Velocity of Money!!

 

Thanks to Mayilraj Kalimuthu

Velocity of Money...!!!

It is August. In a small town on the South Coast of France ,the holiday season is in full swing, but it is raining so hard that there is not too much business happening. Everyone is heavily in debt. Luckily, a rich Russian tourist arrives in the foyer of the small local hotel. He asks for a room and puts a 100 Euro note on the reception counter, takes the key and goes to inspect the room located up the stairs on the third floor. The hotel owner takes the banknote in hurry and rushes to his meat supplier to whom he owes E100. The butcher takes the money and races to his supplier to pay his debt. The wholesaler rushes to the farmer to pay E100 for the pigs he had bought some time ago. The farmer triumphantly gives the E100 note to a local hair dresser who had provided him his services on credit. The hair dresser quickly goes to the hotel, as he owed the hotel for using a room a month back. At that moment, the rich Russian comes down to the reception and informs the hotel owner that the proposed room is unsatisfactory and takes his E100 back and departs. There was no profit or income. There was NO real economic activity. But everyone is no longer in debt and the small town people look optimistically towards their future. That's the power of the velocity of money!

Pearls Necklace

Thanks to Subramaniam Chidambaram

Pearls Necklace

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.  One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. How she wanted that necklace!

When she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace.

And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?" Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls. How Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere to kindergarten, to bed and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower. Her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green!

Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosy, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"

"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."

A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, "Daddy," the little girl said to her father.

"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."

Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling. “Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box. Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls. He had had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing.

So it is with GOD. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so he can give us a beautiful treasure. Isn't God good?Young Minds1k

This made me think about the things I hold on to and wonder what God wants to give me in its place.

Want Beautiful Pearls?  Give up cheap things in life...

It's an empty vessel

Thanks to Senthil Kumaran

It’s an empty vessel

 

A young farmer was covered with sweat as he paddled his boat up the river. He was going upstream to deliver his produce to the village and he was in a hurry. It was a hot day and he wanted to make his delivery and get home before dark. As he looked ahead, he spotted another vessel, heading rapidly downstream towards his boat. It was coming at a good pace too. This farmer rowed furiously to get out of the way, but it did not seem to help.

 

He yelled at the other vessel, “Change direction, you idiot! You are going to hit me. The river is wide. Change your course". His screaming was of no use. The other vessel hit his boat with a big loud thud. He was enraged as he stood up and cried out to the other vessel. “Stupid! How could you manage to hit my boat in the middle of this wide river? What is wrong with you? "

 

And as he looked at the other vessel he realized that there was no one in the other boat. He was screaming at an empty vessel that had broken free of its moorings and was going downstream with the current.

 

The lesson is very simple.

 

There is never anyone in the other boat.

 

When we are angry we are screaming at an empty vessel.

 

All of us know people who drive us crazy, whom we hate to the core with passion. We may have spent countless hours reliving the moments when this person was unfair, unappreciative or inconsiderate to us. Even remembering this person pumps up our blood pressure.

 

The best way of dealing with people like this is to not let them make us angry. Getting angry doesn’t help in improving the situation and life is too short to waste on feeling bad or staying with grudges.

 

Next time when there is a surge of anger in you, just remember this.

 

There is never anyone in the other boat. It’s an empty vessel always

Embracing Imperfection

Thanks to Srinivasan Rajagopal

Embracing Imperfection

A story by a girl.

"When I was a little girl, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage, and extremely burnt toast in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his toast, smile at my mom, and ask me how my day at school was. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom apologize to my dad for burning the toast. And I'll never forget what he said: 'Baby, I love burnt toast.'

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his toast burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, 'Debbie, your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides-a little burnt toast never hurt anyone!'

You know, life is full of imperfect things.....and imperfect people. I'm not the best housekeeper or cook.

What I've learnt over the years is that learning to accept each other's faults - and choosing to celebrate each other's differences - is the one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.

And that's my prayer for you today. That you will learn to take the good ,the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of GOD. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where burnt toast isn't a deal-breaker! We could extend this to any relationship in fact - as understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husband-wife or parent-child or friendship!! "

 

You are a Masterpiece

 

Thanks to Pragati Garg

You are a Masterpiece

 

A plum once said, just because a banana lover came by, I converted myself into a banana. Unfortunately, his taste changed after a few months and so I became an orange. When he said I was bitter I became an apple, but he went in search of grapes. Yielding to the opinions  of so many people, I have changed so many times that I no more know  who I am. How I wish I had remained a plum and waited for a plum lover.

Just because a group of people do not accept you as you are, there  is  no necessity for you to strip yourself of your originality. You  need to think good of yourself, for the world takes you at your own  estimate.  Never stoop down in order to gain recognition. Never let  go of your true self to win a relationship. In the long run, you  will regret that you traded your greatest glory - your uniqueness,  for momentary validation.

