldn’t, and soon drowned. His
bloated body floated to the top.
A hawk saw the mouse floating on
the pond’s surface. He swooped down, and grabbing the mouse in his talons, flew
to the branch of a nearby tree. The frog, of course, was hauled out of the
water too. He desperately tried to free himself, but couldn’t and the hawk soon
put an end to his struggles.
In Africa they have a saying:
‘Don’t dig too deep a pit for your enemy, you may fall into it yourself’.
