AN ATTITUDE TEST

When my brother and I we were children we spent a few weeks each summer in the countryside. Our childless uncle owned a big house there and didn’t mind having children around, so of course our parents were happy to loan us for a few days at a time.
      Our uncle was a geologist and loved to go on long walks to find stones to add to his collection at the university. More often than not we followed him. One day we left early and this time uncle had bought us backpacks.
      “You can help me carry the samples”, he explained. The whole day we then walked around the countryside and every now and again uncle put stones in our bags. We were a bit surprised he also took some stones out from our bags at times, but figured he had just found better samples than the ones we already had.
      Still, when we reached the house in late afternoon, we were beat. The backpacks were so heavy we gave a big sigh of relief when we thumped them on the porch. Yet uncle’s backpack was half empty. “Why did you give us so many stones?” we asked. “I didn’t! You did”, he said cryptically. He waited for a while before continuing: “You did not know it, but I made you go through a little attitude test today.” 
      “What do you mean with attitude test?” we wanted to know. “It is something someone once did to me - and I shall always remember it. You see I listened to every word you said. And whenever you were complaining about anyone or anything, I added a stone to your bags. And whenever you talked about something in an attitude of gratitude and positive thinking, I took off a stone. And now look at your backpacks.”
      We did. They were almost bursting at their seams. “I hope you remember this little attitude test. You see your negative thoughts are like stones. You carry them on in your mind just like those stones in a backpack. The more negative thoughts, the heavier your mind is. A positive thought, however, cancels a negative one. So look at those bags and start paying attention to what you say and how you say it.”

Source: www.inspirational-short-stories.com

The Elephant and the Fly, By Remez Sasson

A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest. He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
      The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".
      This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"
      The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
      The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
      Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".
      "Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind".
 

IF YOUR DOG WERE YOUR TEACHER

If your dog were your teacher, you would learn stuff like…

When a loved one comes home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and wind on your face to be pure ecstasy.
When it is in your best interests – practise patience.
Let others know when they are invading your territory.
Take naps and stretch before rising.
Run, romp and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
On warm days, stop and lie on your back in the grass.
On hot day, drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree.
When you’re happy, dance around and wag your whole body.
No matter how often you are scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout…
Run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you are not.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close and nuzzle them gently.

 
TO CATCH A WILD PIG!

There was a chemistry professor in a large college that had some exchange students in the class.
      One day while the class was in the lab, the professor noticed one young
man, an exchange student, who kept rubbing his back and stretching as if his
back hurt. The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot
while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow
his country's government and install a new communist regime.

In the midst of his story, he looked at the professor and asked a strange
question. He asked: "Do you know how to catch wild pigs?"

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line.

The young man said that it was no joke. "You catch wild pigs by finding a
suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come every day to eat the free corn.

"When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of
the place where they are used to coming.
When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you
put up another side of the fence.

"They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have
all four sides of the fence up with a gate in the last side.

"The pigs, which are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate
to eat that free corn again.
You then slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd. Suddenly the wild
pigs have lost their freedom.
They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they
go back to eating the free corn.
They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods
for themselves, so they accept their captivity."

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening
all around the world. The government keeps pushing us toward Communism/Socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tax exemptions, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops, welfare, medicine, drugs, etc., while we continually lose our freedoms, just a little at a time.

One should always remember two truths:
There is no such thing as a free lunch and you can never hire someone to
provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself. All of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy.

But God help us when the gate slams shut.

THE SEED

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He
called all the young executives in his company together.
      He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have
decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but
the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a SEED today
-one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come
back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I
have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one
I choose will be the next CEO"
     One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received
a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped
him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he
would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three
weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and
the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but
nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still
nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't
have a plant and he felt like a failure.
      Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had
killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had
nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just
kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.
     A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that
he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest
about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be
the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was
right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was
amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were
beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor
and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
      When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young
executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants,
trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will
be appointed the next CEO!" All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the
back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director
to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows
I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
     When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his
seed - Jim told him the story The CEO asked everyone to sit down except
Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives,
"Behold your next Chief Executive!
      His name is Jim!" Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his
seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said,
"One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to
take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I
gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them
to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and
flowers.
      When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another
seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and
honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one
who will be the new Chief Executive!"