There is a world for each one of you, where you shall reign as king / queen by just being yourself. Find that world... in fact, that  world will find you.

What water can do, gasoline cannot and what copper can, gold  cannot.  The fragility of the ant enables it to move and the rigidity  of the tree enables it to stay rooted. Everything and everybody has  been designed with a proportion of uniqueness to serve a purpose  that we can fulfill only by being our unique self. You as you alone  can serve your purpose and I as I alone can serve my purpose. You  are here to be you... just you.

There was a time in this world when a Krishna was required and  he was sent; a time when a Christ was required and he was sent; a  time when a Mahatma was required and he was sent; a time when a  J.R.D.Tata was required and he was sent. There came a time when you  were required on this planet and hence you were sent. Let us be the  best we can be. Don't miss yourself and let the world not miss you.

In the history of the universe, there has been nobody like you and to the infinite of time to come, there will be no one like you.Existence should have loved you so much that it broke the mould after making you, so that another of your kind will never get repeated. You are original. You are rare. You are unique. You are a wonder. You are a masterpiece... your Master's piece. Celebrate your Uniqueness.

 

Presence of Mind

 

Thanks to Shalabh Gupta

Presence of Mind

 

Once, a dog lost his way deep into the jungle.

 

He almost fainted to see a lion coming straight to him at a very near distant. "I will be dead today" , thought he. There were some bones lying over there. He turned his back towards lion and started pretending as if he is eating those bones. When lion was very close to him he cried out loudly "Wow, what a fun eating a lion, by chance if I can get another one, it will be a treat ".

 

Lion thought "What a dangerous dog!!!!! He kills lions and eats it. Let me run away from here and save my life ".

 

Now, there was a Monkey hiding on the tree there watching the entire show. He thought "It's a good chance to tell the truth to the lion. Lion will become my friend and I will not have to run saving my life from him ". He just ran away to inform the entire episode to Lion.

 

The dog had seen him going and quickly understood the ploy. Both lion and monkey were coming back to the dog and the lion was furious.

 

When lion was very close to him he again cried out loudly " It has been half an hour and yet that stupid monkey can't fetch another lion??!!!!"

 

Moral: "It is by presence of mind in untried emergencies that the native metal of man is tested."

A Software Engineer's Mind

 

Thanks to Manikandan Subramanian

A Software Engineer’s Mind

 

It was raining heavily outside. Dark clouds gathered in the sky and nature was in its ominous best. I took a break from my work and went to the pantry to grab a cup of coffee. I had a sip and went near the window to see the rain pouring down heavily outside the glass structure. I was inside our huge office building, unruffled by even the fierceness of the nature.

 

Through the heavy transparent glass, I could see a small girl trying to hold on to her umbrella which the wind was snatching away from her. I felt sorry for the girl, and was happy that I was not in a similar pathetic situation. Yes. I take pride for the fact that I am a software engineer.

 

I have everything which a common man would envy; money, status, respect, you name it I have it. I always wanted to be software professional and here I am, working for one of the best firms in the world. But then, am I really happy? Now, I could see an imprint of my palm on the other glass window, through which I reminisced my past, basked in the warmth of the sun shine.

 

My childhood was so much of fun. I vividly remember those rainy days, when I hugged my mother tightly during sleeping listening to all the stories told by her. Now, I have a big house here, but then it is just a house, not a home. My parents are pretty far away from me now. I have a cell phone to talk to them every day, but then I really miss those dinners which I had with my family every day. I could easily afford to taste all the different cuisines these days, but the best of food there, lack the love and affection which is present in the food prepared by my mother.

 

I threw a lavish party for my colleagues for my birthday, but then they would never replace the birthdays when my friends secretly brought a cake and at the end, half of the cake would have ended up on my face. The couple of hundred bucks that u save for a long period just to give a treat to your friends in the road side chat shop can never give the pleasure even after spending a few thousand bucks these days.

The scene of me crying and refusing to have dinner on the day when I fought with my best friend came to my mind. Today, she has gone far away from me, taking away my love and with it my life, but I am sitting and coding here with a false smile on my face. Every day I meet new people, but then I long ceased to make a new friend.

 

It's true that I have a lot of things now. I have a nice bed, but no time to sleep. Lots of money, but no friends to spend it with. The latest designer clothes, but a worn out body . Awards for technical excellence, but no reward for the crave for peaceful ambience. A confident demeanor, but a reluctant and apathetic mind. Full of rain, but no sunshine even in the farthest distance.

Now, I could see the small girl on the road enjoying in the rain with her umbrella firmly in her grip. She might not have all the comforts which I have, but then she has the innocence and fun which I lost a long time back.

