RAISED (Read an Inspirational Story Every Day) by HUZAIRUL HAZUAR BIN SAIDIN Moe

1. Alan and the Hunters

g75074987 — 2021-08-21 12:07:15 UTC

Two hunters killed a wild deer, but they had no fire on which to cook it. So they went to look for some fire and saw a house nearby. They found a man called Alan and his baby sleeping inside the house. They asked Alan to help them light a fire. Alan helped them and in return, asked them to give him a little meat for his baby after they had cooked it. Saying so, Alan left for work.

The men agreed to do so. But they were very hungry and ate up all the meat themselves. Then the wicked men hid the baby.

When Alan returned home, he found his baby missing. He searched the whole house but didn’t find his baby anywhere. Then he ran to the spot where the two men were. Finding them hiding in a tree, he picked up an axe and chopped the tree. The hunters fell to the ground and died instantly.

Later, Alan discovered a lot of treasure buried where the baby was hidden and became rich.

2. Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves

g75074987 — 2022-09-30 03:11:36 UTC

Ali Baba, a poor woodcutter was in the forest when he saw forty thieves stop in front of a cave.

The leader said “Open Sesame!” and before Ali Baba’s amazed eyes the sealed mouth of the cave magically opened and the men disappeared inside. To come out and close the entrance, the leader said “Close Sesame” and the cave sealed itself once more. Trembling with excitement Ali Baba waited till the thieves had left and then entered the cave after saying the magic words. To his delight he found lots of treasure.

Ali Baba told his brother Kasim about the wondrous cave. Kasim set off to get some treasure for himself too. Sadly, he forgot the words to leave the cave and the thieves killed him. Ali Baba discovered his brother’s body in the cave. With the help of a slave girl called Morgiana, he was able to take Kasim’s body back home and bury it.

Realising that someone else knew about their cave the thieves tracked Ali Baba down. The leader, disguised as an oil seller stayed with Ali Baba. He had brought along mules loaded with forty oil jars containing the other thieves. Clever Morgiana knew who the oil seller really was and poured boiling oil into the jars killing the other thieves. While dancing in front of the leader of the thieves Morgiana stabbed him. Ali Baba was saved and lived happily ever after.

3. The Brave Tailor

g75074987 — 2022-10-01 01:03:54 UTC

Once there lived a tailor. One day, he was sewing some new clothes when a bunch of flies started troubling him. He shooed them away, but they still continued to trouble him. The tailor then took a fly swatter and killed seven flies with one swat. “I have killed seven in a single blow!” shouted the tailor.

At this very moment, two ladies were standing outside his shop and talking about a fearsome giant. This giant was killing the people of the kingdom and eating them up. When they heard what the tailor said, the ladies thought that he was very brave and that he had killed seven giants in one blow! They ran to the king and told him about the brave tailor. “Bring him to me!” ordered the king. The tailor tried to explain that he had only killed seven flies but in vain. “Go, kill the giant!” the king ordered the tailor. The poor man had no choice but obey.

The tailor reached the giant’s house. “What a mighty man! I can’t kill him,” he thought. Then the clever tailor had an idea. At night, while the giant was sleeping, he sewed the giant’s mouth together! Now the giant could not eat anything. When he woke up, he begged the tailor to undo the stitches on his mouth. The tailor agreed to do so on one condition and said, “I will reopen your mouth only if you promise not to eat any more men from our kingdom!”

The giant agreed and the tailor undid the stitches. The giant left the kingdom and the tailor got a handsome reward from the king. Everyone lived happily ever after.

4. Amin and the Eggs

g75074987 — 2022-10-02 12:25:54 UTC

Once, there lived a farmer called Amin in Arabia. He lost all his crops due to a drought and became poor. So he asked a trader to lend him a dozen boiled eggs. The next day he set off on his donkey to seek his fortune.

After seven years, Amin came back to his native village a rich man. He rode a fine black horse and had many camels carrying gold and silver. Soon everyone came to know of his wealth. When the greedy trader heard this, he asked for five hundred silver coins as payment for the eggs that he had given to Amin seven years ago. Amin refused to pay. They took the matter to court.

On the day of the hearing, Amin arrived forty minutes late, panting. The judge asked, “Where have you been?” Before Amin could reply, the greedy trader spoke, “Sir, Amin owes me five hundred silver coins. I gave him a dozen eggs. A dozen chickens must have hatched from them. These would have laid even more eggs. I too would have been rich by now.” The trader thought that the judge would decide in his favour. “The judge asked Amin again, “Why are you so late?” Amin simply said, “Sir, I was planting a dozen boiled beans in the garden, so that I have a good crop of beans next year.

The judge shouted, “You fool! Since when did boiled beans start growing?” At once Amin replied, “And, sir, since when did boiled eggs start hatching?”

Amin won the case while the trader hung his head in shame and walked away.

5. Sinbad and the Roc

g75074987 — 2022-10-08 00:55:59 UTC

Sindbad was a merchant’s son who travelled to many distant lands buying and selling goods. On one of the many voyages, the merchant ship stopped at a beautiful, tree-covered island where Sindbad decided to take a nap.

When he awoke he discovered that the ship had set sail without him! Looking for a way to get off the island he saw a large white dome. Just then a huge shadow fell over him. Looking up Sindbad saw a huge bird, called a Roc, and he realised that the white dome was actually the bird’s egg. A brilliant idea came to him. “Let me tie myself to this bird’s legs!” he thought. “Then, I can leave this island.”

At daybreak when the Roc flew away over the sea, it carried Sindbad too. When it touched down Sindbad untied himself quickly before the Roc flew off again. He found himself in a valley full of diamonds, surrounded by steep mountains. Large serpents hid from the Roc in caves during the day and came out at night.

“Thud! Thud!!” Sindbad saw big chunks of meat landing on the valley floor. Merchants who wanted the diamonds were throwing them down from the ridges. They waited for the eagles to pick up the chunks of meat with the diamonds stuck on them, and take them to their nests from where the merchants would get the diamonds. Sindbad tied a piece of meat to himself. An eagle picked him up and carried him to its nest and in this way Sindbad escaped from the Valley of Diamonds.

6. The Selfish Giant

g75074987 — 2022-10-08 15:16:40 UTC

A giant who lived in a big house had a beautiful garden, but he never let anyone enter his garden. Whenever he was away, children would come there to play.

One day, the giant decided to visit his friend and left for the neighbouring kingdom. The giant came back from his friend’s place after seven years. Seeing the children play in his garden, he angrily chased them away and built a high wall around the garden.

After the children stopped coming to the garden, the trees and flowers were so sad that they lost their beauty and were covered with snow and frost. No birds came to sing there. Spring was everywhere but in the giant’s garden it was still winter.

One morning, the giant saw children playing in the garden. They had entered through a small hole in the wall. And spring arrived in the garden at last to express its happiness on seeing the children again.

The giant realised that he had been selfish and was very sorry for what he had done. He let the children play in the garden every day. The giant’s favourite among the children was a little boy who had kissed him when he helped him to get on top of the tree. But the little boy stopped coming to the garden and the giant was very sad.

Many years passed and the giant grew old and weak. One winter morning, the giant saw the same boy under a tree. He ran down to the boy in joy.

The boy was an angel who had come to take the giant to the garden of Paradise as a reward for letting him play in his garden.

7. Change Yourself and Not the World

g75074987 — 2022-10-20 13:16:29 UTC

Long ago, people lived happily under the rule of a king. The people of the kingdom were very happy as they led a very prosperous life with an abundance of wealth and no misfortunes.

Once, the king decided to go visiting places of historical importance and pilgrim centres at distant places. He decided to travel by foot to interact with his people. People of distant places were very happy to have a conversation with their king. They were proud that their king had a kind heart.

After several weeks of travel, the king returned to the palace. He was quite happy that he haad visited many pilgrim centres and witnessed his people leading a prosperous life. However, he had one regret.

He had intolerable pain in his feet as it was his first trip by foot covering a long distance. He complained to his ministers that the roads weren't comfortable and that they were very stony. He could not tolerate the pain. He said that he was very much worried about the people who had to walk along those roads as it would be painful for them too!

Considering all this, he ordered his servants to cover the roads in the whole country with leather so that the people of his kingdom can walk comfortably.

The king's ministers were stunned to hear his order as it would mean that thousands of cows would have to be slaughtered in order to get sufficient quantity of leather. And it would cost a huge amount of money also.

Finally, a wise man from the ministry came to the king and said that he had another idea. The king asked what the alternative was. The minister said, "Instead of covering the roads with leather, why don't you just have a piece of leather cut in appropriate shape to cover your feet?"

The king was very much surprised by his suggestion and applauded the wisdom of the minister. He ordered a pair of leather shoes for himself and requested all his countrymen also to wear shoes.

MORAL: Instead of trying to change the world, we should try to change ourselves.

9. A Glass of Milk

g75074987 — 2022-10-21 15:32:23 UTC

Once, there was a poor teenage boy who made a living by selling various objects from door to door. This was the way he earned money to pay for his school.

One day, as he was walking from house to house as usual, he felt very hungry and weak. He felt that he couldn't walk even a few steps. He decided to ask for food at a house. He knocked on the door and was stunned to see a beautiful young girl open the door. With much hesitation, he asked the girl for a glass of water.

The young girl understood his condition and offered him a huge glass of milk. With an astonished look, the boy drank the milk very slowly.

"How much do I owe you for this milk?" he asked her.

The girl replied, "I do not want any money for this."

The boy thanked the girl from the bottom of his heart and left the place.

Years passed by. The young girl grew up. In her youth, unfortunately, she fell ill and was diagnosed with the rarest kind of nervous disorder. Many experienced doctors were baffled at her condition, and she was admitted in the city hospital with the most advanced facilities.

Dr. Kevin, a renowned neuro specialist was called in by the hospital to examine her. Even with his extraordinary expertise, Dr. Kevin found the girl's illness very hard to cure. However, with perseverance and hard work that lasted months, he was finally able to get the disease under control. With careful medication and monitoring, the girl was completely cured in the end.

Everyone praised the doctor, but the girl was quite worried about how much the hospital bill would come to. Her family had just a little money kept away in the bank, which was by no means enough to pay for such a long treatment in that reputed hospital.

The girl was given the hospital bill finally. With trembling hands, she opened it. She was stunned to see that the bill had been crossed out and cancelled, and there was a note underneath signed by Dr. Kevin.

"Bill paid years ago with a glass of milk!"

MORAL: One good turn deserves another.

8. The Potato, Egg and Tea Leaves

g75074987 — 2022-10-21 16:10:53 UTC

Mary was a young girl. She used to get annoyed with everything. She had a negative attitude towards life.

Once, when she felt that life was unbearable, she asked her father what to do. She told him that if she was able to manage and solve one problem, another one followed quickly.

Her father consoled her and took her to the kitchen. He asked Mary to take a potato, an egg and two spoons of tea leaves. Mary was surprised, and asked her father, "Do you want me to cook?"
"No," her father said.

He then took three vessels and poured one cup of water in each vessel. The vessels were placed on the stove. Once the water started to boil, he dropped the potato in a vessel, egg in the second one and the tea leaves in the third one.

"Why are you doing all these things?" Mary asked, really annoyed with her father.

"Just wait fifteen minutes," said her father.

The impatient daughter managed to wait for around 15 minutes.

Father removed the potato from the pot and placed in a plate. He did the same with the eggs. He filtered the tea decoction using a cup.

Now, he placed the two plates, one with the potato and the other with the egg, and the cup of tea in front of Mary.

He asked Mary, "What do you see?"
"Potato, egg and a cup of tea," said Mary.

"No, you are wrong," said her father. "Look at it closely and answer me." Mary replied the same.

"Now touch it and answer me."

The potato was cooked and was soft, the egg was boiled hard, and the tea carried a nice aroma.
Mary couldn't find the correct answer.

Her father said, "The potato was so hard and strong before it was boiled; now it has turned soft and smooth. Also, the egg was delicate but after boiling it became hard. Sip the tea. It is delicious!"

Mary asked, "What does it mean father? I don't understand!"

"Each object responded differently to water. Each object was put under the same kind of circumstances, faced similar adversities, but reacted differently. The potato, when put in boiling water, became very weak. The soft egg became very hard when we put it in boiling water. And the tea leaves are unique. It changed the water itself, giving it a unique flavour and aroma! It gave something new."

Mary understood that we can create something new and unique even when we experience difficulties.

So, what are you? A potato, an egg, or a tea leaf?

10. A Rich Man and His Son

g75074987 — 2022-10-22 04:42:49 UTC

A rich man's son was graduating college.

For months, the son was asking his father for a new car, knowing that his father had more than enough money.

When graduation day came, the young man's father called him into the study room. The father handed him a wrapped gift and congratulated the new about to be graduated on his achievement.

Looking disappointed, the son opened the gift to find a lovely, leather bound journal, with the young man's name embossed on the cover. He angrily raised his voice, threw down the journal and stormed out.

The young man had not seen his father since graduation day. He became successful and was wealthy like his father, with a beautiful home and family. He came to realize his father was aging and it may be time to put the past behind them.

Just then, he received a message that his father had passed away, and he had to return home to take care of the estate.

As the mourning son regretfully returned home, he began searching through his father's important papers and saw that still new journal, just as he had left it.

He opened it, and as he flipped through the pages a car key dropped from the back of the journal.

A dealer tag was attached to the key that read "Paid in full. Wherever this car takes you, write about it to remember it forever. Love, Dad"

MORAL: No matter what you expect, be grateful for what you are given. It may be more of a blessing than you think.

11. The Palace and the Hut

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 01:27:39 UTC

King Farouk was known for his justice and kindness. Even other kings sought his help in settling issues. In his kingdom, no one was unhappy. His people loved him very much and were proud of him.

Once, King Farouk decided to build a palace on the riverbank. He ordered his ministers to survey the site and start the work. The labourers were put to work and in a few days the palace was ready. Before bringing the King to show the palace, the minister decided to take a final look.

“Splendid!" the minister exclaimed, looking at the palace. Then suddenly his eyes fell on something and he shouted, “What is that? I did not see that before." All the labourers and the soldiers turned around. There was a hut just a few steps away from the palace gate. “What is this hut doing here?" shouted the minister and added, “And whom does it belong to?"

“Sir, it belongs to an old woman. She has been living here for a long time," replied a soldier.

The minister walked up to the hut and spoke to the old lady. “I want to buy your hut. Ask for anything," he said.

“I am sorry, sir. I cannot accept your offer. My hut is dearer to me than my life. I have lived in it with my late husband and I want to die in it," the old lady said.

The minister tried to tell her that her hut would spoil the charm of the newly constructed palace. But the old lady was strong in her stance and she was ready to face any consequences and any punishment. She refused to sell her hut to the king. The matter was then taken to the king.

The wise and generous king thought for a while, and then said, “Let the old lady have her hut where it is. It will only add to the beauty of the new palace." Then turning to the minister, the King said, “Let us not forget that what seems ugly to us may be precious to someone else."

The people then realized why their king was so highly respected by all the people and by all other neighbouring kingdoms.

MORAL: What seems ugly / useless to us may be precious / useful to someone else.

12.The Three Surgeons

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 02:07:23 UTC

Once there were three surgeons who thought they knew their job perfectly.

One day, they were travelling and came to an inn where they decided to spend the night. The innkeeper asked them who they were and challenged them to prove their skills. The surgeons decided to take out an organ each, and put it in again the next morning. The innkeeper was puzzled. Actually, the surgeons had special glue, which when rubbed, joined parts together. One surgeon cut off his hand, the other cut his eye, while another took his heart out. The innkeeper instructed his maid to kept the three organs in the cupboard.

At night, the maid unknowingly left the cupboard open while she was serving her husband dinner. A cat came and took the organs away. The maid was terrified and her husband hurriedly replaced the organs with a thief’s hand, a pig’s heart, and a cat’s eye.

The next day, the surgeons fixed the organs in their bodies. They found that the man with the pig’s heart only stuck to dirty places. The one with the thief’s hand stole a man’s purse and the one with the cat’s eye constantly twitched his eyes. When they realised the mistake they went back to the inn and confronted the innkeeper. The maid saw them and fled. The surgeons angrily demanded money from the innkeeper who was so frightened that he gave them all he had.

The surgeons were very rich now but they knew that money could not replace what they had lost.

MORAL: Money could not replace everything lost.

13. 17 Camels and 3 Sons

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 03:02:19 UTC

Long ago, there lived an old man with his three sons in a deserted village, located in the vicinity of a desert. He had 17 camels, and they were the main source of his income. He used to rent out camels as a means of shipping in the desert. One day, he passed away. He had left a will, leaving his assets for his three sons.

After the funeral and the other obligations were over, the three sons read the will. While their father had divided all the property he had into three equal parts, he had divided the 17 camels in a different way. They were not shared equally among the three as 17 is an odd number and a prime number, which cannot be divided.

The old man had stated that the eldest son will own half of the 17 camels, the middle one will get one third of the 17 camels, and the youngest one will get his share of camels as one ninth!

All of them were stunned to read the will and questioned each other how to divide the 17 camels as mentioned in the will. It is not possible to divide 17 camels and give half of the 17 camels to the eldest one. It is not possible also to divide the camels for the other two sons.

They spent several days thinking of ways to divide the camels as mentioned in the will, but none could find the answer.

They finally took the issue to the wise man in their village. The wise man heard the problem and instantly found a solution. He asked them to bring all the 17 camels to him.

The sons brought the camels to the wise man's place. The wise man added a camel owned by him and made the total number of camels 18.

Now, he asked the first son to read the will. As per the will, the eldest son got half the camels, which now counted to 18 / 2 = 9 camels! The eldest one got 9 camels as his share.

The remaining camels were 9.

The wise man asked the second son to read the will. He was assigned 1 / 3 of the total camels.

It came to 18 / 3 = 6 camels. The second son got 6 camels as his share.

Total number of camels shared by the elder sons - 9 + 6 = 15 camels.

The third son read out his share of camels: 1 / 9th of the total number of camels - 18 / 9 = 2 camels.

The youngest one got 2 camels as his share.

Totally there were 9 + 6 + 2 camels shared by the brothers, which counted to 17 camels.

Now, the one camel added by the wise man was taken back.

The wise man solved this problem smartly with his intelligence.

Intelligence is nothing but finding a common ground to solve an issue.

MORAL: Every problem has a solution.

14. The Foolish Thief

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 03:34:10 UTC

Once upon a time, a rich merchant was robbed in King Akbar’s kingdom. The grief-stricken merchant went to the court in search of justice.

Akbar asked Birbal to help the merchant find the robber. The merchant told Birbal that he was suspicious that the thief might be one of his servants.

On getting the hint from the merchant, Birbal summoned all the servants and told them to stand in a straight line. He then asked everyone about the robbery.

As expected, everyone denied doing it. Birbal then handed over one stick of the same length, to each one of them. While dispersing, Birbal said, “By tomorrow, the robber’s stick will increase by two inches”.

The next day when Birbal called everyone and checked their sticks, one of the servant’s sticks was short by two inches. Without wasting any time, Birbal declared that this servant was the thief.

On being asked by the merchant about the mystery of finding the real thief, Birbal said, “It was simple: the thief had cut his stick by two inches, fearing that it would increase in size!"

MORAL: Truth always prevails.

15. The Value of Money

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 15:34:32 UTC

At the beginning of a new school year, a class teacher stands up in front of her students holding a $100 note.

He tells them, “Put your hands up if you want this money”.

Every hand in the room goes up, to which the teacher says, “I am going to give this money to someone here, but first, let me do this…”

He takes the note and crumples it up in her hands, before asking, “Who still wants it?”

The hands stay up.

The teacher then drops the note on the floor, stomps and grinds it into the ground, and picks it back up. “How about now?” he asks again.

The hands stay up.

“Class, I hope you see the lesson here. It didn’t matter what I did to this money, you still wanted it because its value stayed the same. Even with its creases and dirtiness, it’s still worth $100.”

He continues, “It’s the same with us. There will be similar times in your life when you’re dropped, bruised, and muddied. Yet no matter what happens, you never lose your value.”

MORAL: Don’t let life challenges change your feelings of self-worth. You’ll always be enough; you have something unique and special to give and offer the world.

16. The Two Pebbles

g75074987 — 2022-10-23 15:50:24 UTC

In a small Italian town, hundreds of years ago, a small business owner owed a large sum of money to a loan-shark. The loan-shark was a very old, unattractive looking guy that just so happened to fancy the business owner’s daughter.

He decided to offer the businessman a deal that would completely wipe out the debt he owed him. However, the catch was that we would only wipe out the debt if he could marry the businessman’s daughter.

Needless to say, this proposal was met with a look of disgust.

The loan-shark said that he would place two pebbles into a bag, one white and one black.

The daughter would then have to reach into the bag and pick out a pebble. If it was black, the debt would be wiped, but the loan-shark would then marry her. If it was white, the debt would also be wiped, but the daughter wouldn’t have to marry the loan-shark.

