Value of Life

A man went to God and asked, "What's the value of life?"

God gave him one stone and said, "Find out the value of this stone, but don't sell it."

The man took the stone to an Orange Seller and asked him what it's cost would be. The Orange Seller saw the shiny stone and said, "You can take 12 oranges and give me the stone." The man apologized and said that the God has asked him not to sell it.

He went ahead and found a vegetable seller. "What could be the value of this stone?" he asked the vegetable seller. The seller saw the shiny stone and said, "Take one sack of potatoes and give me the stone." The man again apologized and said he can't sell it.

Further ahead, he went into a jewellery shop and asked the value of the stone. The jeweler saw the stone under a lens and said, "I'll give you 50 Lakhs for this stone." When the man shook his head, the jeweler said, "Alright, alright, take 2 crores, but give me the stone." The man explained that he can't sell the stone. Further ahead, the man saw a precious stone's shop and asked the seller the value of this stone.

When the precious stone's seller saw the big ruby, he lay down a red cloth and put the ruby on it. Then he walked in circles around the ruby and bent down and touched his head in front of the ruby. "From where did you bring this priceless ruby from?" he asked. "Even if I sell the whole world, and my life, I won't be able to purchase this priceless stone.

Stunned and confused, the man returned to the God and told him what had happened. "Now tell me what is the value of life, God?

God said, "The answers you got from the Orange Seller, the Vegetable Seller, the Jeweler and the Precious Stone's Seller explain the value of our life.. You may be a precious stone, even priceless, but people may value you based on their level of information, their belief in you, their motive behind entertaining you, their ambition, and their risk taking ability. But don't fear, you will surely find someone who will discern your true value."

In the eyes of God you are very very precious. Respect yourself. You are Unique. No one can replace you!


-- Author Unknown

Enlightened

A king went to a Master, and asked: ‘Master how can I become enlightened? Tell me about all the practices you do. What did you do to become enlightened? Please teach me’. The Master says: ‘Oh! I eat when I eat; I sleep when I sleep. That is all I do’.

The king could not understand. The Master explained: ‘When I eat I only eat, I do not do anything else when I sleep I only sleep I do not do anything else’.

But what do we do? Recall how you eat. You will remember that you were watching TV or reading a magazine when you were eating. Or it could be that you were talking to someone or continuously thinking of something. If you were calm, sitting quietly and eating your wife would have been there to report some problems in the house.

So in one way or another, when you eat, your mind does everything else but focus on the food and eating. You do everything except eat.

You treat food with such scant respect. It is just a form of garbage that is stuffed through your mouth. That is why the food treats you like a garbage bag. It withholds its energy unless you become aware of what you eat. If you treat your food with respect and are aware of what you eat when you eat, wellness results.

This is true even when you sleep! When you sleep you do everything else except sleeping. Because, only when you sleep you dream, you have your nightmare and fear strokes. You then have disturbed sleep.

Catch yourself in the act. Become aware. That will set your inner transformation in motion.


-- Author Unknown

Life is Just Like Farming

A little girl came to live with her grandfather after the death of her parents. The elderly man farmed the land as he had from his youth and was known far and wide for the most delicious crops. He walked and talked kindness to all, including his granddaughter. He loved telling her about farming.

“Now this plant is one that needs lots of water under that hot old sun,” he would tell her as he pointed to a certain crop. Or he might tell her, “This plant is a weed that we must watch out for and pluck up as soon as possible, or it will take seed and take over the garden,” Of course his favorite saying was, “Life is just like farming — you always reap what you sow.”

The girl listened intently as her grandfather spoke about farming. His deep, robust voice always turned gentle as he talked about the earth and the rain and the growing season.

“The land is just as alive as the plants and flowers,” he would tell her. “It needs food and water, too, or nothing will grow from it.”

As they huddled by the fire on cold December days, he would encourage her with the words, “Winter may seem to last forever, but just remember that spring is a ‘coming and the land will soon awaken.”

One day the grandfather died, and the local authorities put her in an orphanage in the middle of a city a hundred miles away from her beloved farmland.

At first she was afraid of all the noise and smells of the city and of the rough, calloused children at the orphanage. She cried herself to sleep for a week before she remembered her grandfather’s words about weeds and how they need plucking as soon as possible or they will take over a garden. She realized her self-pity was taking over like weeds.

Suddenly it dawned on her that all of the knowledge and sayings her grandfather taught her could apply to the orphanage. The next day she awoke to find new ways to use her grandfather’s wisdom. She looked around and saw a very shy child who the other children often made fun of.

Now this plant is one that needs lots of water under that hot old sun, the girl heard her grandfather’s voice in her mind. She went over to the child and started to make a new friend.

As she looked closer at everyone in the orphanage, she saw how many needed love and attention, despite their gruff or rough exteriors. She remembered her grandfather saying, The land is just as alive as the plants and flowers. It needs food and water, too, or nothing will grow from it.

She was soon reading favorite stories to the children, soothing frightened youngsters during lightning storms, helping newcomers adjust, acting as referee for the boys’ rough-housing games, and comforting anyone with a bruised shin, broken nose, or heavy heart.

Sometimes it was her heart that grew heavy, but she comforted herself with these words, Winter may seem to last forever, but just remember that spring is a ‘coming and the land will soon awaken.

With the patience she learned from her grandfather and farming, she kept up her efforts for many months. Eventually she noticed a stirring of souls within the orphanage, not unlike the first signs of spring. The older kids slowly started to take care of the younger ones, adult caretakers became a little softer and gentler as the kids changed, and everyone began to feel a kinship they had never known before at the orphanage.

Several years later, when it came time to leave the orphanage, the little girl had grown into a vibrant and energizing young woman. Because of her, the orphanage had been transformed over the years into a welcoming family. Both children and adults wept to see her go, but her leadership and ability to work with people had landed her a job with a huge charity that worked mainly in agricultural areas. She was going back home again. As she walked out the doors of the orphanage and saw just how much the place had changed, she heard her grandfather’s words again, Life is just like farming — you reap what you sow.

-- Merry Riana (Motivational Speaker)

The Tailor's Needle

A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors, he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pair of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban.

The tailor's son who was watching it asked him:

"Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for an anna. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this illogical behaviour?"

"Yes, my son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable. The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost-price or appearance."
 
-- Author Unknown