 

I have decided to come out of this false fantasy, even if it is at the expense of losing the tap of the software engineer. I am going to again enjoy my life. I am going to go out in the rain and play with the small kid now. I removed my tie, and went near my computer to shut it down. Just then, I saw a new mail alert in my mail box. I slowly opened outlook and I found a message from my manager with an attachment saying that there was a critical defect in the code and I have to fix it soon. I convinced myself that I am not going to get bogged down again by these pressures and stick to my decision. I ignored the mail and went to the rest room. After a couple of minutes, the software engineer in me came out, his shirt tucked in with the perfect tie knot, sat before the computer, and started typing,

 

Hi XYZ,

 

I am looking into the defect and will send the patch files before EOD.

 

 

Regards,

Software Engineer.

 

Resource Utilization

Thanks to Sandhya T. Chengappa

Resource utilization

 

 Buddha, one day, was in deep thought about the worldly activities and the ways of instilling goodness in human beings. One of his disciples approached him and said humbly " Oh my teacher ! While you are so much concerned about the world and others, why don't you look in to the welfare and needs of your own disciples also."

 

Buddha : "OK.. Tell me how I can help you"

 

Disciple : "Master! My attire is worn out and is beyond the decency to wear the same. Can I get a new one, please?"

 

Buddha found the robe indeed was in a bad condition and needed replacement. He asked the store keeper to give the disciple  a new robe to wear on. The disciple thanked Buddha and retired to his room. A while later, he went to his disciple's place and asked him "Is your new attire comfortable? Do  you need anything more ?"

 

Disciple : "Thank you my Master. The attire is indeed very comfortable. I need nothing more"

 

Buddha : "Having got the new one, what did you do with your old attire?"

 

Disciple : "I am using it as my bed spread"

 

Buddha : "Then.. hope you have disposed off your old bed spread"

 

Disciple : " No.. no.. master. I am using my old bedspread as my window curtain"

 

Buddha : " What about your old Curtain?"

 

Disciple : "Being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen"

 

Buddha : "Oh.. I see.. Can you tell me what did they do with the old cloth they used in Kitchen"

 

Disciple : "They are being used to wash the floor."

 

Buddha :  " Then, the old rug being used to wash the floor...?"

 

Disciple: " Master, since they were torn off so much, we could not find any better use, but to use as a

twig in the oil lamp, which is right now lit in your study room...."

 

Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.

 

If not to this degree of utilization, can we at least attempt to find the best use of all our resources at home and in office?

 

We need to handle wisely, all the resources earth has bestowed us with ….both natural and material so that they can be saved for the generations to come.

A letter from a father to his little son

 

Thanks to Aakriti Rana

 

A letter from a father to his little son

 

Dear Loving Son, It's been 20 months since you set foot in the world. When I held you for the first time in my arms at the hospital, your tiny hands were twitching and your eyes were shut tight. 

Your clenched fist reminded me of a science lesson that said to get an idea about the size of your heart, you should clench your fist. I could imagine the little heart throbbing inside you. The eternal miracle of birth. When it was my turn to witness it, I cried. 

Before I married your mother, I used to debate one question endlessly with my friend. Which is, "Is it really worth bringing another life into this world?" Especially when terror has become an ugly leitmotif in the canvas of our lives? 

When I switched on the TV that Wednesday night, the question of whether I was right in bringing you into this world haunted me again. 

This is my attempt at an answer. Call it catharsis. 

I feel there are two ways to raise you. One is to wean you on cynicism. Where you'll erect a sky-high wall in your mind and live your life pouring scorn on everything you see. Which is one way of insulating yourself from fear... A kind of indifferent machismo.

The other way is to prepare you to live in this world. I can't imagine the world for you, son. But i can certainly show you the way to live in an uncertain world. Make a pact with yourself. Understand the following early on. 

Life is precious. And equally fragile. So every day is a gift. Get up early once in a while just to watch the sun rise. Stare at it intently and burn it in your memory. Be aware of every passing second. Look around you. There's a thin stalk of plant finding its place under the sun in a crevice on the wall of our apartment. 

Appreciate mother's cooking. Praise it to heavens... Make it a habit to eat together as a family. No, make it a rule. Fall in love with books. Words will transport you to worlds far away. It will also keep you informed and prepared. 

Follow your heart. The mind can waver but the heart seldom does. Respect your conscience. It's like a post-it note from God. 

When you grow up, seek a job you love. As you enter the world of careers and cocktails, you'll get sucked into a vortex called rat race. Don't be overwhelmed. We're all human. But have the courage to step out of it. Nothing will be lost. Some illusions will shatter. Good riddance. 

Money. It's important. But it has its place. Don't make the mistake of putting it right on top. 

