Wisdom of the world - Week 134

The Prophet

A prophet once came to a city to convert its inhabitants. At first the people listened to his sermons, but they gradually drifted away till there was not a single soul to hear the prophet when he spoke.
One day a traveller said to him, “Why do you go on preaching?”
Said the prophet In the beginning I hoped to change these people. If I still shout it is only to prevent them from changing me.”

Wisdom of the world - Week 133

Being heard

The whole family went out for a meal one evening. Menus were passed to all including Molly, the eight year old daughter. The conversation was an “adult” one so Molly sat ignored. When the waiter took orders, he came to Molly last.
“And what do you want?” he asked.
“A hot dog and a glass of lemonade,” she said.
“No”, said her grandmother,” “she’ll have the roast chicken dinner, carrots and mashed potatoes.”
“And milk to drink,” chimed in her father.
“Would you like ketchup or mustard on your hot dog?” asked the waiter as he walked away, taking the parents aback.
“Ketchup,” Molly called out. She turned to her family and added, “You know what? He thinks I’m real!”

Wisdom of the world - Week 132

Porcupines And The Coldest Winter Ever

It was the coldest winter ever, and many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realising the situation, decided to group together. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they shared their heat with each other.
After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other to stop being wounded.
As they did this, they began to die... alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companion, but the most important part of it, was the heat that came from the others that enabled them to survive the coldest winter ever.

Wisdom of the world - Week 131

To the point

A century ago, a young student at Oxford University in England was taking an important exam in religious studies. The examination question for this day was to write about the religious and spiritual meaning in the miracle of Christ turning water into wine. For two hours he sat in the crowded classroom while the other students filled their pages with long essays, to show their understanding. The exam time was almost over and this one student had not written a single word. The proctor came over to him and insisted that he commit something to paper before turning it in. The young Lord Byron simply picked up his hand and penned the following line. “The water met his master, and blushed.”

Wisdom of the world - Week 130

The rabbi

One day a rabbi, in a frenzy of religious passion, rushed in before the ark, fell to his knees, and started beating his breast, crying “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”
The cantor of the synagogue, impressed by his example of spiritual humility, joined the rabbi on his knees “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”
The “shamus” (custodian), watching from the corner, couldn’t restrain himself either. He joined the other two on his knees calling out, “I’m nobody! I’m nobody!”
At which point the rabbi, nudging the cantor with his elbow, pointed to the custodian and said, “Look who thinks he’s nobody!”

Wisdom of the world - Week 129

Prayer and Devotion

This is the story a wise man tells of a conversation with his father in his youth: When I was a child I was a pious boy, fervent in prayer and devotion. One night I was keeping vigil with my father, the Holy Koran was on my lap.
Everyone else in the room began to slumber and soon was sound asleep, so I said to my father, “None of these sleepers opens his eyes or raises his head to say his prayers. You would think that they were all dead.
My father replied, “My beloved son, I would rather you too were asleep like them than slandering.”
Sufi