Standing on a pebble-strewn path in the businessman’s garden, the loan-shark bent over and picked up two pebbles.

Whilst he was picking them up, the daughter noticed that he’d picked up two black pebbles and placed them both into the bag.

He then asked the daughter to reach into the bag and pick one.

The daughter naturally had three choices as to what she could have done:

Refuse to pick a pebble from the bag.
Take both pebbles out of the bag and expose the loan-shark for cheating.
Pick a pebble from the bag fully well knowing it was black and sacrifice herself for her father’s freedom.

She drew out a pebble from the bag, and before looking at it ‘accidentally’ dropped it into the midst of the other pebbles.

She said to the loan-shark, "The pebble left in the bag is obviously black".

And as the loan-shark didn’t want to be exposed, he had to play along as if the pebble the daughter dropped was white, and clear her father’s debt.

MORAL: It’s always possible to overcome a tough situation through out of the box thinking, and not give in to the only options you think you have to pick from.

17. The Blind Girl

g75074987 — 2022-10-25 12:47:16 UTC

There was a blind girl who hated herself purely for the fact she was blind. The only person she didn’t hate was her loving boyfriend, as he was always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry him.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her – now she could see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”

The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend was blind too, and refused to marry him.

Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying: “Just take care of my eyes, dear.”

MORAL: When our circumstances change, so does our mind. Some people may not be able to see the way things were before, and might not be able to appreciate them.

18. The Boy and the Waitress

g75074987 — 2022-10-27 02:39:36 UTC

In the days when an ice-cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice-cream sundae?"

"50 cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

"How much is a dish of plain
ice-cream?" he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

"35 cents," she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. "I’ll have the plain ice-cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice-cream, put the bill on the table and walked away harshly. The boy finished the ice-cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip!

MORAL: Don't quickly jump to conclusions.

19. Elephant Rope

g75074987 — 2022-10-31 15:23:05 UTC

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.”

The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

MORAL: Failure is part of learning; we should never give up the struggle in life.

20. The Pursuit of Happiness

g75074987 — 2022-11-14 10:58:29 UTC

There was once a group of 100 people attending a seminar on personal development.

In the middle of their talk, the speaker stops and decides to run an impromptu group activity. He hands out a balloon to each attendee and tells them to write their name on it.

The balloons are then collected and placed in an adjacent room.

The speaker then instructs the 100 attendees to enter that room and, within 5 short minutes, find the balloon with their name on it.

Pandemonium breaks loose as they charge in, pushing and colliding with each other as they desperately search for their name.

The 5 minutes pass and nobody succeeds.

The speaker then tells each person to pick up any random balloon and give it the person whose name is written on it. Within a few minutes everyone has their balloon back.

He then said, “What just happened with those balloons is exactly what happens in our search for happiness. We frantically look for it all around us, not knowing where it is.”

“Yet our happiness lies in the happiness of others. By giving them their happiness, you get yours!”

MORAL: Happiness and fulfilment rarely come from selfish pursuits, but almost always come from doing good deeds for others. By helping others we help ourselves.

21. The Two Lumberjacks

g75074987 — 2022-11-16 07:17:52 UTC

Two lumberjacks of equal skill, experience, and stature work side by side, chopping down trees together every single day.

However, one lumberjack works non-stop, without taking a break, whereas the other takes an hour-long lunch break every afternoon.

Despite working for less time, both lumberjacks inevitably chop the same number of trees by the end of each working day.

Puzzled and frustrated, the lumberjack who works all day long asks the other how he manages to chop just as much as him while still taking a break.

To this, he responds:

“It’s simple... I spend that hour at home sharpening my axe!”

MORAL: Breaks are vital to productivity. Work smart not hard...

22. Colonel Sanders & KFC

g75074987 — 2022-11-17 14:19:21 UTC

Once, there was an old man, who was broke, living in a tiny house and owned a beat up car. He was living off of $99 social security checks. At 65 years of age, he decided things had to change. So he thought about what he had to offer. His friends raved about his chicken recipe. He decided that this was his best shot at making a change.

He left Kentucky and traveled to different states to try to sell his recipe. He told restaurant owners that he had a mouthwatering chicken recipe. He offered the recipe to them for free, just asking for a small percentage on the items sold. Sounds like a good deal, right?

Unfortunately, not to most of the restaurants. He heard "NO" over 1000 times! Even after all of those rejections, he didn’t give up. He believed his chicken recipe was something special. He got rejected 1009 times before he heard his first "YES".

With that one success, Colonel Hartland Sanders changed the way Americans eat chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC, was born.

MORAL: Remember, never give up and always believe in yourself in spite of rejections.

23. A Very Special Bank Account

g75074987 — 2022-11-17 14:32:44 UTC

Imagine you had a bank account that deposited $86,400 each morning. The account carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every dollar each day!

We all have such a bank. Its name is 'Time'. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever time you have failed to use wisely. It carries over no balance from day to day. It allows no overdraft so you can’t borrow against yourself or use more time than you have. Each day, the account starts fresh. Each night, it destroys an unused time. If you fail to use the day’s deposits, it’s your loss and you can’t appeal to get it back.

There is never any borrowing time. You can’t take a loan out on your time or against someone else’s. The time you have is the time you have and that is that. Time management is yours to decide how you spend the time, just as with money you decide how you spend the money. It is never the case of us not having enough time to do things, but the case of whether we want to do them and where they fall in our priorities.

MORAL: Time is precious. You can't buy it with all the money you have. Be sure to use it wisely.

24. The Lost Wallet

g75074987 — 2022-12-03 12:43:10 UTC

I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. Wanting to find the owner, I opened it, but it only contained 3 dollars and an old crumpled envelope. I opened the letter and saw a return address and dated 1924. It had been written 60 years ago! It was signed - 'Hannah'.

I called information service, maybe there was a phone listing for the address. The operator hesitantly told me there was a number, but the best she could do was call it and see if they wanted to be connected. I learned that Hannah was now living in a nursing home. And was given the number.

It seemed silly, wanting to contact someone over a letter written 60 years ago, but I felt impelled. I was told that Hannah was there and though it was fairly late I followed my instinct and went to see her.

She was a sweet silver-haired lady with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter.

She took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael."

She said softly "I loved him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too young. "If you should find him, tell him I still love him."

With tears in her eyes she told me she had never married because no one had matched up to him in her heart.

I thanked her and left. As I was waiting by the elevator the nurse there asked, "Was Hannah able to help you?"

I'd taken out the wallet as she was speaking and she said "Hey, wait a minute that's Michael Goldstein's wallet. I'd recognize it anywhere, he's always losing it."

My hands began to shake. "Who's Michael Goldstein?" I asked.

"One of the residents on the 8th floor. That's his wallet for sure."

I dashed up to the 8th floor and the nurse on duty told me he was still in the day room.

We went into the day room and as soon as Michael saw the wallet a smile of relief crossed his face. I confessed I'd read the letter in an attempt to find the owner of the wallet. The smile on his face disappeared.

"But I think you'll be happy I did," I said. I think I know where Hannah is.

He grew pale. "Where is she? How is she? Please tell me he begged. "She's fine I said quietly." "I was so in love with that girl and when that letter came, my life came to a halt. I never married. I guess I've always loved her."

I asked him to come with me and took him down to the 3rd floor where Hannah was sitting alone, watching television. The floor nurse pointed to Michael. "Do you know this man Hannah?" She adjusted her glasses but didn't speak. Michael whispered, "Hannah it's me, Michael. Do you remember me?"

She gasped. "Michael... Michael, I don't believe it. It's you! My Michael."

They walked towards one another and embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.

About three weeks later I got a call from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"

It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home joining in the celebration. I was the best man!

The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a 76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple.

A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted over 60 years!

25. The Apple Tree and the Farmer

g75074987 — 2022-12-09 03:42:55 UTC

Once upon a time, there lived a farmer in a village, beside a forest. He had a big garden that had an old apple tree and other plants, trees and beautiful flowers. When the farmer was a little boy, he spent much of his time playing with the apple tree. Those days, the apple tree had given the choicest of apples to him. However, as time passed, the apple tree became old and stopped bearing fruits.

Now that the farmer was not getting any apples from the tree, he decided that the tree was useless. Therefore, he decided to cut the tree and use its wood to make some new furniture. He felt that since the tree was old and huge, he did not have to cure it, and it would make great furniture. He forgot that as a boy, he had spent his entire childhood climbing the tree and eating its apples.

Now the apple tree was home to several little animals in the neighborhood. This included squirrels, sparrows and a huge variety of birds and insects. When the farmer took his axe and began chopping the tree, all the little animals came rushing down.

They all began to plead with the farmer. They gathered round the farmer and said, "Please don't cut the tree. We used to play with you when you were small, under this very tree. This is our home and we have no other place to go".

The farmer was adamant. He raised his axe and the commotion grew.

"Please don't chop and destroy my home and kids," cried the squirrel.

"Please don't chop and destroy my nest," cried the little birds.

"Please don't cut the apple tree," cried the grasshopper.

The farmer, however, forgot his childhood and his animal friends. He began to chop the tree harder. All the little animals became desperate, and wanted to protect the apple tree at any cost.

The little animals said, "We will sing for you when you are toiling away in the fields. We will look after your little boy. He will not cry, but instead will be entertained and happy. You will like our songs and will not feel tired."

However, their cries for help fell on deaf ears. Despite all their requests, the farmer continued to chop down the tree.

All of a sudden, he noticed something shiny. On inspecting it, he realized that it was a beehive, full of honey. He took a little and put it in his mouth. The taste of the honey woke up the little boy in him. Suddenly, the memories of his childhood came rushing back. The honey tasted so good that he wanted more. It brought a sense of happiness to him. He smiled and exclaimed, "This tastes amazing!"

Realizing the change in the farmer's attitude, the little animals spoke in unison: The bee said, "I will always provide you with sweet honey." The squirrel said, "I will share any amount of nuts that you want." The birds cried, "We will sing as many songs as you want."

Finally, the farmer realized his folly, and put down his axe. He understood that the tree was home to many lovely animals that provided him with so many things. He wanted his little boy to have the childhood that he had.

The farmer realized that the apple tree was not that fruitless. The little boy in him saved the apple tree.

He threw away the axe and said to the little creatures, "I promise that I would never cut this tree. I have realized my mistake and you all can now live in peace and harmony."

The little creatures thanked the bee profusely. If the farmer had not found the beehive, they would have been homeless by now. They continued living happily in the old apple tree.

MORAL: Each and every living thing in nature is of some use. We should not destroy any living thing.

26. Greedy Sam

g75074987 — 2022-12-12 04:26:50 UTC

Sam was a greedy and selfish man. He always desired to have lots and lots of money and never hesitated to cheat others to make money. Also, he never wished to share anything with others. He paid very low wages to his servants.

However, one day, he learned a lesson that changed his life forever.

It so happened that one day, a small bag that belonged to Sam was missing. The bag had 50 gold coins in it. Sam searched high and low for the bag, but could not find it. Sam's friends and neighbours also joined in the search, but all their efforts were in vain.

After a couple of days, the ten year old daughter of a man working for Sam found the bag. She told her father about it. Her father identified the bag as the one that was missing, and immediately decided to take it to his master.

He gave the bag back to his master Sam, and asked him to check whether the bag had 50 gold coins. Sam was exultant to get the coins back, but he decided to play a trick. He shouted at his worker, "There were 75 gold coins in this bag but you gave me only 50! Where are the other coins? You have stolen them!"

The worker was shocked to hear this and pleaded his innocence. Selfish and greedy, Sam did not accept the worker's story, and decided to take the issue to court.

The judge heard both the sides. He questioned the daughter and the worker about the number of coins they had found in the bag, and they assured it was only 50.

He cross-examined Sam and Sam replied, "Yes my lord, I had 75 gold coins in my bag, and they gave me only 50. Hence, it is quite obvious that they have stolen 25 coins!"

The judge then asked, "Are you sure that your bag had 75 coins?"

Sam nodded vigorously.

The judge then made his judgement.

"Since Sam lost a bag of 75 gold coins and the bag found by the girl had only 50 coins, it is obvious that the bag that was found does not belong to Sam. It was lost by someone else. If anyone finds a bag of 75 gold coins, I will declare that it belongs to Sam. As there are no complaints about the loss of 50 coins, I order the girl and his father to take those 50 coins as a token of appreciation for their honesty!"

MORAL: Honesty will always be rewarded and greed punished!

27. The Cocoon and the Butterfly

g75074987 — 2022-12-13 06:44:07 UTC

Many of us know that a beautiful and colourful butterfly comes from an unappealing worm! Here is the story of a butterfly that was never able to live its life as a normal butterfly.

One day, a man saw a cocoon. He loved butterflies and had a craze for its wonderful combination of colours. In fact, he used to spend a lot of time around butterflies. He knew how a butterfly would struggle to transform from an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful one.

He saw the cocoon with a tiny opening. It meant that the butterfly was trying to make its way out to enjoy the world. He decided to watch how the buttelrfly would come out of the cocoon. He was watching the butterfly struggling to break the shell for several hours. He spent almost more than 10 hours with the cocoon and the butterfly. The butterfly had been struggling very hard for hours to come out through the tiny opening. Unfortunately, even after continuous attempts for several hours, there was no progress. It seemed that the butterfly had tried its best and could not give any more try.

The man, who had a passion and love for butterflies, decided to help the butterfly. He got a pair of scissors and tweaked the cocoon to make larger opening for the butterfly and removed the remaining cocoon. The butterfly emerged without any struggle!

Unfortunately, the butterfly looked no longer beautiful and had a swollen body with small and withered wings.

The man was happy that he had made the butterfly come out of the cocoon without any more struggles. He continued to watch the butterfly and was quite eager to see it fly with its beautiful wings. He thought that at any time, the butterfly might expand its wings, shrink the body and the wings could support the body. Unfortunately, neither did the wings expand nor the swollen body reduce.

Unfortunately, the butterfly just crawled around with withered wings and a huge body. It was never able to fly. Although the man did it with a good intention, he did not know that only by going through struggles the butterfly can emerge to be beautiful, with strong wings.

The continuous effort from the butterfly to come out of its cocoon would let the fluid stored in the body be converted into wings. Thus, the body would become lighter and smaller, and the wings would be beautiful and large.

MORAL: If we don't want to undergo any struggle, we won't be able to 'fly'... Struggles make us shine!

28. Rocks, Pebbles & Sand

g75074987 — 2022-12-13 10:12:41 UTC

Once a professor entered the classroom with a glass jar, rocks, pebbles, and sand. The students were amused to see what he was up to.

First, he started filling the rock parts into the jar until he couldn’t add any more.

He asked the students if the jar was full and everybody nodded yes. He then started putting the pebbles inside the jar which went inside through the small gaps and he shakes the jar to allow the pebbles to get into those vacant spaces in between the rocks.

He asked the same question to the students and they again said that the jar was full. Finally, he poured the sand inside the jar which went through the minute gaps and got filled in the jar.

The professor explained that this is how you should set priorities in life. Rock is like your 'family', while pebbles are like your 'career' while sand is like the least priorities in life and unnecessary quarrels and egos.

If you put sand on the jar first, it will get easily filled up leaving no space for rocks and pebbles.

MORAL: You should identify your priorities in life and develop a good strategy to work towards fulfilling it rather than wasting your time and effort on unnecessary aspects of life.

29. The Happy Cleaner

g75074987 — 2022-12-14 07:34:14 UTC

This story is about a beautiful, rich, expensively dressed lady who complained to her psychiatrist that she felt empty and worthless. She felt her life had no meaning after her husband passed away.

She became all alone and lonely in her big house. All her German cars, expensive furniture, French cutlery, French perfumes and Persian carpets are just useless objects to her. One day, after contemplating, she decided to do something about it. So, the lady went to visit a counsellor to seek permanent and long-lasting happiness.

The counsellor called over an old lady who cleaned the office floors. The counsellor then said to the rich lady, "I'm going to ask Mary here to tell you how she found happiness. All I want you to do is just listen to her."

So the old cleaning lady put down her broom and sat on a chair and told her story: "Well, my husband died of malaria and three months later my only son was killed in a car accident. I had nobody... I had nothing left. I couldn't sleep, I couldn’t eat, I never smiled at anyone, I even thought of taking my own life.

Then one evening, a little kitten followed me home from work. Somehow I felt sorry for that kitten. It was cold outside, so I decided to let the kitten in. I got it some milk, and the kitten licked the plate clean. Then it purred and rubbed against my leg and for the first time, in months, I smiled!

Then I stopped to think, if helping a little kitten could make me smile, maybe doing something for people could make me happier. So the next day, I baked some biscuits and took them to a neighbour who was sick in bed. Every day I tried to do something nice for someone. It made me so happy to see them happy. Today, I don’t know of anybody who sleeps and eats better than I do! I’ve found happiness, by giving it to others."

When the rich lady heard that, she cried. She had everything that money could buy, but she had lost the things which money cannot buy.

MORAL: The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are. It depends on how happy others can be because of you.

30. The Karate Kid

g75074987 — 2022-12-15 11:36:17 UTC

A 15-year-old boy decided to learn karate despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese karate master, Mr. Miyagi. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training the master had taught him only one move.

"Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"

"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the sensei replied.

Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training. Several months later, the sensei took the boy to his first karate tournament.

Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches.
The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his only move to win the match.

Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals. This time, his opponent was bigger and stronger. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a timeout. He was about to stop the match when the sensei intervened. "No!" the sensei insisted, "Let him continue..."

Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him down. The boy had won the match and the tournament.

"Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?"

"You won for two reasons," the sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of karate. And second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

The boy's biggest weakness had become his biggest strength!

MORAL: Sometimes we feel that we have certain weaknesses and we blame the circumstances and ourselves for it, but we never know that our weakness can become our strength one day.

31. The Missing Goat

g75074987 — 2022-12-16 10:36:45 UTC

It all started one lazy Sunday afternoon in a small town in Pattaya, Thailand. Two school-going friends had a crazy idea.

They rounded up three goats from the neighbourhood and painted the number 1, 2 and 4 on their sides.

That night, they let the goats loose inside their school building. The next morning, when the authorities entered the school, they could 'smell' something was wrong.

They soon saw goat droppings on the stairs and near the entrance and realized that some goats had entered the building.

A search was immediately launched and very soon, the three goats were found. But the authorities were worried. Where was goat No. 3? They spent the rest of the day looking for goat No. 3. Gradually, there was panic and frustration...

The school declared classes off for the students for the rest of the day. The teachers, cleaners, gardeners, guards, canteen staffs, pupils were all busy looking for the goat No. 3, which, of course, was never found. Simply because it did not exist!

MORAL: Those among us who in spite of having a good life are always feeling a 'lack of fulfillment' and are actually looking for the elusive, missing, non-existent goat No. 3. Stop worrying about goat No. 3 and have worry-free days!

32. Your Simple Gesture Could Be Life-Saving

g75074987 — 2022-12-17 11:51:05 UTC

Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with two sweaters, a baseball bat, a glove and a small tape recorder. Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the scattered items.

Since they were going the same way, he helped to carry part of the burden. As they walked, Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill, that he loved video games, baseball and history, and that he was having lots of trouble with his other subjects and that he had just broken up with his friend.

They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with a few laughs and some shared small talk, then Mark went home.

They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior high school. They ended up in the same high school where they had brief contacts over the years.

Finally the long-awaited senior year came and three weeks before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.

Bill reminded him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I cleaned out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess for anyone else. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills and I was going home to commit suicide. But after we spent some time together talking and laughing, I realized that if I had killed myself, I would have missed that time and so many others that might follow.

So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more... You saved my life!"

MORAL: Such a small gesture could be extremely meaningful to others. It may even save lives. So, always help others. We may not know what they are going through in life.

33. The Supervisor and the Construction Worker

g75074987 — 2022-12-18 09:03:38 UTC

One day, a construction supervisor from 6th floor of a building was calling a worker who was busy working on the ground floor. Because of construction noise, the worker on ground floor did not hear his supervisor calling.

Then, to draw the attention of the worker, the supervisor threw an RM10 note from up which fell right in front of the worker.

The worker picked up the 10 ringgit note, put it in his pocket and continued with his work.

Again to draw the attention of the worker, the supervisor now threw a 50 ringgit note and the worker did the same... He just picked the 50 ringgit note, put it in his pocket and continued doing his job.

Now to finally draw attention of the worker, the supervisor picked a small stone and threw it on the worker. The stone hit exactly on the worker's head. This time the worker looked up and the supervisor was able to communicate with him.

This story is just the same with our life. God wants us to communicate with Him, but we are too busy doing our worldly jobs. Then God gives us small 'gifts' and we just keep them without seeing from where they come from, and without even thanking God. We just assume that we are 'lucky'.

Finally, when we are hit with a small stone, which we call 'problems', right away we look up and we communicate with God.

MORAL: So every time we get 'gifts', we should thank God immediately, and not wait till we are hit by a small 'stone'.