Find your love. Hold it dearly. Be a good husband. A patient father. Give your children space to make their mistakes. But hold them when they fall. 

Speak up when you have to. Like this occasion. Whether we like it or not, we're living in a democracy. Sure it has its pitfalls. But don't forget the positives too. The real fight in a democracy is between remembering and forgetting. Go and vote. It's your chance to give shape to the kind of society you want to live in. 

Be alert. But try not to live in a state of fear. 

It you were to get caught in a situation similar to what happened and should we lose you, then you will have left us with enough lovely memories for the remaining years. That will only happen if you start living every day like it is the last day of your life. Though it can never compensate your loss, at least we'll find strength in your love for life. 

Don't have regrets. They defeat the very purpose of life. 

Immersed as I am in work most of the time, this letter is also a wake-up call for me. 

Love, Dad

Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden

Thanks to Geetha Partha

Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden

 

Once upon a time an old man spread rumors that his neighbor was a thief. As a result, the young man was arrested. Days later the young man was proven innocent. After been released he sued the old man for wrongly accusing him.

 

In court the old man told the Judge: 'They were just comments, didn't harm anyone..'

 

The judge, before passing sentence on the case, told the old man: 'Write all the things you said about him on a piece of paper. Cut them up and on the way home; throw the pieces of paper out. Tomorrow, come back to hear the sentence.'

 

The next day, the judge told the old man: 'Before receiving the sentence, you will have to go out and gather all the pieces of paper that you threw out yesterday.'

                             

The old man said: 'I can't do that! The wind spread them and I won't know where to find them.'

 

The judge then replied: 'The same way, simple comments may destroy the honor of a man to such an extent that one is not able to fix it. If you can't speak well of someone, rather don't say anything.

 

'Let's all be masters of our mouths, so that we won't be slaves of our words.'

Perseverance

Thanks to Aakriti Rana

Perseverance

 

 

Soichiro Honda was a simple person.  He attempted to design a new type of piston to improve the performance of cars.  He was sure his attempt would yield path breaking results.  He offered his designs to Toyota. The engineers turned his offer down, without even meeting him.  But he did not lose heart.   His repeated attempts at meeting Toyota engineers finally succeeded; but only to see that his product was ridiculed by them.  Not losing heart, he went into great details to convince them.  At last he obtained an order to supply pistons to Toyota.

 

Honda invested all his resources – money, materials, knowledge, hard work – as capital and constructed a plant for producing pistons. Suddenly, there was an earthquake in Japan that destroyed his factory. Yet, Honda reposed faith in his own ability.  Once again, he started construction afresh.  When it was ready and the production was to start the following week, World War II broke out.  Bombs bombarded Japan and most of Country was devastated and so was Honda’s factory.

 

Although Honda lost his factory, property, wealth and friends, he did not lose his self-confidence.  He continued his efforts and began to construct his factory for the third time.

 

Today, the Honda Car Company produces and sells more cars than many others.  Honda was not only an example for the word ‘PERSEVERANCE’ but also added honour to it.

 

Keep persevering…victory is certain.

 

I carry this with me at all times

Thanks to Usha Shreedhar

 

This is actually a true story that happened to Sister Mrosola (the teacher) and Mark Eklund . Though some of the details are just to add flavor, most of it is true.

 

I carry this with me at all times

 

One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.  Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down. It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers. that Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual. On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. 'Really?' she heard whispered. 'I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!' and, 'I didn't know others liked me so much,' were most of the comments.

No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.

 

Several years later, one of the students was killed in Vietnam and his teacher attended the funeral of that special student. She had never seen a serviceman in a military coffin before. He looked so handsome, so mature.

The funeral auditorium was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin. As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. 'Were you Mark's math teacher?' he asked. She nodded: 'yes.' Then he said: 'Mark talked about you a lot.'

After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.  'We want to show you something,' his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket 'They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it.'  Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.

'Thank you so much for doing that,' Mark's mother said. 'As you can see, Mark treasured it.' All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, 'I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home.' Chuck's wife said, 'Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album.' 'I have mine too,' Marilyn said. 'It's in my diary' .Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group. 'I carry this with me at all times,' Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: 'I think we all saved our lists'

That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again. The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be. So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.

Remember, you reap what you sow. What you put into the lives of others comes back into your own.

 

Heaven and Friends

Thanks to Vidya Nair

Heaven and Friends

 

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.  

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?' 'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.. 'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked. 'Of course, sir.  Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open. 'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveler asked. I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been  going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that  looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. 'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?' 'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'  'How about my friend here?' the traveler gestured to the dog.  'There should be a bowl by the pump.' They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a  bowl beside it. The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

 

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree.  'What do you call this place?' the traveler asked. 'This is Heaven,' he answered. 'Well, that's confusing,' the traveler said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.' 'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.  That's hell.' 'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?' 'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'