THE KING'S BELOVED DOG

A king had been off to war and was returning to his castle. As he approached the last turn in the road on his way home, his dog sensing his homecoming and ran to meet him. This was his beloved dog that he had left at home to guard his baby and the castle. They had been companions for years.
He trusted the dog more than anything else in the world.      
      The king noticed the dog was highly agitated and had blood all around his mouth. He knew instantly that something was wrong. The dog barked and ran toward the castle.
    When the king arrived at home the halls were smeared with blood. He was terrified for his baby was in this wing of the castle. The dog ran toward the baby’s room. When the king entered the room he saw the baby’s crib overturned and he heard no sounds. Enraged, he took out his sword and killed his beloved dog.
      Whimpering cries came from under the crib. The king turned the crib over and saw his baby with a dead wolf next to it. He took the baby in his arms and then realised what had happened. The wolf had gotten into the castle and his beloved dog had saved the life of his son. He held his son to his heart and wept with grief.

THE WOODEN BOWL

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.
      The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult.. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
      The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son.
'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'
      So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.
There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.
      Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.
      Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
      One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. 'The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
      The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks.. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
      For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

SOUL MATE SEARCH

The Master asked of his disciple, ‘What troubles you my son?’
     ‘Ah! Well might you ask, oh! Master, I feel it is time that I moved on and searched for my beloved soul mate, the one who is to be my perfect partner, the most beautiful woman in the whole Universe.’
      ‘So be it my son, but remember, when all your searching is over, do return here with her.’
      ‘Yes oh! Master that will surely be.’
      Many years later the disciple returned to the Ashram, alone and disconsolate. The Master welcomed him warmly and inquired of his search, ‘Did you find that whom you sought?’
      ‘Beloved Master, yes indeed. I found her of whom I had dreamed. She was indeed the perfection of those dreams, the perfect woman.’
      ‘Well my Son, where is she?’
     'Oh! Great sadness, my Master. She too was looking for her perfect man. It was not me.'
 

GRATITUDE

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?" "It was great Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.
“Oh yeah,” said the son.
“So, tell me what did you learn from the trip?” asked the father.
The son answered:
“I saw that we have one dog and they had four …
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We gave imported lanterns in our garden and they have the starts at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.
We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father was speechless.
Then his son added, “Thanks Dave for showing me how poor we are.”
Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.
Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
‘Life is too short and friends are too few.”

THE ROBBING HOOD SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENTS.

The way things were:
All summer long, Mr and Mrs Ant worked diligently in the scorching heat to construct their home and stock their panty with supplies for the long and cold winter.
      From sun up to sunset, Mr Grasshopper, considering the Ants to be foolish, whiled away the summer in song and dance.  
      Throughout the long and cold winter, the Ant family, snug and warm in their cosy home, sustained themselves from their well-stocked larder. Mr Grasshopper died of cold and hunger.
      Here the moral of the story is that we are each responsible for self.

But then:
All summer long, Mr and Mrs Ant worked diligently in the scorching heat to construct their home and stock their panty with supplies for the long and cold winter.
      From sun up to sunset, Mr Grasshopper, considering the Ants to be foolish, whiled the summer away in song and dance.  
      When the first chills of winter arrived the shivering, Mr Grasshopper, in a government orchestrated incident, called a press conference and demanded to know why the Ant family were allowed to enjoy the harvests of their labours while the rest of the community were cold and hungry.
      The media screened footage of the shivering grasshopper followed by a scene of the Ant family in their warm and comfortable home, their table laden with food. The world was stunned by the seeming unfairness of this sharp contrast. ‘How can a country of such wealth allow this poor grasshopper to suffer?’
      The media took full advantage of the situation, when a group of placard holding demonstrators who had been hired by the authorities, marched on the home of the Ant family. The commentators explained that Mr and Mrs Ant had taken advantage of Mr Grasshopper and others. There were calls for an immediate tax hike to ensure that the Ants pay their fair share.
      The Government drafted an Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of that summer. Mr and Mrs Ant are fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of Grasshoppers. With nothing left to pay their retroactive taxes, the ‘Receiver of Robbing You’ confiscated their home.
      Mr Grasshopper instigated a lawsuit against the Ants, and the case was tried under the watchful and beady eyes of the trade unions. The Ants, or course, lost the case.
      Mr Grasshopper moved into the now Government owned house, which previously belonged to the Ant family. He soon ate all the food in the Ants larder. Due to lack of maintained the property soon crumbled down around his ears.  
      A while later, Mr Grasshopper was found dead in a drug related incident. A gang of hairy-legged spiders invaded the abandoned house and then terrorised the once peaceful neighbourhood.
      Mr and Mrs Ant had long since disappeared in the snow.
 

THE STRANGER

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
      As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
      If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry.
      The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.
      Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
      Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol... But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.
      He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.
      I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.
      More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. 
      His name?.... .. .  We just call him 'TV.'