34. The Feast for Clothes

g75074987 — 2022-12-19 09:17:44 UTC

Once upon a time, in the city of Istanbul, Türkiye, there lived the famous poet Sheikh Sa'adi. Like most other poets and philosophers, Sheikh Sa'adi was not a rich man. He led a very simple life.

A rich merchant of Constantinople invited Sheikh Sa'adi along with a lot of other big businessmen of the city on the occasion of his daughter's marriage which was to be a grand affair. Sheikh Saadi accepted the invitation and decided to attend.

On the day of the wedding, the host and his family were receiving the guests at the gate. They were ushering all the guests towards the dining hall. All the rich people of the city attended the wedding. They had come out in best of their attires. Sheikh Sa'adi wore simple clothes which were neither grand nor expensive. He waited in a corner for someone to approach him but no one gave him as much as even a second glance. Even the host did not acknowledge him and looked away.

Seeing all this, Sheikh Sa'adi quietly left the party and went to a shop from where he could hire clothes. There he chose a richly brocaded dress which was embroidered in gold on the margins. He selected a fancy turban and a waist-band to go with it. As he put on the hired dress and looked into the mirror, he found himself a changed person.

With this, Sheikh Sa'adi entered the dining hall and this time was welcomed with open arms. The host embraced him as he would do to an old friend and complimented him on the clothes he was wearing. On seeing Sheikh Sa'adi, the host said, "And here comes our favorite poet! What took you so long, friend? We have been waiting for you for ages! How good of you to have come. The gathering surely would have been incomplete without your gracious presence!"

Sheikh Sa'adi did not utter a word and allowed the host to lead him to the dining room where other guests had assembled. Tasty dishes had been laid out on grand carpets. Sheikh Saadi was offered a seat with soft cushions. The food was served in fine crockery and cutlery made out of silver.

The host led Sheikh Sa'adi by hand and himself served out the chicken soup and the fragrant rice to him. After this, something strange happened. Sheikh Sa'adi dipped the corner of his waist-coat in the soup and sprinkled some rice on it. Addressing the clothes, he said, "This is a feast for you, you should enjoy it."

All the guests were now staring at him in surprise. The host said, "Sir, what are doing? How can your clothes eat? And why should they?"

To this query, Sheikh Saadi very calmly replied, "My dear friend, I am indeed surprised with the question coming from you? Aren't you the same person who did not even throw a look at me when I came dressed in simple clothes? I can guess that it is my clothes and appearance that matter with you, not my individual worth. Now that I have put on grand clothes, I see a world of difference in reception here. All that I can now say is that this feast is meant for my clothes, not for me."

MORAL: Never discriminate people just based on their physical appearance and looks.

35. Self-Confidence

g75074987 — 2022-12-20 23:29:14 UTC

A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him...

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said,

"I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying,

"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized.

But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check.

At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried.

"I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after!

36. The King and the Worm

g75074987 — 2022-12-21 12:02:55 UTC

A king was once passing along his way when he saw some animal droppings. And he saw some worms in those droppings. The thought came to his mind that there is no purpose behind the creation of these worms. They are useless, with no real purpose.

Very soon thereafter the king lost his eyesight. Being rich, he spent a lot of his wealth trying different treatments to restore his eyesight. All to no avail.

Then it was mentioned to him that a certain pious shaman (natural medical practioner) was very good. The king sent for him.

The shaman refused to go to the king and asked that the king come to him. On examining the king, the shaman prescribed a powder that was to be put in the king's eyes three times a day. Gradually the king's eyesight returned until he was fully cured.

He went to the shaman with lavish gifts which the shaman refused. The king said, 'At least tell me what you used in that wonderful medicine.' The shaman replied that he used the worms which one finds in animal droppings. He dried them out, crushed them into powder and made the king apply that to his eyes. The king bowed his head in submission to God, Who created every atom with a definite purpose.

MORAL: Never look down on any creation of Allah Ta'ala, for everything is there for a reason. The events that happen to us also have definite purpose. Every human is a valuable treasure who can benefit the world.

37. The Shark and the Glass Wall

g75074987 — 2022-12-22 10:51:47 UTC

During a research experiment, a marine biologist placed a shark into a large holding tank and then released several small bait fish into the tank.

As you would expect, the shark quickly swam around the tank, attacked and ate the smaller fish.

The marine biologist then inserted a strong piece of clear glass into the tank, creating two separate partitions. She then put the shark on one side of the glass and a new set of bait fish on the other.

Again, the shark quickly attacked. This time, however, the shark slammed into the lass divider and bounced off. Undeterred, the shark kept repeating this behavior every few minutes to no avail. Meanwhile, the bait fish swam around unharmed in the second partition. Eventually, about an hour into the experiment, the shark gave up.

This experiment was repeated several dozen times over the next few weeks. Each time, the shark got less aggressive and made fewer attempts to attack the bait fish, until eventually the shark got tired of hitting the glass divider and simply stopped attacking altogether.

The marine biologist then removed the glass divider, but the shark didn't attack. The shark was trained to believe a barrier still existed between it and the bait fish, so the bait fish swam wherever they wished, free from harm!

MORAL: Many of us, after experiencing setbacks and failures, emotionally give up and stop trying. Like the shark in the story, we believe that because we were unsuccessful in the past, we will always be unsuccessful. In other words, we continue to see a barrier in our heads, even when no real 'barrier' exists between where we are and where we want to go.

38. The Wise Warden

g75074987 — 2022-12-23 13:06:36 UTC

One night, four college students stayed out late, partying and having a good time. They paid no attention to the test that was scheduled for the next day and didn’t study.

In the morning, they devised a plan to get out of taking their test. They covered themselves with grease and dirt and went to the warden’s office. Once there, they said they had been to a wedding the previous night and on the way back they got a flat tyre and had to push the car back to campus.

The warden listened to their tale of woe and thought. He offered them a retest three days later. They thanked him and accepted his offer.

When the test day arrived, they went to the warden. The warden put them all in separate rooms for the test. They were fine with this since they had all studied hard. Then they saw the test paper... It only had 2 questions:

1) Your name? (1 point)

2) Which tyre burst? (99 points)
A. front left
B. front right
C. rear left
D. rear right

MORAL: Never lie. Sooner or later you will surely get caught.

39. Shipwrecked

g75074987 — 2022-12-24 14:11:16 UTC

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a mysterious voice booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered!"

MORAL: For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us...

40. The Farmer and His Three Sons

g75074987 — 2022-12-25 09:43:32 UTC

In a faraway village, lives a hardworking farmer who has grape fields. Year after year his grapery gives rich harvest, and the farmer becomes very successful. He has three sons, who are young and energetic but never bother to work.

As the farmer grows old, he begins to worry about his sons’ future. Then he falls very ill and realizes his death is fast approaching. He calls the sons and tells them, “Dear sons, I see my death nearing me, but before I bid goodbye to all of you, I want to share a secret. There is a treasure hidden under the fields. Dig the entire field after my death, to find it...”

Not long after, the old farmer dies and his sons perform the last rites. The sons begin to dig for the treasure without leaving any part of the field but find nothing. However, their digging of the field leads to a healthy crop and results in huge earnings. These earnings make the sons realise what their father meant.

MORAL: Hard work always pays off. Fruits of hard work are always sweet whether or not they are in the form you desire.

41. A Group of Frogs

g75074987 — 2022-12-26 13:54:36 UTC

As a group of frogs was travelling through the woods, two of them fell into a deep pit. When the other frogs crowded around the pit and saw how deep it was, they told the two frogs that there was no hope left for them.

However, the two frogs decided to ignore what the others were saying and they proceeded to try and jump out of the pit.

Despite their efforts, the group of frogs at the top of the pit were still saying that they should just give up. That they would never make it out.

Eventually, one of the frogs took heed to what the others were saying and he gave up, falling down to his death. The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could. Again, the crowd of frogs yelled at him to stop the pain and just die.

He jumped even harder and finally made it out. When he got out, the other frogs asked, "Did you not hear us?!"

The frog explained to them that he was deaf. He thought they were encouraging him the entire time!

MORAL: People’s words can have a big effect on other’s lives. Think about what you say before it comes out of your mouth. It might just be the difference between life and death.

42. Andy Learns a Lesson

g75074987 — 2022-12-27 12:46:23 UTC

Andy is a happy and healthy teenager. Although he was born in a poor family, he was raised well by his parents. His father owned a welding shop, and used to work for more than 12 hours a day, so that his family could lead a comfortable life.

However, Andy's father could not earn sufficient money to provide a decent life to his family. Andy was an average student in school, and used to score around 60 percent marks. Andy's dream was to become a doctor. Since his marks weren't very high, he could not get the desired course that he wanted to study. Instead, he joined a bachelor's degree course, completed the course successfully, and got a job in a company.

While his life was going on with no dramatic change, his father continued to work in his welding shop, so that he did not have to depend on Andy. After getting a permanent job, Andy's parents wanted him to marry. He got married to a girl from his native town, and at the same time was also promoted in his job. After a few years, his wife gave birth to beautiful twin boys.

Later, Andy began to earn a handsome salary, and started to live luxuriously. He bought a new house and a new car. Some of the luxuries were really unnecessary. Although his company provided him with a car, Andy still purchased a brand new car!

After an extravagant life that spanned almost 6 to 7 years, Andy was neither able to manage all the household expenses, nor pay for the children's education and other basic necessities.

It so happened that Andy's father fell sick, and as a result, could not continue his work in the welding shop. He requested Andy to give some money for his treatment and other household expenses.

Andy, who was already suffering from financial crisis, shouted at his parents and told them that he had no money to provide. He complained to his parents, "You never sent me to a big school. I was not provided with expensive clothes. You rarely fed me with my favourite food. I was not able to taste different varieties of food. When I got low marks you didn't have enough money to provide me with private tuition, and it took me more than 10 years to get settled. Now, while I am again struggling for money, you are not doing anything to help me, but instead are a burden to me! So, please don't come to me again!"

His parents were left shattered.

After a week, while Andy was on an official tour, he met a small boy aged about 10 years, selling toys. The boy requested Andy to buy something. Andy asked the boy why he was selling toys instead of studying. The boy replied, "My father met with an accident a year ago and he lost one hand. He cannot work now. My mother works as a maid in a few houses. I'm helping my parents by selling these toys. I go to school in the morning, and sell toys in the evening. I work for 3 hours a day and study at night..."

Andy purchased a few toys from the little boy. He thought about what the boy had said. He realised that he had been wrong in the way he treated his parents. He had learnt a lesson from the small boy. At a very small age, this boy was helping his parents, but Andy, in order to meet the demands of his lavish lifestyle, had neglected his parents.

MORAL: Respect is the foundation of love, and it is our duty to take care of our parents, when we get older and mature.

43. Her Blind Husband

g75074987 — 2022-12-28 10:21:46 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a rich young man named Bryan. He fell in love with a poor farmer's daughter, Lucy. She was intelligent as well as very beautiful.

One day, Bryan confessed to Lucy that he loves her and wants to marry her. However, after some thought, she refused to marry him because she belonged to a poor family.

Later, Bryan went to talk to her parents and explained. After much persuasion, she finally agreed and they both got married. After marriage, they both loved each other very much. He even went to move in with her and live in the village. Their married life was going extremely well...

However, after a few years, Lucy suddenly got a strange and serious skin disease. Her beauty started to decline day by day. She started to fear that because of her disease and ugliness, her husband might leave her. She then tried everything possible to cure herself, but to no avail.

Time was passing and Lucy's beauty was slowly fading. One day, Bryan went to work in the city, as usual. While on his way to work, he met with a terrible road accident. He crashed into an oncoming car. The accident caused him to lose his eyesight.

Years passed. Lucy became weak and slowly turning ugly due to the incurable skin disease. But due to her husband being blind, their marriage went on smoothly. Because of his lack of sight and unable to see his wife's ugliness, Bryan continued to love her. He loved her even more!

After a few years of being physically and mentally weak, Lucy finally passed away. Bryan became very sad and heartbroken. He was about to leave the village, when his neighbour consoled him and said, "Now you are without your wife. You will be left alone without her. She used to take care of you a lot. How will your life be spent in the darkness?"

Bryan looked at his neighbour and took a deep breath and said, "I was never blind... I loved her so much, even until now! I didn't want her to be demotivated and depressed if I looked at her with the disease. That's why I 'remained blind' to my wife's happiness for so many years without saying anything!"

Hearing this, the neighbour's eyes welled up with tears.

MORAL: If you want to be happy throughout your life, then stop looking for the shortcomings of people. Instead, focus on their merits. Your life will surely be happy!

44. The Miser and His Gold

g75074987 — 2022-12-29 12:14:47 UTC

Once upon a time, in the ancient land of Persia, a miser had buried all his gold in a secret place in his garden. Every day he went to the spot, dug up the treasure and counted it piece by piece to make sure it was all there. He made so many trips that a thief, who had been observing him, guessed what it was the miser had hidden. One night, the thief quietly dug up the treasure and made off with it.

The next day, when the miser discovered his loss, he was overcome with grief and despair. He groaned and cried and tore his hair.

A passer-by heard his cries and asked what had happened. "My gold! O my gold!" cried the miser, wildly, "Someone had stolen my gold!"

"Your gold? There in that hole?! Why did you put it there? Why did you not keep it in the house where you could easily get it when you had to buy things?"

"Buy?!" screamed the miser angrily. "Why, I never used the gold! I couldn't think of spending any of it!"

Suddenly, the stranger picked up a large stone and threw it into the hole.

"If that is the case," he said, "Cover up that stone. It is worth just as much to you as the treasure you lost!"

MORAL: A possession is worth no more than the use we make of it.

45. The Old Carpenter

g75074987 — 2022-12-30 12:05:05 UTC

A carpenter with years of experience was ready to retire. He communicated with his contractor about his plans to leave the house-building business to live a more leisurely retired life with his wife and family. The contractor felt a little upset that his excellent and experienced carpenter was leaving the job, but he requested the carpenter to build just one more house for him.

The carpenter agreed with the contractor, but his heart was not in his work like it used to be. He resorted to shoddy craftmanship and used inferior materials for building the last house of his career. It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finally completed the house, the employer came to inspect the home.

He looked around the house, and just before he exited the house, he handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house!” he said, “My gift to you.” This was a massive surprise to the carpenter. Although it was supposed to be a good surprise, he wasn’t feeling good as he felt a deep shame inside him. If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in a home that wasn’t built that well.

MORAL: Like the carpenter, we build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less rather than the best. Give your best! Your attitudes and the choices you make today will be your life tomorrow; build it wisely...

46. The Dog in the Mirrors

g75074987 — 2022-12-31 08:05:44 UTC

Once a dog ran into a museum filled with mirrors. The museum was unique - the walls, the ceiling, the doors and even the floors were made of mirrors. Seeing his reflections, the dog froze in surprise in the middle of the hall. He could see a whole pack of dogs surrounding him from all sides, from above and below.

The dog bared his teeth and barked all the reflections responded to it in the same way. Frightened, the dog barked frantically. The dog’s reflections imitated the dog and increased it many times. The dog barked even harder, but the echo was magnified. The dog, tossed from one side to another while his reflections also tossed around snapping their teeth.

The following day, the museum security guards found the miserable, lifeless dog, surrounded by thousands of reflections of the lifeless dog. There was nobody to harm the dog. The dog died by fighting with his own reflections...

MORAL: The world doesn’t bring good or evil on its own. Everything that is happening around us reflects our thoughts, feelings, wishes and actions. The world is a big mirror. So let’s strike a good pose!

47. The Neighbours

g75074987 — 2023-01-01 09:18:19 UTC

A wise and successful man bought a beautiful house with a vast orchard. But, not all were happy for him. An envious man lived in an old house next to him. He constantly tried to make his fellow neighbour’s stay in the beautiful house as miserable as possible. He threw garbage under his gate and did other nasty things.

One fine day, the wise man woke up in a good mood and went into the porch to notice buckets of garbage thrown there. The man took a bucket, and cleaned his porch. He carried a bucket and went to knock on his envious neighbour’s door.

The envious neighbour heard a knock at his door and gleefully thought, “I finally got him!”. He answered his door, ready to quarrel with his prosperous neighbour. However, the wise man gave him a bucket of freshly picked apples, saying, “The one who is rich in something, shares it with others.”

MORAL: Bad things happen in life to teach us how to look at good things in a whole new light. Remember, if people are bad to us, don't bring yourself down to their level. Be positive!

48. The Lazy Farmer

g75074987 — 2023-01-02 21:29:57 UTC

Once there lived a lazy farmer who did not enjoy working hard in the fields. He spent his days napping under a tree. One day, while he was resting under a tree, a fox came chasing a rabbit. There was a loud THUMP–the rabbit had crashed into the tree and died.

The farmer picked up the dead rabbit and took it home, frustrating the hell out of the fox. The farmer cooked and ate the rabbit for dinner and sold its fur at the market. The farmer thought to himself, “If I could get a rabbit-like that every day, I’d never have to work again.”

The next day, the farmer went right back to the tree and waited for another rabbit to die similarly. He saw a few rabbits, but none of them ran into the tree-like before. Indeed, it was a very rare incident, but the farmer did not realise it. “Oh well,” he thought cheerfully, “There’s always tomorrow...”

Since he was just waiting for the rabbit to hit a tree and die, he did not give any attention to his field. Weeds grew in his rice field. Soon, the farmer was in terrible hunger as he ran out of his rice and never caught any other rabbit too. It was he who later died under the tree.

MORAL: Do not wait for good things to come without doing anything. Do not give your life to luck without working for success.

49. Stey By Step

g75074987 — 2023-01-03 22:15:29 UTC

Once upon a time, a wealthy king was looking for a suitable man to marry his daughter. So he decided to create a challenge to test whether an individual has the appropriate attitude and will not quit at the first indication of adversity. To pass the test, each candidate had to put on royal metal armour and ascend 1000 stairs to the top of the mountain, where the king’s palace was.

Many men gathered from all across the world to take on the task. However, as soon as they put on the armour, they understood that the endeavour would be impossible. The majority of men took the first step, then glanced up at the remaining 999 and gave up. Several men made it to the second step before abandoning their quest. And so it continued for the next couple of hundred guys, with some reaching the third stage.

The king appeared to be very concerned. He pondered if someone was deserving of his daughter, a princess. Everyone who came to try their luck with the challenge stayed away after they saw everyone who attempted to compete in the challenge fail miserably. Nobody thought it was possible. So far, everyone has failed, and they were discussing how the task was designed to be impossible to finish. The most powerful military men attempted and failed. The top athletes tried but failed. Even the most muscular men couldn’t go past the third staircase. Nobody could make it any further. They all pointed their finger at the armour and the steps. If only the armour were lighter and the stairs weren’t so steep.

Then, to everyone’s astonishment, a young man who didn’t appear to be very ordinary and not very impressive declared he wanted to try. He, like everyone else before him, had his chance. He donned the heavy gear and proceeded to the steps. Everyone said he wouldn’t make it past the first step. But he was quick to go to the second. He could hardly move his shivering feet to the fourth step.

But he took a big breath and moved forward. He felt like he was about to collapse, but he was determined to keep going. He kept telling himself, “One step at a time.” I only have to finish this one. As he approached the fifth step, he felt a strong pull from the top. His armour became noticeably lighter. So he took another step, telling himself, “I’m not ready to quit yet!”

Surprisingly, the armour felt lighter in this following stage. He was exhausted but determined to take one more step. So the 'not-so-special young man' went on. Each staircase brought his armour lighter and his goal closer.

When the young man finished the challenge, the king praised him and then revealed a secret about the test: “You know, the challenge aimed to make sure that the guy who is going to marry my daughter is not the type of man who gives up after the first couple of difficult moments.”

The armour represents the difficult times, and the magnet on top, which made each step easier after the first few you had to make on your own, represents the willpower and experience that will make your future endeavours easier to bear. Because with the proper person at your side, as well as the right mindset and focus, you can do anything, no matter how big the problem is.

So you know that the most challenging part of any problem you and your partner will encounter in the future is the first few steps, and it will become easier from there. You have proven yourself worthy, and now you have my blessings to marry my daughter.”

MORAL: Remember to take your first steps and keep going. It becomes easier as you gain experience. The only thing is to never give up!

50. Don't Make Things Complicated!

g75074987 — 2023-01-04 11:15:00 UTC

Once upon a time, in year 1915, an old man was frustrated when he discovered his shoes were torn beyond repair and needed a new pair. He spent a lot of time walking daily, so he knew he had to find the best-fit shoes to support and protect his feet. Unfortunately, getting shoes in those times wasn’t as easy as it is today.

The old man was very educated and held the knowledge of books in the highest regard. He knew that the wrongly sized shoes could be dangerous and could result in blisters and other injuries. So, he bought all the books on how to find perfect-fit shoes. He read dozens of books about measuring his feet right for the ideal shoes. The man even made a measuring stick for measuring the foot and shoes while following the book’s instructions. He went to the market when he was confident in his knowledge to find the best fit for his feet. He was very proud of all the knowledge he had gathered. He thought that if he hadn’t done this intensive research; he might have had to go barefoot for life.

