THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK

One night in July at an all-girls summer camp, the campers were gathered around in a circle for their nighttime devotions. The counselor asked if any of the girls wanted to share something that had happened that day that impacted them. One camper raised her hand and said a girl from another camp cabin had said something that hurt her feelings and she was really upset about it.

 

The camp counselor went to the bathroom to grab a tube of toothpaste. She took the tube and squeezed it just a bit so some toothpaste came out. She then tried to put the toothpaste back in the tube, but it just created a mess.Then she squeezed the tube even more, pushing more toothpaste out and creating even more of a mess, but none of it would go back into the tube.

 

The counselor then told the campers, “this toothpaste represents the words you speak. Once you say something that you want to take back, it’s impossible and it only creates a mess. Think before you speak, and make sure your words are going to good use before you let them out.”

 

MORAL

Speaking is a fundamental social skill required for living a successful life. However, many are careless with their words, but they hold so much power. They can have a direct impact on the outcome of a situation, creating a helpful or hurtful reaction in our world. The problem is, once words come out of your mouth, no amount of “I’m sorrys” will make them go back in: blurting something out and then attempting to take it back is like shutting the gate after the horse has taken off. 

 

Thinking before you speak allows you the time to consider the potential impact of your words. Be careful when choosing where and when you let your words out. You can easily hurt other people, and once you do, you can’t take it back.

Words define who we are by revealing our attitudes and character, giving people an indication of our intellect or ignorance. Stop for a minute before you speak and question yourself about why you’re saying what you are.

CHERISH YOUR STRUGGLES

One day, a girl came upon a cocoon, and she could tell that a butterfly was trying to hatch. She waited and watched the butterfly struggle for hours to release itself from the tiny hole. All of a sudden, the butterfly stopped moving–it seemed to be stuck.

 

The girl then decided to help get the butterfly out. She went home to get a pair of scissors to cut open the cocoon. The butterfly was then easily able to escape,however, its body was swollen and its wings were underdeveloped. 

 

The girl still thought she had done the butterfly a favor as she sat there waiting for its wings to grow in order to support its body. However, that wasn’t happening. The butterfly was unable to fly, and for the rest of its life, it could only move by crawling around with little wings and a large body.

 

Despite the girl’s good intentions, she didn’t understand that the restriction of the butterfly’s cocoon and the struggle the butterfly had to go through in order to escape served an important purpose. As butterflies emerge from tight cocoons, it forces fluid from their body into their wings to prepare them to be able to fly.

 

The Moral:

The struggles that you face in life help you grow and get stronger. There is often a reason behind the requirement of doing hard work and being persistent. When enduring difficult times, you will develop the necessary strength that you’ll need in the future.

 

Without having any struggles, you won’t grow–which means it’s very important to take on personal challenges for yourself rather than relying on other people to always help you.

SEEING WEALTH FROM A DIFFERENT SPECTACLE

There was once a boy who was growing up in a very wealthy family. One day, his father decided to take him on a trip to show him how others lived who were less fortunate. His father’s goal was to help his son appreciate everything that he has been given in life.

 

The boy and his father pulled up to a farm where a very poor family lived. They spent several days on the farm, helping the family work for their food and take care of their land.

 

When they left the farm, his dad asked his son if he enjoyed their trip and if he had learned anything during the time they spent with this other family.

The boy quickly replied, “It was fantastic, that family is so lucky!”

 

Confused, his father asked what he meant by that.

 

The boy said, “Well, we only have one dog, but that family has four–and they have chickens! We have four people in our home, but they have 12! They have so many people to play with! We have a pool in our yard, but they have a river running through their property that is endless. We have lanterns outside so we can see at night, but they have the wide open sky and the beautiful stars to give them wonder and light. We have a patio, but they havethe entire horizon to enjoy–they have endless fields to run around in and play. We have to go to the grocery store, but they are able to grow their own food. Our high fence protects our property and our family, but they don‘t need such a limiting structure, because their friends protect them.”

 

True wealth and happiness aren’t measured by material belongings.

 

The father was speechless.

 

Finally, the boy added, “Thank you for showing me how rich people live, they’re so lucky.”

 

Morals

True wealth and happiness aren’t measured by material belongings. Being around the people you love, enjoying the beautiful, natural environment, and having freedom are much more valuable.

 

A rich life can mean different things to different people. What are your values and priorities?

Idle Dreams and Neglected Fields: A Lesson in Proactivity

In a certain place, there resided a lazy farmer who had a strong aversion to hard work in the fields. Instead, he preferred to spend his days indulging in idleness beneath a tree. One fateful day, while he was lounging in his usual spot, a fox suddenly pursued a rabbit. With a resounding thud, the rabbit collided with the tree, meeting its unfortunate demise.

Seizing the opportunity, the farmer collected the lifeless rabbit and brought it home. This turn of events left the fox thoroughly frustrated. The farmer proceeded to cook and consume the rabbit for his evening meal, while also selling its fur at the market. In that moment, he entertained the thought, "If only I could acquire a rabbit like this every day, I would never have to toil again."

Motivated by this notion, the farmer returned to the tree the following day, eagerly anticipating another rabbit meeting a similar fate. Although he observed several rabbits, none of them carelessly collided with the tree as before. Unbeknownst to him, such occurrences were quite rare. Nevertheless, the farmer remained optimistic, thinking, "Well, there's always tomorrow."

As he fixated solely on waiting for a rabbit to meet an untimely demise, the farmer neglected his own field. Neglected and untended, weeds began to flourish in his rice field. Soon enough, hunger struck the farmer as he exhausted his rice supply without successfully capturing another rabbit.

MORAL:
This tale imparts a valuable lesson: one should not passively await good fortune without taking any action. Relying solely on luck without putting in the necessary effort for success is an unwise approach.

BE SMARTER THAN YOUR ENEMY.

 A Rabbit entered a shop and asked: "Do you have carrots?". They said, "no we don't have." The following day the rabbit came to the shop and asked again, "Do you have carrots?" They replied angrily, " We said we don't have carrots, if you come back again asking for carrots, we gonna SINK A NAIL in ur HEAD with a HAMMER!" 

 

The third day the rabbit came yet again and asked, "Do you have a hammer? They replied, "NO." He said, "What about nails?" They said, "NO." Then he calmly asked, "Do you have carrots?"

Moral:

Don't let your enemy scare you, he has nothing. His threats are just empty meant to derail you from the path leading to success. Just pursue your dreams.

Have a fabulous smiling moment.

Not all enemies are enemies.

 

When the baboons and monkeys heard that the man who used to chase them away from the maize field had died... they hysterically celebrated.

 

The following year there was no maize..that's when they painfully realised the dead man was the farmer.

 

Not all enemies are enemies.

Some came to teach us lessons.

SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE.

Did you know that an eagle can foresee when a storm is approaching long before it breaks?

 

Instead of hiding, the eagle will fly to some high point and wait for the winds to come.

 

When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind can pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle soars above it.

 

The eagle does not escape or hide from the storm instead it uses the storm to lift it higher. It rises on the stormy winds which others dread.

 

MORALS

When the storm of life or challenges hit us, we can rise above them and soar like the eagle which ride the winds of the storm. Don’t be afraid of the storms or the challenges in your life. Use it to lift you higher in your life.