A Butterfly that couldn't fly

"One day, a small

opening appeared

in a cocoon; a

man sat and

watched for the

butterfly for

several hours as

it struggled to

force its body

through that little

hole.

Then, it seems to

stop making any

progress.

It appeared as if

it had gotten as

far as it could

and it could not

go any further.

So the man

decided to help

the butterfly: he

took a pair of

scissors and

opened the

cocoon.

The butterfly

then emerged

easily.

But it had a

withered body, it

was tiny and

shriveled wings.

The man

continued to

watch because

he expected

that, at any

moment, the

wings would

open, enlarge

and expand, to

be able to

support the

butterfly’s

body, and

become firm.

Neither

happened!

In fact, the

butterfly spent

the rest of its

life crawling

around with a

withered body

and shriveled

wings. It never

was able to fly.

What the man, in his

kindness and his goodwill

did not understand was

that the restricting

cocoon and the struggle

required for the butterfly

to get through the tiny

opening, were nature’s

way of forcing fluid from

the body of the butterfly

into its wings, so that it

would be ready for flight

once it achieved its

freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes,

struggles are

exactly what we

need in our life.

If we were allowed

to go through our

life without any

obstacles, it would

cripple us. We

would not be as

strong as we could

have been. Never

been able to fly.

Pick your Priorities

Rocks In A Jar

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He then shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”
“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”
“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party and fix the disposal.
Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. 

The little things

There was a man taking a morning walk on the beach. He saw that along with the morning tide came hundreds of starfish and when the tide receded, they were left behind and with the morning sun rays, they would die. The tide was fresh and the starfish were alive. The man took a few steps, picked one and threw it into the water. He did that repeatedly. Right behind him there was another person who couldn't understand what this man was doing. He caught up with him and asked, "What are you doing? There are hundreds of starfish. How many can you help? What difference does it make?" This man did not reply, took two more steps, picked up another one, threw it into the water, and said, "It makes a difference to this one."

What difference are we making? Big or small, it does not matter. If everyone made a small difference, we'd end up with a big difference, wouldn't we?

Asto Ma Sadagamaya

asto ma sadgamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya

Lead me from the asat to the sat.
Lead me from darkness to light.
Lead me from death to immortality.  
                                       (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad — I.iii.28)

Meaning: Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. May there be peace everywhere.