When he reached the shop, he found a beautiful pair of shoes that fit his taste in aesthetics. But, when he was going to measure the shoes, he realized that he had left his measuring stick at home. Oh, what a pity that his home was a long way back, and he wouldn’t have made it back on time to purchase the shoe on the same day. So, he returned the next day with his measuring stick.

The following day the man went to the market barefoot because his older shoes were unwearable. He had to get the shoe today; otherwise, he will have to walk barefoot until he gets a new shoe. But to his dismay, he couldn’t find the shoes he liked in the shop. So the man inquired about the shoe to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper told him the shoe he had chosen the other day was already sold. The old man was sad. Looking at the man’s despair, the shopkeeper asked him why he didn’t get his favourite pair the other day if he had liked them so much.

The old man told the man what had happened. How he forgot his measuring stick at home, how important it was to have the correct measurement to get the right shoes and how he couldn’t get measurements without his measuring stick.

The shopkeeper was even more confused and asked, "But, your feet were with you... Why didn’t you try the shoes on?"

The old man was bewildered and responded, "All the books say that the shoes should have to be measured before getting them."

The shopkeeper laughed and said, "Oh, no! You don’t need to make things so complicated to buy shoes. You need to have your feet, some money, and maybe some common sense to buy the perfect pair of shoes."

MORAL: Knowledge and research come in handy in most circumstances. But, we should not get into the trap of overthinking. Sometimes overthinking may delay the decision, which may result in missed opportunities. On the other hand, sometimes, the problem can be solved with simple reasoning skills and common sense.

51. Changing Vision

g75074987 — 2023-01-05 10:46:22 UTC

There once lived a wealthy man who was bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted many physicians, but none could treat his ache. He went through a myriad of treatment procedures, but his pain persisted with more vigour. He looked for every available solution for his pain and approached a wise monk renowned for treating various illnesses. The monk carefully observed the man’s eyes and offered a very peculiar solution.

The monk told the man to concentrate only on the green color for a few weeks and avoid other colors. The man was desperate to get rid of the pain and was determined, ready to go to any extent. The wealthy man appointed a group of painters, purchased green paint barrels and directed that every object, his eye was likely to fall to be painted green.

After a few weeks, the monk came to visit the man to follow up on the man’s progress. As the monk walked towards the man’s room, the appointed painter poured a bucket of green paint on the monk. The monk could see that the whole corridor and the room were painted green. As the monk inquired about the reason for painting everything green, the wealthy man said that he was only following the monk’s advice to look at only green.

Hearing this, the monk laughed and said, “If only you had purchased a pair of green spectacles worth just a few dollars, you could have saved a large share of your fortune. You cannot paint the whole world green!”

MORAL: Let us change our vision, and the world will appear accordingly.

52. What is Compassion?

g75074987 — 2023-01-06 07:32:42 UTC

A young man approached his Master and asked,’ Master, you always tell us to be kind and compassionate. But what is compassion?”

After thinking, the wise teacher asked the young student to peek out the window. Master led him to the window and directed his attention to the beggar sitting on the corner of the street. While looking at him, they noticed that an old lady had walked by and given him a coin.

After a while, a merchant wearing elaborate clothes passed by and gave him five coins to the beggar.

After a while, a mother and a child passed the street. The young child noticed the beggar and handed him a flower he was carrying.

After looking at these three incidents, the Master asked the student, “Which of these do you believe felt the most compassion for the beggar?”

“Merchant, as he gave the beggar five coins,” answered the young pupil.

The Master smiled at the pupil and answered, “You see, an elderly lady passing by was infuriated by the beggar’s poverty, so she gave him a gold coin,” The old lady behaved out of pity for the beggar.

After that, we observed a merchant see a small gathering of people watching him, so he handed the beggar five coins and swiftly left. Merchant acted with pride. He wanted to show off his money to those folks while demonstrating that he has a huge kind heart and enjoys helping others. He tried to boost his social image and ego.

Later, we noticed a child carrying some flowers, and when he walked by the beggar, he smiled and handed him a flower. He did not have pride or pity or want to boost his ego or social image. He acted with love. That little child was the one who responded compassionately.”

“Compassion is considerably larger and nobler than pity,” Master said. "Fear is the source of pity. When fear touches someone’s anguish, it turns into pity; when love touches someone’s pain and suffering, it becomes compassion."

MORAL: To comprehend compassion, we must recognise that all beings are the same and suffer in a similar manner. We must acknowledge those who suffer and realise that we are neither different nor superior to anybody.”

53. The Boy and the New Little Puppy

g75074987 — 2023-01-07 23:32:03 UTC

A shop owner placed a sign above his door that said: 'PUPPIES FOR SALE'

Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children, and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner; "How much are you going to sell the puppies for?" he asked.

The store owner replied, "Anywhere from $30 to $50."

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. "I have $2.37," he said. "Can I please look at them?"

The shop owner smiled and whistled. Out of the kennel came Snoopy, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur.

One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping puppy and said, "What’s wrong with that little dog?"

The shop owner explained that the veterinarian had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn’t have a hip socket. It would always limp. It would always be lame.

The little boy became excited. "That is the puppy that I want to buy!"

The shop owner said, "No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you for free..."

The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger, and said:

"I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact, I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for."

The shop owner countered, "You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to run and jump and play with you like the other puppies."

To his surprise, the little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to revealed a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace. He looked up at the shop owner and softly replied, "Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need someone who understands!"

MORAL: Sometimes, things do not have to be perfect for you to be happy in life.

54. A Test of Friendship

g75074987 — 2023-01-08 11:56:46 UTC

Brian and Gary were friends. One day while on holiday, exploring a forest, they saw a big brown bear coming towards them.

Naturally, they were both frightened, so Gary, who knew how to climb trees, climbed one quickly. He didn’t spare a thought for his friend who had no idea how to climb.

Brian thought for a moment. He had heard that animals don’t attack dead bodies, so he fell to the ground and held his breath. The bear sniffed him, thought he was dead, and went on its way.

Gary, after he had climbed down from the tree asked Brian, "What did the bear whisper in your ears?"

Brian replied, "The bear asked me to keep away from friends like you!"

MORAL: Choose your friends wisely. Some situations will reveal their true colours.

55. The 'Trouble Tree'

g75074987 — 2023-01-09 11:17:54 UTC

The carpenter I hired to help me restore an old farmhouse had just finished a rough first day on the job. A flat tyre made him lose an hour of work, his electric saw broke down and now his ancient pickup truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. Upon opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation! His face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss.

Afterward, he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. "Oh, that's my trouble tree", he replied. " I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing for sure, troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home. Then in the morning I pick them up again." "Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick them up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

MORAL: Never take your problems wherever you go. Once you get home, forget all your troubles. Be content. Enjoy life!

56. Arm Stuck in a Vase

g75074987 — 2023-01-10 09:23:28 UTC

A little boy walked slowly into the room where his mother was sitting at her desk writing. She glanced down at him and saw that he was carrying a very precious vase that her grandmother had given her. Almost immediately she said to him, “Robert, go put the vase down before you drop it and break it!”

“I can’t... I can’t get my hand out,” he cried.

“Of course you can,” she said, “you got it down there.”

He said, “I know, mom, but it won’t come out.” The neck of the vase was very narrow and his hand had fit it neatly inside and it was now up to his arm. He continued to insist that he could not get it out. Growing a little concerned, his mother called out to his dad.

Dad calmly took control and began gently pulling the arm, trying to extract the hand from the vase. He tried loosening it up with soapy water. Still nothing... He then got some vegetable oil from the kitchen and poured it around the wrist and let it seep into the vase. He wiggled it some. It still did not budge.

“I give up!” the dad said in desperation. “I’d give a dollar right now to know how to get it out.”

“Really?!” little Robert exclaimed. Then they heard a clinking sound and his hand easily slid right out of the vase. They turned the vase upside down and a coin plopped out. “What’s this?” they asked in confusion.

“Oh, that’s the 50 sen I put inside. I wanted to get it out so I was clutching it in my hand. But when I heard Dad say he would give a dollar to have the vase free, I just had to let go!”

MORAL: How often do you cling to things and they cause you problems? Let let them go, and you are free!

57. The Cracked Pot

g75074987 — 2023-01-11 10:31:22 UTC

A water bearer in Egypt had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

MORAL: Some flaws are actually a blessing in disguise. Don't complain. Be thankful. And your life will surely be happy!

58. The 7 Wonders of the World

g75074987 — 2023-01-12 14:26:12 UTC

A group of school children were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders Of The World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The little girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there are so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the "Seven Wonders Of The World" are:

To see
To hear
To touch
To taste
To feel
To laugh
To love

The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop...

MORAL: The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous. A gentle reminder - that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

59. Painting of a Handicapped King

g75074987 — 2023-01-13 10:29:57 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom. The king there only had one leg and one eye, but he was very intelligent and kind. Everyone in his kingdom lived a happy and a healthy life because of their king. One day, the king was walking through the palace hallway and saw the portraits of his ancestors. He thought that one day his children will walk in the same hallway and remember all the ancestors through these portraits.

But, the king did not have his portrait painted. Due to his physical disabilities, he wasn’t sure how his painting would turn out. So he invited many famous painters from his and other kingdoms to the court. The king then announced that he wants a beautiful portrait made of himself to be placed in the palace. Any painter who can carry out this should come forward. He will be rewarded based on how the painting turns up.
All of the painters began to think that the king only has one leg and one eye. How can his picture be made very beautiful? It is not possible and if the picture does not turn out to look beautiful then the king will get angry and punish them. So one by one, all started to make excuses and politely declined to make a painting of the king.

But suddenly one painter raised his hand and said that I will make a very beautiful portrait of you which you will surely like. The king became happy hearing that and other painters got curious. The king gave him the permission and the painter started drawing the portrait. He then filled the drawing with paints. Finally, after taking a long time, he said that the portrait was ready!

All of the courtiers, other painters were curious and nervous thinking, How can the painter make the king’s portrait beautiful because the king is handicapped? What if the king didn’t like the painting and gets angry? But when the painter presented the portrait, everyone in the court, including the king, left stunned.

The painter made a portrait in which the king was sitting on the horse, on the one-leg side, holding his bow and aiming the arrow with his one eye closed. The king was very pleased to see that the painter has made a beautiful portrait by cleverly hiding the king’s disabilities. The king gave him a great reward.

MORAL: We should always think positive of others and ignore their deficiencies. We should learn to focus on the good things instead of trying to hide weaknesses. If we think and approach positively even in a negative situation, then we will be able to solve our problems more efficiently.

60. A Boy's Job Appraisal

g75074987 — 2023-01-14 09:14:22 UTC

A little boy went into a convenience store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers). The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation.

Boy: ‘'Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?''

Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): ‘'I already have someone to cut my lawn.’'

Boy: '‘Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now.’'

Woman: ''I’m very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.''

Boy: (with more perseverance): ‘'Lady, I’ll even sweep your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Kulim, Kedah.’'

Woman: ''No, thank you. With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.''

The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.

Store Owner: '‘Son… I like your attitude. I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job.’'

Boy: ‘'No thanks.’'

Store Owner: ''But you were really pleading for one.''

Boy: ''No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!’'

MORAL: This is what we call ‘Self-Appraisal’. Every time if we don’t get ahead of others, we blame others for it. Actually, we should look into our self and compare, find our own weaknesses and work hard to throw away those weaknesses. Always work hard and with full dedication. It will always pay up!

61. Nita and Her Mother-in-Law

g75074987 — 2023-01-15 14:33:17 UTC

Nita was recently married and had started living in a joint family with her husband and in-laws. After a few days, she started to realise that she is not able to get along with her mother-in-law. Nita’s mother-in-law was conservative whereas Nita was liberal with modern lifestyles. Soon they both started quarreling due to differences in opinions and lifestyles.

As days and months passed, none of them changed their behavior. Nita became very aggressive over the time and started to hate her mother-in-law. She started to think about how to get rid of her mother-in-law.

Once, as usual, when she quarreled with her mother-in-law and her husband took his mother’s side, she became extremely angry and left for her father’s home. Nita’s father was a doctor and she told him about everything that’l has been happening. Then she pleaded with her father that give her something poisonous, so she can mix it up and give it to her mother-in-law to get rid of her, else she won’t go back to her husband’s home.

Nita’s father felt pity at her situation but told her, “If you give poison to your mother-in-law, you and I both will end up in jail... It is not the right thing to do.” But, Nita was in no mood to listen and understand.

Finally, her father gave in. He told her, “Ok, as you wish but I don’t want to see you in jail, so do as I tell you.” Nita agreed. Her father brought a powder and told her, “Every day, when you make lunch and dinner, just mix a little pinch of this powder in your mother-in-law’s meal, since the quantity will be less, she won’t die quickly but will slowly in a few months and people will think she has died naturally”.

He also told her, “Because no one should have doubt on you, from today onwards, you will not fight at all with your mother-in-law, but instead you will be very caring towards her, even if she says something which you don’t like, you will not be rude. You will simply be polite only. Promise me, ok?” Nita agreed thinking she will be free from her mother-in-law's quarreling.

She later came back to her in-laws and as advised by her father, she started mixing the powder in her mother-in-law’s meals and behaved very caring and polite whenever her mother-in-law said something.

As time started to pass, Nita’s mother-in-law’s nature also started to change. Because Nita was being very caring towards her, she too started to be affectionate towards her. Five months passed and Nita had been mixing the powder but the atmosphere of the house had changed. There were no quarrels, both were praising each other while talking to neighbours. They got very attached to each other like a mother and daughter. Now, Nita started to get worried thinking due to the powder, her mother-in-law may die soon.

She ran to her father’s home and told him, “Dad! Please give me the antidote to cure the effect of that poisonous powder you gave! I don’t want to lose my mother-in-law! She is just like my mom and I love her very much!” Her father smiled and said, “Which poison? I had simply given you a sweetener!”

MORAL: Each person is different which may be due to their own circumstances. This can often lead to many differences. However, we must try to understand each other and adjust a little to make a healthy relationship with each other. And, when such differences arise between persons, it is the duty of their loved ones to keep them calm and guide towards the right path.

62. The Comfort Zone

g75074987 — 2023-01-16 10:02:38 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a king who had gone to visit neighbouring kingdoms. He was gifted a pair of baby parrots by the king of the last kingdom where he was visiting. They were the most beautiful birds he had ever seen. So, upon returning to his kingdom, he called for a bird trainer and asked him to train parrots.

The king also arranged a place in the palace garden for the parrots. He often looked at them from his palace window. As time passed, one day the trainer came to the palace and informed the king that though one of the parrots was flying majestically high in the sky, the other one was not moving from its branch since the day it had arrived.

Upon hearing this, the king summoned trainers and healers from the nearby kingdoms. They all tried their best, but couldn’t make the parrot fly. He even asked his courtiers to try to find a way to make the parrot fly, but they all failed. The parrot was not moving from his branch at all.

Finally, after trying everything, the king thought that maybe he needs someone who may be more familiar with natural habitat. He asked his courtier to get a farmer from the countryside and take him to the parrot to see if he can understand the problem with the parrot.

The next morning, the king was thrilled to see the parrot flying high above the palace gardens. He asked his servant to call that farmer to meet him. The servant quickly went and located the farmer, who came and stood before the king.

The king asked him, “How did you make the parrot fly?”

With his hands folded with respect, the farmer said to the king, “It was very easy, your Majesty. I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting...”

MORAL: We are all gifted with energy to find success in our life, but fail to gather courage which is required to reach heights of success and end up clinging to the things that are familiar to us. We need to free ourselves from our comfort zone to explore new opportunities and find success beyond our abilities.

63. The Blind Man with a Lamp

g75074987 — 2023-01-17 21:35:23 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a small town. There lived a man by himself who couldn’t see. He was blind. Yet, he carried a lighted lamp with him whenever he went out at night.

One night, as he was coming home after having a dinner outside, he came across a group of young travellers. They saw that he was blind, yet carrying a lighted lamp.

They started passing comments on him and made fun of him. One of them asked him, “Hey mister! You are blind and can’t see anything! Why do you carry the lamp then?!”

The blind man replied, “Yes, unfortunately, I am blind and I can’t see anything, but a lighted lamp which I am carrying is for the people like you who can see. You may not see a blind man walking in the dark, and end up knocking me down. That is why I carry a lighted lamp...”

MORAL: We should think before judging others. Always be polite and learn to see things from others' point of view.

64. Two Brothers and a Bridge

g75074987 — 2023-01-19 07:53:36 UTC

Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side by side. They had been sharing machinery, trading labour and goods as needed without a hitch. Then the long collaborations fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference which exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence.

One morning, there was a knock on elder brother’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I am looking for a few days of work”, he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there. Could I help you?”
“Yes!” said the elder brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbour, in fact, it’s my younger brother and we don’t get along. Last week he dug a wider passage for water into his farm. But he ended up creating a very wide creek in between our farms and I am sure he did it just to annoy me. I want you to build me something so that we don’t have to stand and see each other’s face from across.”

The carpenter said “I think I understand the situation. I will be able to do a job that will please you.” The elder brother had to go to town for supplies, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day measuring, sawing, nailing.

At sunset when the elder brother returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The elder brother’s eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped. It was not what he had even thought of or imagined. It was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other. A fine piece of work.

To his surprise, his younger brother across the creek was coming to meet him with a big smile and arms wide open to hug him.

“You are really kind and humble my brother! After all I had done and said to you, you still show that blood relations can never be broken! I am truly sorry for my behaviour...”, the younger brother said as he hugged his elder brother. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox on his shoulder.

“No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other projects for you,” said the older brother.

“I’d love to stay on”, the carpenter said, “but, I have many more BRIDGES to build...”

MORAL: There is no shame in accepting your mistake or forgiving each other. We should be kind and humble. We should try to stay together as a family and not break away from it over petty arguments.

65. The Dreaming Priest

g75074987 — 2023-01-19 23:11:11 UTC

Long time ago, there lived a priest who was extremely lazy and poor at the same time. He did not want to do any hard work but used to dream of being rich one day. He got his food by begging for alms. One morning he got a pot of milk as part of the alms. He was extremely delighted and went home with the pot of milk. He boiled the milk, drank some of it and put the remaining milk in a pot. He added slight curds in the pot for converting the milk to curd. He then lay down to sleep.

Soon he started imagining about the pot of curd while he lay asleep. He dreamed that if he could become rich somehow all his miseries would be gone. His thoughts turned to the pot of milk he had set to form curd. He dreamed on; “By morning the pot of milk would set, it would be converted to curd. I would churn the curd and make butter from it. I would heat the butter and make ghee out of it. I will then go to that market and sell that ghee, and make some money. With that money I will buy a hen. The hen will lay many eggs which will hatch and there will be many chickens. These chickens will in turn lay hundreds of eggs and I will soon have a poultry farm of my own.” He kept on imagining.

“I will sell all the hens of my poultry and buy some cows, and open a milk dairy. All the town people will buy milk from me. I will be very rich and soon I shall buy jewels. The king will buy all the jewels from me. I will be so rich that I will be able to marry an exceptionally beautiful girl from a rich family. Soon I will have a handsome son. If he does any mischief I will be very angry and to teach him a lesson. I will hit him with a big stick.”

During this dream, he involuntarily picked up the stick next to his bed and thinking that he was beating his son, raised the stick and hit the pot! The pot of milk broke and he awoke from his daydream...

MORAL: There is no substitute for hard work. Dreams cannot be fulfilled without hard work.

66. The Parachutes

g75074987 — 2023-01-20 10:03:45 UTC

A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for a Sunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, the plane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts of the pilot, the plane started to go down.

The pilot grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, and he himself bailed out. Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

The doctor grabbed one and said “I’m a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,” and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live.” He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and full life. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the last parachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worry Father... The smartest man in the world just took off with my schoolbag!”

MORAL: Your job doesn’t always define you, but being a good human being does!

67. The Purse

g75074987 — 2023-01-21 23:17:20 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a man who was very helpful, kindhearted, and generous. He was a man who would help someone without asking anything in return. He would help someone because he wanted to and he loved to. One day, while walking on a dusty road, this man saw a purse, so he picked it up and noticed that the purse was empty.

Suddenly, a woman with a policeman showed up and got him arrested. The woman kept on asking where he hid her money but the man replied, “It was empty when I found it, ma'am.” The woman yelled at him, “Please give it back, it’s for my son’s school fees!” The man noticed that the woman really felt sad, so he handed his own money. He could say that the woman was a single mother. The man said, “Take these and sorry for the inconvenience.” The woman left and a policeman held the man for further questioning. The woman was very happy but when she counted her money, later on, it was doubled. She was shocked.

One day, while the woman was going to pay her son’s school fees towards the school, she noticed that some skinny man was walking behind her. She thought that he may rob her, so she approached a policeman standing nearby. He was the same policeman, who she took along to inquire about her purse. The woman told him about the man following her, but suddenly they saw that man collapsing. They ran at him and saw that he was the same man whom they arrested a few days back for stealing a purse.

He looked very weak and the woman was confused. The policeman said to the woman, “He didn’t return your money, he gave you his money that day. He wasn’t the thief but hearing about your son’s school fees, he felt sad and gave you all his money.” Later, they helped the man stand up, and the man told the woman, “Please go ahead and pay your son’s school fees. I saw you and followed you to be sure that no one steals your son’s school fees.” The woman was speechless.

MORAL: Life gives you strange experiences, sometime it shocks you and sometimes it may surprise you. We end up making wrong judgements or mistakes in our anger, desperation and frustration. However, when you get a second chance, correct your mistakes and return the favour. Be kind and generous. Learn to appreciate what you are given.

68. Helping an Old Lady

g75074987 — 2023-01-22 07:18:20 UTC

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Toyota was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you.

He said, “I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. As he was tightening up the nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from Shah Alam and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her boot. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last part of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

MORAL: What goes around comes around. You do good, you will get good in return!

69. Kite Flying

g75074987 — 2023-01-24 00:30:53 UTC

Once in Japan, a father and son went to a kite flying festival. The young son became very happy seeing the sky filled with colourful kites. He too asked his father to get him a kite and a thread with a roller so he can fly a kite too. So, the father went to a nearby shop at the park where the festival was being held. He purchased a kite and a roll of thread for his son.

His son started to fly the kite. Soon, his kite reached high up in the sky. After a while, the son said, “Father, it seems that the thread is holding up the kite from flying higher. If we cut it, it will be free and will go flying even higher. Can we cut it?"

Thus, the father cut the thread from its roller. The kite started to go a little higher. That made his son very happy.

But then, slowly, the kite started to come down. And, soon it fell down on the roof of the unknown building. The young son was surprised to see this. He had cut the kite loose of its thread so it can fly higher, but instead, it fell down.

He asked his father, “Father, I thought that after cutting off the thread, the kite can freely fly higher. But why did it fall down?”

His father explained, “Son, at the height of life that we live in, we often think that some things we are tied to are preventing us from going higher. The thread was not holding the kite from going higher, but it was helping it stay higher when the wind slowed down, and when the wind picked up, you helped the kite go up higher in a proper direction through the thread. And when we cut off the thread, it fell down without the support you were providing to the kite through the thread”.

The son realized his mistake...

MORAL: Sometimes, we feel that we can progress quickly and reach newer heights in our life if we were not tied up to our family, our home. But, we fail to realise that our family, our loved ones help us survive the tough time in our lives with their support and encourage us to reach higher heights in our life. They are not holding us down, but are supporting us. Never let go of them!

70. A Blank Question Paper

g75074987 — 2023-01-25 01:14:22 UTC

One day a teacher entered the classroom and asked his students to prepare for a surprise test. They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to begin. The teacher handed out the question paper with the text facing down as usual. NoOnce he handed them all out, he asked his students to turn the page and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions, just a black dot in the center of the page.

The teacher seeing the expression on everyone’s face, told them the following, “I want you to write what you see there.” The confused students got started on the inexplicable task. At the end of the class, the teacher took all the answer papers and started reading each one of them aloud in front of all the students. All of them with no exceptions described the black dot, trying to explain its position in the middle of the sheet etc.

After all had been read, the classroom was silent. The teacher began to explain, “I am not going to grade on you this, I just wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused on the black dot and the same happens in our lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy, but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is a gift given to us by God with love and care. We always have reasons to celebrate, nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see every day.”

“However, we insist on focusing only on the dark spots, the health issues that bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend, etc. The dark spots are very small compared to everything we have in our lives, but they are the ones that pollute our minds. Take your eyes away from the black spots in your life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment that life gives you. Be happy and live a life positively!”

MORAL: As the teacher explained, life is a bag of good and bad things, we all have positives and negatives along the way. But we must always concentrate greater on the positives for a healthy and happy life. Life goes on no matter what so do not waste your time thinking about the negatives.

71. The Greedy Landlord

g75074987 — 2023-01-26 04:35:37 UTC

There was a very clever and cunning landlord who owned lots of land in a whole village. He cunningly loaned small amount of money when needy came to him for help. Taking a benefit of those who were not well-educated, he kept adding on interest to the main amount. The amount for repayment of the loan would raise up so much that people couldn’t pay back and end up surrendering their land to the landlord.

Now, his eyes were on a land owned by an old lady near his house. She was all alone, no other family members. She would plant her own crops and fulfill her needs. The landlord was not able to figure out how to lure her into giving up her land to him. He then bribed a government officer in the village and forged papers of ownership on his name. Along with the government officer, he visited the old lady and gave her a notice to hand over the land to him.

Old lady was shocked to know this and pleaded that she has been living here her whole life and this land has been owned by her ancestors. Her loved ones are burried here and she inherited it, how can someone claim this now? She approached the local court, but the landlord had bribed everyone and had presented forged ownership papers. Thus, the court delivered the judgment in the landlord’s favour.

Dejected, old lady then prepared to vacant the land while the landlord and his associates stood there waiting for her to leave. While leaving, filled with tears, the old lady approached the landlord and said, “Sir, you have taken everything from me today, my entire life was spent here, but now I am leaving. The land here is where I played, grew up with my family and this soil is very dear to me.” She added further, “we all are made of soil, and so anyone can have an affection towards it. Allow me to carry a basket filled with this soil to keep with me. With that by my side, I will always have an aroma of this place till I die peacefully.”

The landlord smirked, thinking since he had gained ownership of her entire land without paying her, he might as well let her have a basket of soil, so she can leave quietly. He said, “Fine... You can fill up your basket.”

The old lady started filling up her basket with soil. She overfilled it and was struggling to lift the basket to carry it over her head. She then told the landlord, “Sir, will you please lend a hand to put the basket over my head?” The landlord came forward to help and said, “Oh you poor old lady, didn’t you think before you overfilled this basket? You are struggling to lift this basket filled with soil, then how can you carry this with you?”

With tears in her eyes, old lady replied, “Oh sir, this entire land was my own, spent my whole life here, yet I am struggling to carry a single basket of soil from here while I am still breathing. I won’t be able to carry it with me when I die. You sir, have so much of others' land. How will you carry it all with you?!”

The landlord stood stunned hearing this. He realised his mistake and fell on the old lady’s feet asking for forgiveness. He requested her to live here happily and returned her land.

MORAL: Do not cheat. Do not be greedy. Do not take more than you need. Be content with what you have, sometimes it’s sufficient for a happy life.

72. Something More Valuable

g75074987 — 2023-07-15 08:45:35 UTC

One of the most powerful rich man in Brazil made an announcement. He announced that he will be burying his million dollar rare Bentley car in the ground so that he could drive it even in his afterlife.

This received a lot of media attention and some even criticized him for wasting such rare and precious commodity as he can donate it for charity.

Even after many criticism he received, he went on with the ceremony on the decided date. The media was present there to cover that odd event.

The ground was prepared for the burial of his Bentley. Just moments before lowering that car into ground, he declared that he wouldn’t bury his car.

People present there were confused and questioned his announcement.

Just then he told everyone about his real motive for creating all the drama was to create awareness among people about organ donation.

He said, “People condemn me because I wanted to bury a million dollar Bentley, in fact most people bury something a lot more valuable than my car!

They bury hearts, livers, lungs, eyes, kidneys, etc. This is absurd! So many people are waiting for an organ transplant and you bury your healthy organs that could save so many lives...“

MORAL: Most of the time, we only see the weird things in others. However, the truth is we fail to realise that we are actually the strange one. Stop judging others!

73. The Crow

g75074987 — 2023-07-19 12:28:02 UTC

Once there was a crow who was very satisfied in his life. He used to roam everywhere, looking all around.

One day he saw a swan and saw that it was so white and thought to himself that he was so unfortunate to be so black. He thought the swan must be the happiest bird in the world.

He went to the swan and said, “You must be happiest bird in the world... You are so white and I am so black that no one likes me.”

The swan replied, “Actually, I was feeling that I was the happiest bird alive until I saw a parrot, which has two colors and I think the parrot is the happiest bird in this world.”

The crow later flew and approached the parrot. He complimented the parrot for having two different colours.

The parrot replied, “I lived happily until I saw a peacock. I have only two colors but the peacock has a variety of colors.”

Now the crow visited the peacock in a zoo and saw that hundreds of visitors gathered to see the beautiful peacock.

After people left, the crow approached the peacock and said, “Dear peacock, you are so beautiful! Every day, thousands of people come to see you but when anyone see me, they just want me to go away... I think you are the happiest bird on the planet.”

The peacock replied sadly, “I always thought I was the most beautiful and happy bird on planet but because of this beauty, I am now entrapped in this cage. I wish I were a crow like you so that I could happily fly everywhere.”

MORAL: We make unnecessary comparisons with others and become sad. We don’t value what we have and all this leads to unhappiness. The secret to happiness is to value what God has given us. There are always things to be thankful for...

74. The Best Prayer

g75074987 — 2023-07-20 13:34:48 UTC

One day, a group of friends decided to visit their one friend who made a decision to dedicate all her life praying and helping others. When they reached there, they all gathered around her and started to talk and asked her questions about her life.

One of them asked, “Would you teach us what you have learned over the years?”

“I am old...”, replied the lady.

Another friend said, “Old and wise... All these years we watched you praying. What do you talk to God about? What should we be praying for?”

The lady smiled and replied, “In the beginning, when I was young, I used to kneel before God and ask Him to give me strength to change mankind. Gradually, I realised that this was beyond me... Then, I started to pray to God to give me strength to change the world around me.”

“Well, your wish to help people around you was granted as we know that you have helped many people,” said one of her friends.

The lady replied, “Well, I have helped many, but I know I still haven’t found the perfect prayer. Only now at this age, I realised what I should have been praying about from the very start...”

They all questioned, “What is that?!”

“To be given the ability to change myself...”, replied the lady with a sincere smile.

MORAL: Whenever we feel something not right, we always think that we should try to change the people around us and their attitudes. But, what we actually need is to understand that sometimes changes need to start from within ourselves first.

75. Pointing the Mistakes of Others

g75074987 — 2023-07-21 11:37:55 UTC

Once there was a school in Vietnam where all types of arts were taught to students. Students from far away would come to this school to learn the different kinds of arts.

There was a boy named Arnold who was really fond of painting and used to make beautiful landscapes.

One day, Arnold made a painting with lots of effort and found it to be the best painting he ever made. So he decided to put it on display at school.

Early one morning, Arnold put his painting on display and beside the painting he also placed a note saying, “If you find any mistake, please circle that part with black coloured pen.”

In the evening, after school ends, Arnold rushed to see his painting to check for any mistake. He saw that the painting was fully covered with black circles. Arnold got very sad and depressed as it was the best painting he ever made.

The next day, while in his class, his teacher noticed that Arnold was gloomy and not paying attention to the lesson. So he called Arnold to his office and inquired about the reason for him being sad.

Arnold told his teacher about what happened with his painting.

The teacher told Arnold to make another painting and keep it on display, but this time he should put a note saying, “Please correct the mistake(s) in this painting if you find any.”

The next morning, Arnold put on display his painting and did as his teacher instructed him to do. Later in the evening, Arnold came to check his painting. Astonishingly, he saw that there was no correction made on his painting!

Arnold was very surprised. He immediately went to his teacher to tell him what had happened.

His teacher replied, “For most people, it is very easy to find mistakes in the work done by others; but, when it comes to correcting that mistake by themselves, no one is ready.

We should understand that even after trying our best in doing things and building anything, people will always keep finding mistakes in them. One should not get sad or depressed by that. Instead, one should just keep working harder to achieve one's goals.”

MORAL: We should not get bothered about people pointing mistakes in our work. Instead we should continue to work hard to achieve our goal.

76. A Lesson From Grandpa

g75074987 — 2023-07-22 12:23:50 UTC

Once a little boy, Derek, went out with his Grandpa. While roaming around in the market, at one corner, they witnessed a cobbler being insulted by his customer.

The customer was shouting at him and complaining about his shoes that the cobbler mended.

Even after seeing the customer shouting at him, the cobbler calmly replied to him and apologised. The cobbler even promised that he would not repeat the same mistake and will mend him better shoes next time.

After seeing this, Grandpa and Derek continued to go further. After a while, they saw a coffee shop and went inside.

After getting seated there, they ordered some snacks and coffee.

At a table next to theirs, they saw a waiter requesting a customer to move his chair so that he could walk through. But the customer arrogantly refused to move his chair and even started to verbally abuse the innocent waiter.

Seeing this, Grandpa said to Derek, “Never forget what you have seen today...”

Grandpa continued, “You remember just a while ago, we saw a cobbler getting insulted by his customer? Even after getting insulted, the cobbler didn’t get angry and accepted the customer's complaints...”

Derek replied, “Yes!”

Grandpa added, “Now you just saw the man next to us who didn't want to move, even after the waiter politely requested him to.”

Derek again replied, “Yes!”

Grandpa continued, “From this you can learn that, people who perform some useful tasks diligently, will not be bothered by the way they are treated. Even if someone treats them badly.

It’s because they believe in their work, and get back to work with all their heart..."

MORAL: People who do not do any useful work, will always think of themselves as important and hide their incompetence by insulting others. Just ignore them and continue with your work. Remember, ignore the 'noise', and focus on your work!

77. The Japanese Fishing Problem

g75074987 — 2023-07-23 10:51:07 UTC

The Japanese love fresh fish, especially as sushi. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats now got bigger and went further and further than before.

The further the fishermen went for fishing, the more time it took for them to bring back the fish. When it took a lot of time to get back after catching fish, fish were not fresh and didn’t taste good.

Now, to solve this problem, Japanese fishermen started to install freezers on their boats. So that after catching fish, they could freeze them at sea and this allowed fishermen to go further and stay longer to catch more and more fish.

However, the Japanese could taste the difference and they didn’t like frozen fish.

This made fishing companies think for further solutions and installed fish tanks in their boats. Now, they would catch the fish and stuff them in fish tanks - alive. After a little trashing around at sea, these fish were tired, dull and lost their freshness.

This caused fishing companies to face an impending crisis...

Today, the same fishing companies get fresh tasting fish in Japan. So can you guess how they managed to keep the freshness of fish caught at sea?

To keep the fish fresh, Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the fish tank; but, with a small shark! Because of the shark, fish are challenged and constantly on the move. This challenge keeps them alive and fresh!

MORAL: In our life, new challenges keep us active. If you steadily win challenges, you are happy. These challenges keep you energised.

78. Looking Into the Coffin

g75074987 — 2023-07-24 15:49:49 UTC

One day, all the employees of a company saw a note on the office door:

“The person who has been hindering the growth of your company passed away yesterday. You all are invited to the funeral that has been prepared at the park outside the office,” was written on a note.

After reading the note, all employees got sad for the deceased colleague. But after a while, all of them got curious to know about the person who has been hindering the growth of the company and colleagues.

Because of curiosity, all the employees came and security guards were ordered to control the crowd there. Everyone thought, “Whoever the person is, he or she was hindering the company's growth; so, it's well that he or she died...”

One by one each employee got a chance to look inside the coffin. But as they looked inside, they got speechless as if someone or something has touched the deepest part of their souls.

There was a mirror inside the coffin. When everyone looked inside, they saw the reflection of themselves. There was a message placed next to the mirror saying, “There is only one person who is capable of setting limits on your growth - and that is YOU!”

MORAL: The world is like a mirror. It gives back the reflection of the thoughts in which we believe strongly. So, you are the only person who can influence your happiness and success. And you are the only person who can help yourself!

79. Just One Shoe

g75074987 — 2023-08-14 09:11:40 UTC

A weak old man walked into a shoe store and asked for the price of a pair of shoes. After making his payment, he asked the sales person.
"Could you please show me your trash can?"

She responded.
"Right over there on the left"

The old man then walked towards the bin and dumped one of the shoes he just bought into it.

The sales person saw what he did and broke into uncontrollable giggles. She knew obviously that the old man was drunk. She mocked him and watched him leave the store with only one of the shoes.

The following week, the old man visited the shoe store again to buy another pair of shoes. Having recognized him, the sales person watched him carefully, waiting to see his next silly act. As soon as he paid for the new shoes, he moved towards the garbage bin and threw away one of the shoes, repeating his previous act.

The sales person wouldn't stop laughing at him. When the old man noticed that he was being teased, he felt miserable and left the store with only one shoe.

One week later, the old man came to the store for the third time. But this time around, the sales person had no option but to confront him.

"We don't have any shoes for you, drunk old man!" she declared.

The man said calmly.
"But why? I have never owed you money"

The lady scoffed.
"Now listen here drunk old man, I have reported you to my boss, and he said we shouldn't let dumb people like you visit our store. So can you leave now?"

Just then, the store owner arrived and saw the two individuals having a little argument. The sales person was quick to give an explanation, blaming the old man. But on a quest to hear the other side of the story, the store owner asked the old man.

"Why do you always dump one of your shoes in our store?"

The old man paused for a moment, with tears in his eyes, he began to speak.

"When I lost my wife many years ago, I had to raise our only son all by myself. Luckily, he grew up into a bright young man and was the most hardworking and smartest person I knew. I sent him to college, and he made me very proud by graduating with honours. Later on, he worked as a computer engineer and won numerous awards in the course of his employment. But all of a sudden, tragedy struck and changed my son's life forever. Few months to his wedding, three years ago, he had a car accident and lost both his upper limbs and one of his legs. It hurts me so much as a father, and hurts me even more knowing that all my son's dreams in life had been terminated. Now, whenever I buy him shoes, I always discard the other pair because my son has only one foot".

MORAL:
Do not be too quick in judging other people. Every single person on the planet has a story, so don't judge or criticize anyone without having full knowledge of what they are going through.

80. The Dying Cow

g75074987 — 2023-08-19 14:57:16 UTC

A boy went to an old man and said to him,
"What is the biggest lesson that life has taught you?"

The old man paused for a moment and said,
"I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to talk right now. I am deeply worried."

The boy asked,
"What's the matter, sir?"

The old man responded,
"My pregnant cow has been in labour for more than twenty hours. I'm afraid she could die as the pain is excruciating..."

The boy replied,
"You have to do something about it!"

The old man muttered,
"I have no knowledge about things like this. I'm old and weak, I can't do anything to help. But maybe if we seek the opinions and advice of other people, we could save my poor cow from dying. Don't you think so?"

The boy nodded his head, then the old man added,
"Do me a favour and take a walk down the road. You'll meet random people on your way. You will have to seek advice from at least four people. We need to know what their opinions are about my dying cow."

The boy left immediately, then returned about an hour later. He said to the old man,
"I was able to ask four people for their advice. The first person suggested you call the local vet immediately so that he can perform a surgery to remove the calf. The second person suggested you give the cow more time to give birth naturally, and that calling the vet won't be necessary. The third person suggested you kill the cow and sell the meat as she would eventually die. And the fourth person suggested you assist the cow by pulling the calf from the womb with your hands."

The old man said,
"Interesting, isn't it, that everyone's opinions differ so much. So which do you think I should follow?"

The boy thought for a while and said,
"I find the whole thing very confusing. Everyone gave a different piece of advice..."

The old man smiled. Then he touched the boy on his shoulder and said,

"I was actually kind of surprised when you asked me to tell you the biggest lesson that life has taught me. And instead of just saying it, I decided to let you experience it yourself! In doing so, I pretended as if my cow was in pain and needed help. It was a strategy to enable you to realize how different the opinions of people can be.

The biggest lesson I've learned in life is that different people can look at the exact same thing and have different perspectives. We all have our own view of things. And just because someone's opinion is different than yours, it does not mean they are wrong."

MORAL: We shouldn't quarrel, fight or argue with others just because we feel that our opinion doesn't match theirs. We should learn to be open-minded and respectful to people's opinions even if we don't agree with them.

81. A True Story: Kafka's Doll

g75074987 — 2023-08-20 10:18:08 UTC

One day, Franz Kafka (40), a famous writer, was walking through a park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favourite doll. Kafka helped the girl search for the doll, but they were unsuccessful.

Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her doll.

The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter supposedly 'written' by the doll saying "Please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures."

Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life.

During their meetings, Kafka read the letters from the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable. The letters were secretly written by Kafka for weeks.

Finally, Kafka bought a new doll and gave it to the little girl. He said that the doll had returned.

"It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl.

Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote, "My travels have changed me." The little girl hugged the new doll and brought the doll with her to her happy home.

A year later Kafka died...

Many years later, the now-adult girl accidentally found a hidden letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka, it was written:

"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another different way."

MORAL: Embrace change. It is inevitable for growth. Together everyone can shift pain into wonder and love.

82. The Burglar and the Monk

g75074987 — 2023-08-21 11:20:57 UTC

One evening, while a monk was reciting his prayers in his room, a burglar broke into his house. Pointing a steel weapon at the monk, the burglar threatened to kill him unless he would give him money.

The monk, not frightened by the burglar, replied calmly, "You are disturbing me... The money is in that drawer, over there!" He pointed at a counter in the far corner of the room. "Help yourself," he said, returning to his prayer.

The burglar rushed to the drawer and began collecting the money. He heard the monk calling out, "Don’t take all of it! Leave some for me to pay my tax tomorrow."

The burglar suddenly froze in his place. It wasn’t a request but a bold demand. Nevertheless, he did as he was told to and headed towards the door.

"Hey!" The monk shouted. "You are leaving without even thanking me for the money? How very impolite of you!"

The burglar was shocked by the level of courage displayed by the monk. Unconsciously, he whispered "thank you" and left the room awkwardly. Later that night, he told his friend about his bizarre encounter with the monk. "I was more afraid of the monk than he was of me!" he exclaimed.

A few days later the burglar was arrested. He was accused of robbery not only at the monk’s place, but also many other places. He was taken to the court for a trial.
When the monk was called as a witness, he said, "No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it."

This however did not keep the burglar from being locked up in jail. But he did get a lesser number of years than he deserved for his crime. During his time in the prison, he thought a lot about the old monk.
Years later, the burglar was released from prison. He straight away walked to the monk’s house and rang the doorbell.

The monk, upon opening the door, saw the man, who had robbed him, standing with a bag slung over his shoulder. A certain humbleness in his eye...

"Ah, I knew you would show up!" the monk laughed. He warmly welcomed the ex-criminal into his house and prepared him for his future in the righteous path.

MORAL: When you master yourself, you may be able to help someone out there who is 'lost', and they may be willing to change the course of their lives.

g75074987 — 2023-08-21 12:47:14 UTC

🔴 𝙲𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚐𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚍𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗(𝚜).

⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️

83. The Boy Who Would Be King

g75074987 — 2023-08-22 10:07:53 UTC

Once upon a time, there was a wise king and because of his wisdom, he ruled the people with full service and humility. Due to his good leadership, the kingdom was very prosperous and the people lived peacefully.

Seeing his people's prosperity, he was very happy except he doesn't have a child. The king has no son to be the successor of his throne. Therefore, he decided to adopt a boy from his kingdom and make him the future king.

One night, he thought carefully about the choice of the future king because he thinks about the welfare of his kingdom and the people. So he made a great plan to choose the trustworthy future king.

The next morning the king announced to the kingdom and said, "Bring all young men from this kingdom so that I can choose the future king!"

The news spread throughout the kingdom and all the young men and their parents are excited that their children will be the future king.

Some say, "My son will be a good king because he is very smart".

"The king will prefer my son because he is a warrior and good in every battle", said another proud parent.

The king gathered all the candidates from his kingdom and to their surprise, the king gave them each a different kind of seed. The king announced and said, "Make these seeds grow and after six months you will show me whose plant grows the best."

One of the candidates is a poor young man who lives with his mother. After a month, the seed he got from the king looked like his plant was not growing. But the boy took good care of the seed, and watering the seed every day. Three months passed by but the seed was not showing any growth and the boy got worried.

Then his mother told him to be patient because some seeds take time to grow. The boy didn't give up and he continued to look after the seed.

Six months passed by and the time came when all the candidates have to go to the king with their plant. The boy was afraid. But, he was honest to himself so he went to the king with his empty pot.

All the candidates gathered and were amazed that one of them will be selected as the king.

Now the king ordered them to show the pot to him. He saw that all of them had grown healthy plants, except the boy.

When the king saw the one and only empty pot, he asked the boy, "Why is your pot empty?"

The boy answered, "Your majesty, I took care of the seed for six months but the seed you gave did not grow."

The king was happy with the boy's honesty. After looking at all pots with growing plants, the king called the boy to the front.

The king showed the empty pot to everyone and said, "The plants you have are all fake because all the seeds I gave are not easy to grow. I know you have all replaced the seeds to make them grow easier. But the real seed is still in this pot without a plant because the seed that the boy planted will give fruits in the future and without knowing it, the boy took great care of the seed!

I will therefore adopt this young man as my son and make him the future king of this kingdom!"

MORAL: Be patient. Every success takes time. And it takes strength and courage to admit the truth. If you are honest, you are rich in qualities that no one else has. You will surely be rewarded.

84. Dirty Water

g75074987 — 2023-08-23 07:53:15 UTC

A father saw that his 11-year-old son was crying silently. The father asked him,

"What's the matter, son?"

The young boy replied,

"My rich classmates mocked, called me son of a gardener. They said that my father lives only on the money he earns from watering and feeding plants for people."

The father paused for a moment, then said,

"Come with me son, let's plant some flowers. It might cheer you up..."

He held his hand and walked him to the garden, then he took out some flower seeds and said,

"Let's carry out an experiment. We will plant two flowers separately. I will care for one, and you will care for the other. I will water mine with clean water from the lake but you will water yours with dirty water from the pond. We shall see the outcome in the weeks to come."

The son was delighted as he joined his father in planting the flowers. It took them some days to finally germinate the flower seeds. They cared for them respectively and watched them grow.

Later on, the father brought his son to the garden, and said to him,

"Look at the two flowers and tell me your observation."

The boy responded,

"My flower looks better and healthier than yours. How is that even possible when your water is cleaner?"

The father smiled, then said,

"That's because dirty water doesn't stop a plant from growing, rather it serves as organic fertilizer to help it flourish.

You see son, there are some people who put you down in life, mock your dreams, and throw dirt on you. Always remember that there's nothing wrong with you, it is their ego they have to satisfy.

So, don't let the harsh words from people affect you, instead, let it encourage you into being a better person. And doing so, you will be like the plant and will flourish even in the midst of dirt like toxic, negative and harsh words.

MORAL: Negative words of others shouldn't bring you down. Use the negativity of others as an advantage to help you grow.

85. A Lesson for the Barber

g75074987 — 2023-08-24 12:49:20 UTC

Once a man went to a barbershop to get his hair cut. There, a conversation started between him and the barber.

After some discussions, they started one about the existence of God.

The barber said, "I don't believe that God exists."

The man replied, "Why do you say that?"

The barber answered, "Look, if God existed, then why would there be so many sick people and abandoned children?

If God existed, would there be so much suffering and pain?

I don't think if God existed He would have permitted all these things to happen!"

The man stopped arguing.

The barber was happy to win that argument and finished his haircut.

After the man's hair was done, he went outside.

Just after the man left the barbershop, he saw a homeless man in the street with long untidy hair and beard, and he hasn't gotten any haircuts for a long time.

The man again went to the barbershop with the homeless person and said, "You know what, barbers do not exist!"

The barber was confused and said, "How can you say that?! I am a barber!"

The man explained, "No... Barbers don't exist because if they exist, there would be no people with long unkempt hair and beards like this person who roams in the street."

The barber laughed and said, "If people don't come for a haircut, then it's not the barber's fault..."

The man replied, "Exactly! That's the point! God does exist. What happens is that people do not go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there is so much suffering and pain in this world!"

MORAL: God is always there. People are 'lost' because of their own actions. Don't blame God, but blame yourselves.

86. Peace

g75074987 — 2023-08-25 11:39:40 UTC

There once lived a king who announced to prize the artist who would paint the best painting expressing peace.

Many great painters sent the king several of their best art pieces. One of the pictures among the various masterpieces was of a calm lake perfectly mirroring peacefully towering snow capped mountains. It was a clear blue sky with fluffy clouds. The picture was perfect. Most of the people who viewed the pictures of peace from various artists thought it was the best.

But when the king announced the winner, everyone was shocked.

The picture which won the prize had mountains too, but it was rough and bare. The sky looked very angry, and there was lightning. This did not look peaceful at all.

It looked like the artist had mistakenly submitted his painting depicting storm rather than peace. But if anyone looked closely at the painting, he or she could see a tiny bush growing in the cracks in the rock. In the bush, a mother bird had built her nest. Amid the rush of angry weather, the bird sat on her nest with peace.

MORAL: Peace does not mean being in a place with no noise or trouble. Peace means to be in the midst of all the chaos and still be calm in the heart. Real peace is the state of mind, not the state of the surroundings. The mother bird at her calm, despite her chaotic surroundings, indeed was the best representation of peace.

87. The Experienced Grandma

g75074987 — 2023-08-26 07:24:20 UTC

An old lady handed her bank card to a bank teller and said, "I would like to withdraw $10."

The teller told her, "For withdrawals amounting less than $100, please use the ATM."

The old lady wanted to know why.
The teller returned her bank card and irritably told her, "These are the rules! Please leave if there is no other matter. There is a line of customers behind you."

The old lady remained silent for a few seconds, then handed the card back to the teller and said, "Please help me withdraw all the money I have."

The teller was astonished when she checked the account balance. She nodded her head, leaned down and respectfully told her, you have $300,000 in your account and the bank doesn't have that much cash currently. Could you make an appointment and come again tomorrow?

The old lady then asked how much she could withdraw immediately. The teller told her any amount up to $3000.

"Well, please let me have $3000 now", she said.

The teller then handed it very friendly and respectfully to her. The old lady then put $10 in her purse and asked the teller to deposit $2990 back into her account.

MORAL: Don't be difficult with old people. They spent a lifetime learning various skills.

88. "No worries, dear."

g75074987 — 2023-08-27 12:57:21 UTC

An elderly couple was flying to Hawaii for a two-week vacation to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

Suddenly, over the public address system, the captain announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am afraid I have some very bad news. Our engines have ceased functioning and we will attempt an emergency landing. Luckily, I see an uncharted island below us and we should be able to land on the beach. However, the odds are that we may never be rescued and will have to live on the island for the rest of our lives."

Thanks to the skill of the flight crew, the plane lands safely on the island.

An hour later, the husband turns to his wife and asks, "Honey, did we pay the car instalment this month?"

"No, sweetheart," she responds.

Still shaken from the crash landing, he then asks, "Did we pay our credit card bill yet?"

"Oh no! I’m sorry. I forgot to send the cheque," she says.

"One last thing, did you remember to pay the medical bill for the hospital visit last month?" he asks.

"Oh, forgive me, sweetheart," begged the wife. "I didn’t send that one, either."

The husband grabs her and gives her the biggest hug in 50 years. She pulls away and asks him, "What was the hug for?"

The husband answers, "No worries dear. They’ll find us!"

MORAL: When it comes to money, the lender will never forget the borrower (even though the borrower always forgets the lender). 😅😅😅

89. Emotional Mistake

g75074987 — 2023-08-28 09:31:47 UTC

While a father was polishing his brand new TESLA car, his 6-year-old daughter picked up a screwdriver and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times, not realising he was using a screwdriver.

At the hospital, the child had all her fingers cemented due to multiple fractures. When the child saw her father, with painful eyes she asked, "Dad, when will I be able to write again?"

The man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions, sitting beside the car he looked at the scratches. The child had written: 'I LOVE MY DAD'.

MORAL: Anger and Love have no limits. Choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life. Things are to be used and people are to be loved. But the problem in today’s world is that, people are used and things are loved. Let’s be careful to keep this thought in mind: 'Things are to be used, but people are to be loved'.

90. Poor Man's Wealth

g75074987 — 2023-08-29 13:08:43 UTC

John and Andy were neighbours. John was a poor farmer. Andy was a rich landlord.

John's life was very relaxed and happy. He never bothered to close the doors and windows of his house at night. He always had deep, sound sleep. Although he had no money, he was always happy and peaceful.

However, Andy used to be very tensed all the time, even though he was rich. He was very keen to close the doors and windows of his house at night. He could not sleep well. He was always bothered that someone might break open his safes and steal his money. He envied the peaceful John.

One day, Andy called John and gave him a boxful of cash saying, "Look my dear friend. I am blessed with plenty of wealth. I find you in poverty. So, take this cash and live in prosperity."

John was overwhelmingly happy. He was joyful throughout the day. Night came. John went to bed as usual. But, he could not sleep. He went and closed the doors and windows. He still could not sleep. He began to keep on looking at the box of cash. The whole night he was disturbed.

As soon as the day broke, John took the box of cash to Andy. He gave away the box to Andy saying, "Dear friend, I am poor... But, your money took away peace from me. Please bear with me and take back your money."

MORAL: Money cannot buy happiness.

91. The Richest Man

g75074987 — 2023-08-31 00:00:34 UTC

A rich landowner named Carl often rode around his vast estate so he could congratulate himself on his great wealth. One day while riding around his estate on his favorite horse, he saw Hans, an old tenant farmer. Hans was sitting under a tree when Carl rode by.

Hans said, "I was just thanking God for my food."

Carl protested, "If that is all I had to eat, I wouldn't feel like giving thanks."

Hans replied, "God has given me everything I need and I am thankful for it."

The old farmer added, "It is strange you should come by today because I had a dream last night. In my dream a voice told me, 'The richest man in the valley will die tonight'. I don't know what it means, but I thought I ought to tell you."

Carl snorted, "Dreams are nonsense," and galloped away, but he could not forget Hans' words: The richest man in the valley will die tonight.

He was obviously the richest man in the valley, so he invited his personal doctor to his house that evening. Carl told the doctor what Hans had said. After a thorough examination, the doctor told the wealthy landowner, "Carl, you are as strong and healthy as a horse! There is no way you are going to die tonight."

Nevertheless, for assurance, the doctor stayed with Carl, and they played cards through the night. The doctor left the next morning and Carl apologised for becoming so upset over the old man's dream.

At about nine o'clock, a messenger arrived at Carl's door.

"What is it?" Carl demanded.

The messenger explained, "It's about old Hans... He died last night in his sleep."

MORAL: You don’t need money to be rich. Be grateful for what you have in life and you will feel happier. As of today, be thankful for our nation's independence. Happy Independence Day!

92. The 5 Monkeys

g75074987 — 2023-08-31 13:25:02 UTC

For research purpose, a group of scientists placed 5 monkeys in a cage, with a ladder in the middle and bananas on the top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder, the scientist soaked the rest of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, whenever a monkey attempted to climb the ladder, others would beat him up. After some time, no monkey dared go up the ladder regardless of the temptation. Scientists then decided to replace one of the monkeys.

As expected, the new monkey instantly fell for the temptation and was beaten up by the rest. After several beatings, this new member learnt not to climb up the ladder even though he never learnt the real reason. Then, a second monkey was brought in and the same thing happened. The first monkey participated in the beating of the second monkey.

The replacements continued, until only a group of 5 monkeys were left in the cage. Even though the new group of monkeys never received a cold shower, they continued to beat up any monkey that attempted to climb the ladder.

If you asked any of the new monkeys why the beatings took place, the answer would probably be, "Well, how do I know?! I guess that's how things are done around here."

MORAL: One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that's trying to make you be like everyone else... You will never influence the world if you continue doing things the same way they have always been done. Be different! Create chaos! Leave an echo behind!

93. Three Simple Rules

g75074987 — 2023-09-01 09:04:16 UTC

Once there was a rich man in Thailand. His name was Chulong. He was a very rich man. Yet he wanted more riches, more money.

One day he was walking in his garden. He saw a strange bird in a bush. It was very small. But it had very beautiful and colorful features. Its voice was also very sweet. Chulong had never seen such a bird in his life. He slowly went near the bush unseen. He caught the bird. Now the bird began to speak.

“Why have you caught me?" the bird asked.

“I want to make money. I can sell you for a big amount," replied Chulong.

“But you are already rich. Why do you want more?" asked the bird.

“Because I want to become richer and richer," replied Chulong.

“But do not dream of making money through me!" said the bird. It further added, “You cannot sell me. Nobody will buy me, because, in imprisonment, I lose my beauty and my sweet voice." Then it slowly turned into a black bird.

The beautiful features were now looking like the feathers of a crow.

Chulong hopes of making money were shattered. He said angrily, “Then, I will kill you, and I will eat your meat."

“Eat me?! I am so small. You will not get any meat out of me," replied the bird.

Chulong could not answer. The bird then suggested, “Well set me free. In return I shall teach you three simple but useful rules."

“What is the use of the rules? I want only money," said Chulong. He was irritated.

“But these rules can profit you greatly," added the bird.

“Profit me! Really? Then I shall set you free. But how can I trust you? You may fly away," said Chulong.

“I give you my word. And I always keep my word," said the bird.

Chulong wanted to take a chance. He released the bird. It flew up at once. Then it sat on the branch of a tree. Its color started changing. It became beautiful again.

Chulong yelled, “Now teach me the rules!"

“Certainly," said the bird.

Then it added, “The first rule is never believe everything others say. The second rule is never be sad about something you do not have. The third rule is never throw away what you have in your hand."

“You silly bird," shouted Chulong. And he added, “These three rules are known to everyone. You have cheated me."

But the bird said, “Chulong, just sit down for a while. Think about all your actions of today. You had me in your hands, but you threw me away (released me). You believed all that I said. And you are sad about not having me. The rules are simple. But you never followed them. Now do you see the value of the rules?" so saying the bird flew away and disappeared from his sight.

MORAL: In life, it is important to have rules and to follow them. Otherwise, life would be pointless.

94. How to Hunt a Monkey

g75074987 — 2023-11-30 01:31:34 UTC

"Do you know how hunters of old times used to trap monkeys?" a man asked his child.

"Rather than chasing them up a tree or shooting arrows from below, they’d put a heavy glass jar with a narrow neck on the floor, which had the monkeys' favourite food inside.

They’d then step back and hide, waiting for the unsuspecting animal to approach.

When it did, the monkey would reach inside, clench a fist around the food, and try to pull it out. However, the narrow neck of the jar would stop the poor monkey from getting its hand out!

It’d pull and pull, but was unsuccessful. There was simply no way to get its hand out of the jar without releasing the food.

Rather than letting go, though, the monkey would persevere, refusing to drop its dinner.

The hunters would then approach and catch the monkey and later sell it to the local zoo."

"Don’t be like that monkey!" warned the man. "In life, to fight another day and grow as a person, you must know when to quit, when to move on, and when to let go of whatever’s holding you back."

MORAL: Sometimes you have to let go and give up what you have now in order to receive something better in the future. Don’t let stubbornness be your downfall.

95. The Eagle and The Chickens

g75074987 — 2023-11-30 15:44:09 UTC

There was an eagle’s nest in a banyan tree. Her egg was laid in the nest. Under that tree was a nest of chickens. One day, suddenly, a strong wind began to blow. Due to the strong wind, the eagle egg laid in the nest above fell off and directly mixed with the chicken eggs. The hen took care of it as if it were her own egg. When the time came, the egg burst, from which a baby eagle hatched. But the hen began to confuse him with her own child.

The child grew according to the methods of the chicken over time. The baby eagle thought it was a chicken. He only flew as high as chickens and walked like them. One day he saw from above that the other birds soared into the heights of the sky. So he asked his mother, who is the bird that flies so high?

Her mother hen replied, “That’s the eagle.”

“Then why can’t we fly so high?” the eagle asked the chicken again.

Her mother replied: “Because we are chickens.”

MORAL: Our friends and surroundings determine who we are. Choose wisely.

96. The Little Pine Tree

g75074987 — 2023-12-03 10:59:37 UTC

Once there grew a little pine tree deep in the forest. It had needles that were evergreen. Yet, it was glum.

It said, "My needles are not as pretty as leaves. I wish I had golden leaves."

Next morning, it found its wish had been granted. It had shining golden leaves. A man passing by saw the golden leaves and started plucking them. Soon the little pine tree was stripped bare.

It again said, "I was wrong. I wish I had glass leaves. They would look pretty and no one would steal them. "

The next morning the tree saw that it was covered with glass leaves. They sparkled in the sunlight and tinkled gently.

But along came a storm, and the glass leaves were all broken. Once more the little tree was bare.

Now it said, "Leaves of gold and glass are pretty. But I wish I had green leaves."

Again its wish was granted, and it was covered with pretty green leaves. But then a hungry goat came and ate up all the leaves.

"What a fool I've been!", sighed the little pine tree. "My needles were the best for me. I wish I could have them back again."

Fortunately, the little pine tree was granted its wish once again and it got back its pretty needles.

MORAL: We should always be grateful for whom we are. We are perfectly created by God. Open your eyes and be thankful!

97. The Kind-Hearted Man

g75074987 — 2023-12-21 11:02:40 UTC

There was once a kind man whose name was Oliver Goldsmith. He had a gentle heart. He was always ready to help others and to share with them anything that he had. He gave away so much to the poor that he was always poor himself. He was sometimes called Doctor Goldsmith; for he had studied to be a physician.

One day, a poor woman asked Doctor Goldsmith to go and see her husband, who was sick and could not eat.

Goldsmith did so. He found that the family was in great need. The man had not had work for a long time. He was not sick, but in distress; and, as for eating, there was no food in the house.

"Call at my room this evening," said Goldsmith to the woman, "and I will give you some medicine for your husband."

In the evening, the woman called. Goldsmith gave her a little paper box that was very heavy.

"Here is the medicine," he said. "Use it faithfully, and I think it will do your husband a great deal of good. But don't open the box until you reach home."

"What are the directions for taking it?" asked the woman.

"You will find them inside of the box," he answered.

When the woman reached her home, she sat down by her husband's side, and they opened the box.

It was full of cash! And on the top were the directions:

"TO BE TAKEN WHEN NEEDED."

Surprisingly, Goldsmith had given them all the money that he had...

MORAL: Happiness comes not by having, but by giving.

98. The Man Who Made a Promise to Tell the Truth

g75074987 — 2024-04-30 08:38:45 UTC

Telling the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth saved him.

Once a man came to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and said, "Oh Prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?" The Prophet said, "Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home.

At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the Prophet asks me where I have been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing."

So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.

Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say to the Prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.

In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person.

MORAL: If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favours. If Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is a place of happiness and joy.

99. Standing by His Mother’s Bedside

g75074987 — 2024-05-14 02:06:28 UTC

A long time ago there lived a great saint. His name was Sharafud-Din and he loved his mother very much. Once, when Sharafud-Din was still young, his mother fell very ill and had to stay in bed. One night she awoke with a burning thirst and called out to her son to bring her a bowl of water.

The young boy hurried to do her bidding, but when he returned to her bedside with the water, he discovered that she had fallen asleep again. Sharafud-Din was not sure what to do. Should he wake her up or wait until she awoke, or leave the water by her bedside and go back to bed himself? He decided to wait until she awoke.

Minutes passed... Hours passed... The night passed... And still the young boy waited patiently with the water at his mother's side. Finally, his mother awoke a little after the first light of dawn had paled the sky, and to her surprise there was her beloved son by her side.

"How long have you been standing here?" she asked. "You haven't been there all night have you?"

''Yes, mother," he replied, "I have been here since you asked me to bring you some water."

His mother was deeply touched by his devotion, and asked Allah to pour His blessings on her son. One day he grew up to be a great saint!

MORAL: A man came to the Prophet (SAW) and asked, "O Messenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship?" The Prophet (SAW) said: Your mother. The man asked, "Then who?" The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, "Then who?" The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, "Then who?" The Prophet said: Then your father. (Bukhari, Muslim)

Source: "True Stories for Children" by Matina Wali Muhammad

100. Muhammed Ali’s Advice to His Daughters

g75074987 — 2024-05-15 12:55:51 UTC

The following incident took place when Muhammad Ali's daughters arrived at his home wearing clothes that were not modest. Here is the story as told by one of his daughters:

When we finally arrived, the chauffeur escorted my younger sister, Laila, and me up to my father's suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. We exchanged many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day.

My father took a good look at us. Then he sat me down on his lap and said something that I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You've got to work hard to get to them."

He looked at me with serious eyes. "Your body is sacred. You're far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too..."

MORAL: Precious and expensive things are always properly wrapped and covered.

Source: Taken from the book 'More Than a Hero: Muhammad Ali's Life Lessons Through His Daughter's Eyes'.

101. Wisdom of Iyas Ibn Muawiyah

g75074987 — 2024-05-17 09:00:43 UTC

One day, a man came to Iyas Ibn Mu'awiyah, a Muslim judge famous for his wisdom, and the following conversation took place between them:

Man: What is the Islamic ruling regarding wine?

Judge: It is Haram (Forbidden).

Man: How about water?

Judge: It is Halal (Permissible).

Man: How about dates and grapes?

Judge: They are Halal.

Man: Why is it that all these ingredients are Halal, and yet when you combine them, they become Haram?

The judge looked at the man and said: If I hit you with this handful of dirt, do you think it would hurt you?

Man: It would not.

Judge: How about if I hit you with this handful of straw?

Man: It would not hurt me.

Judge: How about a handful of water?

Man: It surely would not hurt me.

Judge: How about if I mix them, and let them dry to become a brick, and then hit you with it, would it hurt you?

Man: It would hurt me and might even kill me!

Judge: The same reasoning applies to what you asked me...

MORAL: Things in its single form may not bring any harm. But, if they are combined, they become a totally different substance and may be harmful, or even deadly. It is clear in the Quran about wine and its bad effects. Things that 'destroy' you are clearly Haram.

Iyas Ibn Muawiyah Al-Muzani was a tabi'i Qazi (judge) in the 2nd century AH who lived in Basra (modern day Iraq). He was renowned for possessing immense cleverness which became a favourite topic in Arabic folklore.

102. Ayaaz Breaks the Precious Jewel

g75074987 — 2024-05-18 07:23:04 UTC

Sultan Mahmood had a servant whose name was Ayaaz. Ayaaz was well known for his good manners and wisdom.

Once, Sultan Mahmood was holding a precious jewel in his hand while sitting with his ministers. He told one of the ministers to break the jewel. Since the jewel was very expensive, the minister refused to break it. Then the Sultan told another minister to break it. He also denied to break the jewel. One by one all the ministers refused to break the precious jewel due to its great value.

Now, Sultan Mahmood passed the jewel to Ayaaz and told him to break it. Ayaaz immediately took the stone to his hand and threw it hard on the floor. The jewel shattered into pieces. The Sultan asked Ayaaz why he broke the jewel while others denied doing so. Ayaaz said, "The jewel is valuable, but your order is more valuable."

MORAL: We should learn from this story that even if the things of this world are very precious and valuable, the orders of Allah are much more valuable. So, we should follow them... Remember the story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son, Prophet Ismail (AS)?

103. The Fisherman and His Son

g75074987 — 2024-05-19 02:40:28 UTC

A young lad asked his fisherman father,

"Papa, is it okay to tell people about my goals and dreams in life?"

The fisherman was silent for a moment, then asked,

"Why do you want to know that?"

The young lad answered,

"Well, papa, I have many big dreams, really big! I want to be of impact in all areas of life, to my generation and all aspects of life. However, I don't know if I should or shouldn't tell people about these dreams I have."

The fisherman smiled, then said,

"You know what... let's go catch some fish in the river. And then, we will continue this conversation, okay?"

At that moment, the fisherman and his son took their fishing equipment and went fishing. At the river, they put a piece of bait on the hook and casted the fishing rod into the river to catch a fish.

A few hours later, they had already caught a lot of fish and their basket was almost filled. The fisherman then stopped, pointed at the basket, and said to his son,

"Take a look at all these fish in the basket. They've been caught by the hook, and their fate is now different from that of those in the river. These fish have lost everything in their lives; their families, friends and home. Sadly, they will have to suffer and be killed in a gruesome way. Some will be fried, some baked, some barbecued, some grilled, some steamed, etc. Do you know why they have to go through much misfortune?"

The boy thought for a minute, then shook his head and said,

"I don't know, papa. Tell me."

The fisherman took a deep breath, and then whistled,

"Well, it is because they couldn't close their mouths. It is stated that a fish with a closed mouth never gets caught by the hook. It never falls a victim."

Upon saying that, the fisherman patted his son's shoulder, smiled and then continued,

"Son, this is what happens in real life. Many people have failed and lost everything they ever acquired in life because they opened their mouths too wide and told other people about their dreams and plans. A good reason to guard your senses and keep your mouth shut about upcoming projects is that most people do not want to see you succeed. This is a piece of advice to save your plans from being sabotaged by people who envy you."

MORAL: You should never announce your dreams until they are close to completion. Many people will do everything in their power to send a dagger through your chest just to ensure you don't succeed. A closed mouth never gets into trouble. Keep your big move a secret. Move in silence. Take action, and shock people with your results.

104. Positively Change Ourselves

g75074987 — 2024-05-20 10:35:40 UTC

There was a king long time ago and he had a vast kingdom. Though he had tremendous amount of wealth, he didn't have peace of heart. So, he decided to be a good Muslim. He heard that there is a very pious man who stays in a jungle and that many people go to visit him for advice. The king decided to visit him for some advice also.

When he got there, he asked the pious man "How can I become pious like you?"

The pious man replied, "Remember death 40 times a day for 40 days."

The king thought that it was very easy, and he thanked him and left for his palace. He remembered death 40 times a day for 40 days, but no change came to his life. He was still the same as before.

The king became very angry and called for the pious man to be brought to his court. The king told him that he is nothing but a liar and that he should be killed before he fools other people. It was decided that he will be beheaded the next day. But the pious man had a request. He asked if he could become the king for a day. He promised that after getting the command, he will not kill the previous king or do any harm to him.

So, the king agreed and made the pious man the king for a day. As soon as the pious man became the king, he went to the market and saw a man selling peanuts. He told the soldiers to arrest that man and bring him to the palace. So, the peanut seller was brought to the court. The pious man told the peanut seller that he will be killed the next day. The peanut seller became frightened and dropped all his peanuts. He started crying and asked what he did wrong. But the pious man said that he will be killed tomorrow and locked up in jail for today.

Now, as the peanut seller knew that he is going to die, he forgot about everything else and started asking forgiveness from Allah. He started praying and doing excessive dhikir (remembrance of Allah). The pious man ordered that the most beautiful prostitute in the city be brought and placed in jail with peanut seller. Soon, a prostitute was brought, and she asked the peanut seller to commit adultery with her. Now the pious man brought the previous king and told him to watch. The peanut seller started yelling at the woman to get away because he is going to die tomorrow, and this evil deed will surely cause him problems with Allah.

Then, the pious man told the previous king what was going on. The pious man explained that when you really know that you will die, then you will surely stay away from all evil deeds and engage yourself into the worship of Allah. Thus, remembering death once properly would be enough to change the life of a human being.

Of course, the peanut seller was released afterwards.

MORAL: By remembering death, we will surely stay away from bad deeds and intentions.

105. 3 Tough Questions

g75074987 — 2024-05-22 13:44:48 UTC

There was a young man who went overseas to study for quite a long time. When he left London and returned to Iraq, he asked his parents to find him a religious scholar or any expert who could answer his 3 questions. Finally, his parents were able to find a Muslim scholar.

Young man:

Who are you? Do you think you can answer my 3 questions?

Scholar:

I am one of Allah (SubHana Wa Ta`ala )'s slaves and Insha-Allah (God willing), I will be able to answer your questions.

Young man:

Are you sure? A lot of Professors and experts were not able to answer my questions.

Scholar:

I will try my best, with the help of Allah (SubHana Wa Ta`ala).

Young Man:

I have 3 questions:

1. Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.

2. What is takdir (fate)?

3. If shaitan (devil) was created from the fire, why at the end he will be thrown to hell that is also created from fire. It certainly will not hurt him at all, since shaitan (devil) and the hell were created from fire. Did God not think of it this far?

Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face very hard.

Young Man

(feeling pain) Why are you angry at me?

Scholar:

I am not angry. The slap is my answer to your three questions.

Young Man:

I really don't understand.

Scholar:

How do you feel after I slapped you?

Young Man:

Of course, I felt the pain.

Scholar:

So, do you believe that pain exists?

Young Man:

Yes.

Scholar:

Now, show me the shape of the pain!

Young Man:

I can't...

Scholar:

That is my first answer. All of us feel God's existence without being able to see His shape... Last night, did you dream that you will be slapped by me?

Young Man:

No...

Scholar:

Did you ever think that you will get a slap from me, today?

Young Man:

No.

Scholar:

That is takdir (fate). My hand that I used to slap you, what is it created from?

Young Man:

It is created from flesh.

Scholar:

How about your face, what is it created from?

Young Man:

Flesh.

Scholar:

How do you feel after I slapped you?

Young Man:

In pain.

Scholar:

Even though shaitan (devil) and also hell are both created from fire, if Allah wants, insha-Allah (God willing), the hell will become a very painful place for shaitan (devil).

MORAL: Not all things can be based on logic of reason. But, for sure, there is a concrete explanation for everything.

106. Importance of saying Insha Allah

g75074987 — 2024-05-23 12:13:34 UTC

During a Jumah Khutbah in a small town, an Imam talked about the significance of saying "Insha Allah" (which means ''if Allah wills'') when planning to do something in the future.

After a few days, a man who had also attended the Khutbah was going to buy a cow from the market. On the way, he met a friend who asked him where he was going. He told him about buying the cow but did not say Insha Allah in the end. His friend reminded him about the Khutbah and told him to say Insha Allah. However, this individual said that he had the money he needs and the energy to go to the market, thus, there is no point of saying Insha Allah as he will certainly buy the cow. He thought that saying Insha Allah will not make any difference.

When he reached the market, he found a cow that met his expectations. He bargained with the seller and came to a reasonable price. Finally, he decided to pay for the cow but was dumbfounded when he discovered that his money was missing. A thief had stolen the money while he was walking through the busy market. The cow seller asked him whether he was going to buy the cow or not. "Insha Allah, I will buy it next week," he replied.

When he reached home, his wife inquired about the cow. He told her about how he forgot to say Insha Allah, and also added, "Insha Allah, I wanted to buy the cow. But Insha Allah, my money was stolen. Insha Allah, I will buy it next week."

His wife clarified to him that we should say Insha Allah for things that are yet to happen, not for those things that had already happened.

From that day onwards, he never forgot his "Insha Allah" again.

MORAL: By saying Insha Allah, we are leaving it to Allah (SWT) to decide. He can make the thing happen or not happen. It is up to Him, not us.

This incident was narrated by Shaikh Wahidullah from Toronto, Canada.

107. The King and the Poor Man

g75074987 — 2024-05-24 14:00:46 UTC

There was a king who decided to take a tour of his kingdom. As he passed by different places, everyone rushed to see him. However, while passing by a particular place, he noticed a poor old man who did not pay any attention to the king's arrival and remained engaged in his own activities.

The king went up to this poor man and asked why he did not join the people to see him. The poor man replied, "Before you, there was another king who once passed by this place. Everyone gathered to see him as well. But, few days later he died and was buried in a place nearby. A poor man also died during that time and was buried near the king's grave. After some time, a strong flood passed through that area causing those graves to overturn. As a result, the bones of the poor man became mixed up with those of the king's. We could not differentiate between them any longer. After seeing this, it does not matter to me anymore as to who is a 'king' and who is a 'beggar'. In the end, our 'home' is the same."

MORAL: We are all created equal in the eyes of God.

Narrated by brother Ayyub from Toronto, Canada during one of his lectures.

108. Did You Thank God for Your Eyesight?

g75074987 — 2024-05-25 10:46:33 UTC

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help!" There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it to the opposite side, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."

What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it..."

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

MORAL: "It is He, Who has created for you (the sense of) hearing (ears), sight (eyes), and hearts (understanding). Little thanks you give." [Surah Al-Mu'minun; 78]

109. The Lesson in Failure

g75074987 — 2024-05-30 04:53:22 UTC

Once upon a time, in a bustling town, there lived a young student named Alex. Alex was diligent and hardworking, always striving for excellence in academics. However, despite his best efforts, Alex unexpectedly failed an important exam.

Devastated and disheartened, Alex felt like all his hard work had been for naught. He couldn't understand why he had failed despite his best efforts.

Feeling dejected, Alex confided in his wise grandmother, who listened patiently. With a gentle smile, she shared a story from her own youth:

"When I was your age, I failed an exam too," she began. "I felt like it was the end of the world, just like you do now. But failure isn't the end; it's a chance to learn and grow."

She continued, "It's not about how many times you fall, but how you rise each time. Failure teaches us humility, resilience, and the importance of perseverance."

Inspired by her words, Alex resolved not to dwell on his failure but to learn from it instead. He studied harder, sought help when needed, and approached all upcoming exams with a newfound determination.

In the end, Alex not only passed the exam but also gained valuable insights that extended far beyond academics. He learned the true value of resilience, determination, and the importance of seeking guidance when faced with challenges.

MORAL: Alex's journey through failure became a testament to the age-old wisdom: Failure is not the end but a stepping stone on the path to success.

110. All for One and One for All

g75074987 — 2024-05-30 15:21:45 UTC

Mahang is a small rural area nestled between rolling hills and lush palm trees. There, three girls named Alyaa, Tasha, and Yati forged a bond that would carry them through the challenges of high school and beyond. Despite coming from different backgrounds, they shared a passion for learning and a drive for success.

Every evening, the trio would gather at Tasha's cosy wooden house, surrounded by stacks of textbooks and notebooks. With determination in their hearts and a shared goal of acing their SPM examination, they devoted themselves to their studies, pushing each other to excel.

Among all the subjects, English posed a particular challenge. But instead of giving in to frustration, Alyaa, Tasha, and Yati decided to tackle it head-on. They spent hours dissecting grammar rules, practising writing essays, and refining their comprehension skills, as taught by their English teacher.

Their hard work paid off when the day of the English paper arrived. Nerves tingling with anticipation, they sat side by side in the examination hall, pencils poised and minds focused. With each question, they drew upon the knowledge and strategies they had honed together.

When the day of the results to be announced came, the girls gathered anxiously, holding their smartphones and opening the link to see their marks. And when they saw that they had all scored A's for the English paper, they couldn't contain their joy. Hugs were exchanged, tears were shed, and laughter filled the air as they celebrated their shared success.

As they reflected on their journey, Alyaa, Tasha, and Yati realised that their triumph was not just the result of their individual efforts, but of the unwavering support and camaraderie they had shared along the way. They had proven that with teamwork, dedication, and a supportive community, any obstacle could be overcome. And yes, the school's work motto 'We Care, We Share, We Collaborate' and school's tagline 'Beyond the Limits' were true indeed.

MORAL: The moral of the story is that success is sweeter when shared with others. By lifting each other up, supporting one another through challenges, and celebrating each other's victories, we can achieve greatness together. And no matter how daunting the task may seem, with the right friends by our side, anything is possible.

111. Reading: The Path to Success

g75074987 — 2024-05-31 14:03:55 UTC

In a small village, Cherok Kedah, there lived a young boy named Ali. Unlike his peers who spent their afternoons playing football or flying kites, Ali preferred to wander the narrow alleys of his village, lost in his own thoughts.

Ali had never been interested in reading. Whenever his mother urged him to pick up a book, he would dismiss it with a wave of his hand, preferring the adventures that awaited him outside. But as time passed, Ali began to notice something peculiar. His friends seemed to possess a knowledge and understanding of the world that he lacked. They spoke of distant lands, of heroes and villains, and of ideas that stretched beyond the confines of their small village.

One day, as Ali wandered aimlessly through the village, he stumbled upon an old bookstore tucked away in a corner. Intrigued, he pushed open the creaky door and stepped inside. The air was thick with the smell of aged paper, and shelves upon shelves of books lined the walls. Ali felt a strange sense of wonder wash over him as he ran his fingers along the spines, each one promising a new adventure.

Without realising it, Ali found himself drawn to a particular book - a thick novel bound in weathered leather. With trembling hands, he pulled it from the shelf and flipped through its pages. As he read, a world of magic and mystery unfolded before him, and Ali was captivated.

From that day on, Ali spent every spare moment devouring books. He read of faraway lands and ancient civilisations, of love and loss, of triumph and tragedy. With each page he turned, Ali felt himself growing wiser and more enlightened.

As the years passed, Ali's love for reading only deepened. He became known throughout the village as a fond of knowledge, and people would often seek his counsel on matters both great and small. But despite his newfound wisdom, Ali remained humble, always attributing his success to the power of reading.

In the teachings of Islam, Ali found confirmation of what he had come to believe - that knowledge is the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. As the Quran states, "Read! In the name of your Lord who created." And so, Ali continued to read, knowing that in the pursuit of knowledge lay the path to enlightenment.

MORAL: The moral of Ali's story is clear: in the pursuit of knowledge lies the path to enlightenment, as taught by Islam.

112. The 3 Seafaring Stooges

g75074987 — 2024-06-01 15:00:30 UTC

Once upon a time, in the vast expanse of the ocean, there were three hapless adventurers: Captain Clueless, Navigator Numbnuts, and Sailor Scatterbrain. Despite their lack of maritime expertise, they set sail on a quest to find the legendary Island of Endless Treasure.

As they sailed, Captain Clueless, with his map upside down, declared confidently, "Fear not, mates! We're headed straight for the Island of Endless Treasure!" Little did he know they were sailing in circles.

Navigator Numbnuts, busy gazing at the stars through a telescope backward, chimed in, "Aye aye, Captain! We'll reach the island in no time!" His misguided enthusiasm only added to their misfortune.

Meanwhile, Sailor Scatterbrain, lost in thought about what he'd spend his share of the treasure on, accidentally threw their only compass overboard, mistaking it for a fishing bobber.

Days turned into weeks, and the trio found themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but water. Hungry, tired, and utterly lost, they began to regret their foolishness.

Suddenly, amidst their despair, they spotted a bottle bobbing in the waves. Inside, they found a message: "To find the Island of Endless Treasure, look within yourselves."

Perplexed, they pondered the cryptic message until Captain Clueless had a revelation. "The real treasure isn't on some distant island," he declared. "It's the friendship and camaraderie we share on this journey!"

Navigator Numbnuts nodded in agreement, finally understanding the true meaning of their adventure. "You're right, Captain. We may not have found gold, but we've found something far more valuable."

Sailor Scatterbrain smiled, realising that their bond was indeed priceless. And so, with newfound wisdom and unity, they turned their ship around, setting sail for home.

MORAL: Sometimes the greatest treasures are not material possessions but the friendships we cherish and the adventures we share together.

113. Mr. Patel and Raj

g75074987 — 2024-06-03 10:33:39 UTC

In a quiet village nestled amidst lush green fields, there lived a wise and compassionate teacher named Mr. Patel. Mr. Patel was known far and wide for his dedication to his students, especially those who faced hardships. Among his pupils was a young boy named Raj, who came from a poor family struggling to make ends meet.

Despite his difficult circumstances, Raj was eager to learn and had a thirst for knowledge that burned brightly within him. However, his family's poverty often hindered his education, as they could not afford to buy him books or pay for extra tutoring.

Seeing the potential in Raj, Mr. Patel took him under his wing, offering him guidance and support both inside and outside the classroom. He lent Raj books from his own collection, stayed after school to help him with his studies, and encouraged him to never give up on his dreams.

With Mr. Patel's unwavering belief in him, Raj flourished academically, excelling in his studies and earning top marks in his class. But more than that, Mr. Patel instilled in Raj a sense of confidence and self-worth that transcended his humble beginnings.

One day, as Raj was walking home from school, he noticed a group of younger children gathered around a makeshift classroom under a tree. Curious, he approached and discovered that they were being taught by an elderly man who had no formal training but was doing his best to educate the village's poorest children.

Inspired by Mr. Patel's example, Raj decided to pay it forward. He began volunteering his time to help the elderly teacher, sharing the knowledge and skills he had acquired under Mr. Patel's guidance. Together, they transformed the makeshift classroom into a thriving center of learning, where children from all walks of life could receive an education free of charge.

Word of Raj's selfless deeds spread throughout the village, and soon people from far and wide came to support their cause. With their help, they were able to build a proper schoolhouse and provide even more resources for the children.

Years passed, and Raj grew up to become a successful educator himself, following in the footsteps of his beloved teacher, Mr. Patel. But no matter how far he went in life, he never forgot the lessons he had learned from the kind-hearted teacher who had believed in him when no one else did.

MORAL: True education is not measured by wealth or privilege, but by the compassion and dedication of those who are willing to impart knowledge and uplift others, no matter the cost.

114. A Friday to Remember

g75074987 — 2024-06-07 01:45:53 UTC

In the bustling city of Medina, amidst the dusty streets and vibrant marketplaces, there lived a young man named Umar. Umar was a devout Muslim who cherished the sacred day of Friday, eagerly awaiting the congregational prayers at the mosque.

One particular Friday, as Ali made his way to the mosque, he noticed an elderly man struggling to carry a heavy load of groceries. Without hesitation, Umar rushed to help him, carrying the burden with a smile.

Grateful for Ali's kindness, the old man introduced himself as Abdul. They walked together towards the mosque, engaging in heartfelt conversation along the way. Abdul shared stories of his youth and wisdom accumulated over the years, while Umar listened intently, absorbing every word.

As they reached the mosque, Umar bid farewell to Abdul and entered to join the congregation for the Friday prayers. Throughout the service, Umar couldn't shake off the warmth he felt from his encounter with Abdul.

After the prayers, Umar searched for Abdul to thank him once more, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, Umar returned home, reflecting on the significance of their brief encounter.

In the days that followed, Umar found himself yearning to emulate Abdul's kindness and generosity. He started volunteering at local charities, helping those in need and spreading joy wherever he went.

Years passed, and Umar became known throughout the city for his selflessness and compassion. One day, as he walked through the marketplace, he noticed a young man struggling just as Abdul had years ago. Without hesitation, Umar rushed to help him, carrying the burden with a smile.

The young man, astonished by Umar's kindness, asked why he was helping him. Umar simply replied, "On Fridays, we remember the importance of kindness and compassion towards others. It is a day to reflect on the blessings bestowed upon us and to spread love in our community."

MORAL: And so, the moral of the story is that Fridays are not just a day of congregational prayers for Muslims, but also a reminder to extend kindness, compassion, and generosity to others, leaving a positive impact on the world around us.

115. Importance of Self-Care

g75074987 — 2024-06-10 11:19:39 UTC

Mrs. Anita was a dedicated teacher who loved her job and cared deeply for her students. She spent long hours preparing lessons, grading papers, and thinking of new ways to engage her class. However, the demands of her profession, coupled with the expectations placed on her by the school administration and parents, often left her feeling overwhelmed.

As the weeks went by, Mrs. Anita began to experience frequent migraines. At first, she dismissed them as mere headaches, but they grew more intense and frequent. She tried to push through the pain, believing that taking time off would only make things worse for her students and her colleagues.

One particularly busy week, Mrs. Anita had back-to-back meetings, a stack of papers to grade, and a school play to coordinate. The pressure was immense. Her migraines became debilitating, leaving her in a dark room after school, unable to function.

Her friend and colleague, Mr. Rahman, noticed her struggles and suggested she see a doctor. Reluctantly, Mrs. Anita agreed. The doctor told her that her migraines were stress-induced and advised her to take some time off work, relax, and find ways to manage her stress better.

Mrs. Anita was hesitant at first. She worried about falling behind and letting her students down. However, she realised that if she continued to push herself without addressing her health, she would not be able to help anyone in the long run. She decided to take the doctor's advice.

During her time off, Mrs. Anita learned about stress management techniques such as meditation, regular exercise, and setting boundaries at work. She started delegating some of her responsibilities and asking for help when needed. When she returned to work, she felt more in control and her migraines lessened significantly.

With a new perspective on balancing work and health, Mrs. Anita shared her experience with her students. She told them about the importance of taking care of oneself and seeking help when necessary. She emphasised that it was okay to step back and take a break to recharge.

MORAL: The story of Mrs. Anita teaches us that self-care is essential, especially in high-stress professions. Ignoring one's health for the sake of work can lead to severe consequences. By recognising the signs of stress and taking proactive steps to manage it, we can perform better in our roles and maintain our well-being. Asking for help and setting boundaries are not signs of weakness, but of strength and wisdom.

116. Mahang Outreach: International Pen Pal Competition 2024

g75074987 — 2024-06-11 10:41:54 UTC

In a digital age where communication often happens at the tap of a screen, there remained one traditional method that still held its charm: pen pal letter writing. And it was this timeless practice that brought together students from Malaysia, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia in a unique international competition, organised by Malaysia, the land of diverse cultures and warm hospitality.

The competition was split into three categories: letter writing, mini documentary, and live video discussion. Each participating school was tasked with selecting their most talented and passionate students to represent their country. Among the competitors was a small rural school nestled amidst the lush greenery of Kedah, known as SMK Mahang.

At SMK Mahang, the students took the competition seriously. Led by their dedicated English teacher, Mr. Huzairul, they poured their hearts into crafting heartfelt letters, producing captivating documentaries showcasing their culture and heritage, and engaging in lively discussions about global issues during the live video sessions.

Despite facing challenges such as limited resources and internet connectivity issues, the students of SMK Mahang persevered. They stayed back after school, worked tirelessly on their projects, and supported each other every step of the way. Their hard work and diligence paid off as they submitted their entries with pride and confidence.

As the judges deliberated and the anticipation grew, the results were finally announced. SMK Mahang emerged victorious, winning not just one, but all three categories of the competition! Their letters touched the hearts of the judges with their sincerity and warmth, their documentary captivated audiences with its authenticity and creativity, and their live discussions showcased their intelligence and empathy.

The victory of SMK Mahang sent ripples of joy and pride throughout the small rural community. It was proof to the power of determination, teamwork, and perseverance. But more importantly, it highlighted the universal truth that greatness knows no boundaries – it can be found in the smallest of schools, in the most unexpected of places.

As the students of SMK Mahang celebrated their triumph, they learned a valuable lesson: that success is not measured by where you come from or what resources you have, but by the passion, dedication, and resilience you bring to the table. And so, they vowed to continue chasing their dreams, knowing that with hard work and diligence, anything is possible.

MORAL: Success is not determined by external factors such as wealth or location, but by the effort, dedication, and perseverance one puts into their endeavours. It teaches us that with hard work and determination, even the most unlikely of candidates can achieve greatness.

117. Keep Your Circle Small

g75074987 — 2024-07-09 11:00:19 UTC

A young girl asked an elderly woman: "Do I really need friends in life?"

The elderly woman responded: "Yes! Life is truly very rough. There should be someone by your side with whom you can talk for hours without feeling that they would judge you; on whose shoulders you can cry, one who will give you emotional support. When no one will be there for you, they should be there. One who should help you share the good times and overcome the difficult ones."

The young girl asked: "Is it true that a fake friend is more dangerous than an enemy?"

The elderly woman responded: "Yes. It's because you know who your enemy is and you're not going to let them get close to you. But a false friend is pretending while getting your trust. They find out your vulnerabilities, your secrets and your dreams. They know which button to press and how to stab you in the back."

The young girl asked: "How do I avoid being surrounded by fake friends?"

The elderly woman paused for a short moment, then asked, "Between a small garden and a forest, which one has more snakes and scorpions?"

The young girl responded: "The forest, sure!"

The elderly woman smiled, and then said: "Good! When you keep your circle of friends small like a small garden, the less snakes and scorpions you have to worry about, even rats. The fewer people you hang out with, the fewer problems you have to deal with. When I was young, I had a very big group of friends. But as I grew old and wise with experience, my circle of friends became smaller. I realised that quality outweighs quantity when it comes to friendship. Don’t fool yourself by holding onto the illusion that everyone is your friend. You may have numerous acquaintances, but real friends will always be just a few people you love and trust. The best way to prevent yourself from falling into the fake friend trap is by being more mindful about the size of your circle."

MORAL: The less friends you have, the less drama that you'll face.

118. The Memory Remains

g75074987 — 2024-07-25 10:51:57 UTC

When John Lennon (of The Beatles) met Yoko Ono in 1966, he was instantly head over heels. He dropped his first wife, Cynthia, like a hot potato. He had an affair and married Yoko in early 1969. He gave his ex only a stipend as a divorce settlement, although he knew Cynthia was going to have to support and raise their son, Julian, who was then just five years old.

After a few years, Cynthia was soon almost flat broke, she knew she would have to get some money together in order for she and Julian to survive. She made a necessary decision, she would sell the love letters and drawings John had given her when they were a young couple, in love, in their teens. The letters were very passionate, filled with “I love you, Cyn” quotes. You can imagine how much it must have hurt Cynthia to have to part with these priceless keepsakes! Cynthia sold them for a large amount. The buyer was none other than Paul McCartney (also of The Beatles). Paul had paid a small fortune for the mementoes. A few days later, Cynthia received all the letters and drawings in the mail, now all neatly framed. They came with a note. The note read:

"Never sell your memories. Love, Paul McCartney".

MORAL: We have to hold on to memories so that we can cherish the past.

119. The Spirit of the Games

g75074987 — 2024-07-30 09:38:13 UTC

Once upon a time, in a small village positioned in the hills, there lived a young man named Leo. Leo had always been passionate about sports, and he dreamed of one day competing in the Olympic Games. He was a talented runner, known throughout the village for his speed and endurance.

However, Leo's family was not wealthy, and he lacked the resources to train with professional equipment or coaches.

Despite these challenges, Leo trained tirelessly every day. He ran through the fields, over hills, and along the winding roads, always pushing himself to go faster and farther. His determination and hard work began to pay off as he won local races and earned the admiration of his fellow villagers.

One day, news came that the Olympic Games were coming to the neighboring city. The village was abuzz with excitement, and Leo's heart soared with hope. He knew this was his chance to compete on the world stage. However, there was one significant obstacle: Leo needed to qualify for the national team, which required winning a regional competition against some of the best athletes in the country.

On the day of the regional competition, Leo faced fierce competitors. They had the best equipment, personal trainers, and years of experience. But Leo was undeterred. He remembered the words of his old coach, Mr. Tan, who had always told him, "The spirit of the Games is not about winning; it's about giving your best and showing true sportsmanship."

As the race began, Leo ran with all his might. He felt the wind in his hair and the pounding of his heart in his chest. For most of the race, he was neck and neck with a runner named Max, who was the favourite to win. In the final stretch, Max stumbled and fell. Leo had the opportunity to take the lead and secure his place in the Olympics, but something inside him made him stop.

Leo turned back, helped Max to his feet, and encouraged him to keep running. They crossed the finish line together, with Leo coming in second place. Although he didn't win, the crowd erupted in applause, moved by his act of sportsmanship.

To Leo's surprise, the Olympic committee recognised his extraordinary spirit and decided to award him a special spot on the national team. They believed that someone who embodied the true spirit of the Games deserved to compete.

At the Olympics, Leo competed with all his heart. While he didn't win a medal, he made friends from around the world and inspired countless others with his story. He returned to his village a hero, not just for his athletic abilities but for his character and integrity.

MORAL: True success is not just about winning, but about how we play the game. The spirit of sportsmanship, kindness, and integrity are what truly make us champions. Leo's story reminds us that the Olympic Games are not just a competition but a celebration of humanity's best qualities.

120. The Man Who Stood Alone

g75074987 — 2024-08-13 01:46:53 UTC

In December 1937, during a football match at Stamford Bridge in London between Chelsea FC and Charlton FC, the game was abandoned in the 60th minute due to heavy fog.

Unfortunately, Charlton FC goalkeeper Sam Bartram was unaware that the match had been stopped and continued to guard his goal for another fifteen minutes. He did not hear the referee's whistle because of the noise from the crowd behind him. Believing that his teammates were attacking the opposing goal, he stood with outstretched arms, fully focused on protecting his goal amidst the dense fog.

It was only fifteen minutes later when the field police approached him and informed him that the match had been abandoned fifteen minutes earlier. Sam Bartram, deeply saddened by this, famously said:

"HOW SAD THAT MY FRIENDS FORGOT ME WHEN I WAS GUARDING THEIR GATE..."

MORAL: Life's game is much like this. We diligently and supportively guard the goals of many around us, but when the situation becomes foggy, some may abandon us.

121. Mr. Honda

g75074987 — 2024-09-15 01:13:26 UTC

A long time ago in Japan, there was a boy who wasn’t smart, often sick, and not handsome either.

In class, he sat at the very back because he was afraid the teacher would call him to the front. Every day, he accompanied his father at the agricultural machine repair shop in Kamyo village, Shizuko district.

At the age of 8, he could pedal his bike as far as 14 km just to see an airplane.

At 15, he dropped out of school and worked at a machine shop for the Hary Shokai Company.

At 21, he was entrusted with opening a branch. Because he was diligent, the shop thrived.

But he wasn’t satisfied and decided to become an entrepreneur by opening his own shop and producing piston rings. Unfortunately, TOYOTA rejected his work because it was considered far from standard, and he was bullied and mocked by his friends.

He was sad and fell ill. After recovering, he decided to go to college to gain more knowledge.

However, he dropped out and couldn’t continue his studies. He tried, failed repeatedly, and kept failing.

In 1947, Japan was in ruins.

His life became even worse, and he sold everything for daily needs, including his beloved car.

From that point, his life began to turn around!

He had a bicycle, his only one. He attached a small motor to his bicycle.

And unexpectedly...

The bicycle with a small motor was what changed his life. Many people wanted to buy it, and eventually, he mass-produced his creation.

His business grew rapidly, even expanding into car production.

And it spread all over the world! He became a legendary founding father.

He was SOICHIRO HONDA (Owner of Honda Company from Japan).

What did he say?

"There is no success without struggle."

People only see me now, standing with a row of cars and all my success.

Know this, that’s just 1% of my achievement, 99% is my failure.

Few people are willing to see that.

People are more dazzled by the success without wanting to see how that success was built through a difficult, exhausting process, filled with ups and downs, ridicule, bullying, betrayal, and underestimation...

MORAL: Success requires spirit and perseverance.

122. The Elephant and the Duck

g75074987 — 2025-08-28 05:36:46 UTC

One day, a fox approached an elephant and said,
"Look, this is ridiculous. The duck keeps talking badly about you behind your back. He’s spreading lies! You need to teach him a lesson!"

The elephant frowned upon and replied,
"I will teach him a lesson and break every bone in his body! Just go back to sleep and leave it to me."

The next day, the fox returned and said,
"You didn’t do anything! He’s still gossiping about you. This is getting out of hand. You can’t just stay quiet!"

The elephant grunted and whispered,
"Yes, it’s time to teach that fool a lesson. Leave it to me."

On the third day, the fox urged again,
"You’re too calm! The duck is bad-mouthing you everywhere. Teach him a lesson once and for all!"

The elephant finally said,
"Alright, bring me a cutlass, a shovel, and an axe. I’ll handle it!"

Excited, the fox fetched the tools and handed them to the elephant. But to his surprise, the elephant walked straight to his farm and began to work.

Stunned, the fox asked,
"Wait! I thought you were going to teach the duck a lesson?"

The elephant smiled and replied,
"I am. I’m too busy building my life to worry about a duck whose only skill is to quack. I’m a majestic creature of strength and wisdom. Why stoop to the level of one known only for noise and gossip? Let me farm in peace. I’ll return your tools when I’m done."

MORAL: In life, you’ll meet ducks, people who gossip, lie, and try to drag you down. But like the elephant, be wise. Don’t waste your energy on noise. Focus on your purpose, your peace, and your power. Never stoop to their level.

123. The Two Notes

g75074987 — 2025-10-02 15:01:15 UTC

The RM1 and RM100 notes were both printed by Bank Negara Malaysia but were separated once they left the bank. A few months later, they met again in the wallet of a young man.

RM100 was surprised to see RM1 worn out and dirty, and asked him why. RM1 replied that it was because he often passed through the hands of labourers, hawkers, beggars, and the poor.

On the other hand, RM100 proudly said that he always remained 'clean' as he was only found in luxury restaurants, shopping complexes, and high-class hotels.

Then RM1 asked again, “Have you ever been in a mosque?”

RM100 answered, “Uh… never.”

RM1 then said, “Know this, even though I am only RM1, I am always present in places of worship, and in the hands of orphans and the needy. I am grateful because I am not seen for my value, but for the benefit I bring.”

In the end, RM100 was touched and realised that although he had high value, he gave little benefit.

MORAL: The lesson is, we should not be arrogant about rank or position. Sometimes something small and often looked down upon brings far greater benefits.

124. The Sole Japanese Survivor on the Titanic

g75074987 — 2025-10-04 00:32:35 UTC

The sole Japanese person aboard.

He was the only person from the land of the rising sun on the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

On the night the ship sank, Masabumi Hosono was trapped on board.

He didn't manage to get into a lifeboat.

According to Japanese tradition, it would have been more honourable for him to choose death rather than life.

In the midst of the chaos, a ship's officer shouted for the remaining passengers to enter a lifeboat.

Thinking of his wife and children in Japan, Masabumi didn't hesitate and immediately jumped into the lifeboat.

He returned safely, but his life was never the same.

The villagers mocked and ostracised him. He was called a coward.

His actions were considered a disgrace.

To make matters worse, Masabumi was fired by his employer.

His family was also threatened, and untrue rumors spread.

He ultimately died under heartbreaking circumstances.

All because of one irrational belief.

MORAL: Social can be cruel and unjust. The primary tragedy is not the sinking of the ship, but the reaction of society afterward. The villagers and his employer showed a profound lack of empathy, choosing to condemn him as a coward for choosing life, rather than celebrating his survival. This demonstrates how fear and rigid beliefs can lead communities to be cruel and unforgiving.

125. The Unhappy Crow

g75074987 — 2026-02-17 13:11:50 UTC

Once there was a crow who hated his life because people chased him away, no one fed him, and no one cared.

One day, as he cried on a tree, a tear fell onto the cheek of a monk sitting below. When the monk asked why he was crying, the crow replied that no one loved him and that people treated him like trash, making his life feel worthless. The monk gently told him that happiness isn’t about what you are, but how you see your life. When the crow didn't quite understand, the monk offered him a choice: if he could be anything, what would he choose?

The crow immediately chose a swan, believing that everyone loves them. The monk suggested he first go and ask a swan if he was truly happy. To the crow's surprise, the swan said he wasn't happy because he had no colors, and he believed the parrot must be happier. When the crow found the parrot, the parrot explained that he wasn't happy either because he lived in a cage, and he thought the peacock must be the happiest of all.

Finally, the crow spoke to the peacock, who revealed that his beauty was actually a trap that cost him his freedom. The peacock looked at the crow and said, "You are the only bird no one cages. You are free."

MORAL: Most people aren’t unhappy because life is bad; they’re unhappy because they compare themselves to others. There will always be someone with more and someone with less, but if you keep comparing, you will never be satisfied. Freedom and peace matter far more than status. You must stop comparing yourself to others, as that habit is exactly what destroys your happiness.

126. A Blessing in Ramadan

g75074987 — 2026-02-19 02:31:01 UTC

In a small village, there lived a poor boy named Adam. Every Ramadan, he watched other families prepare delicious meals for iftar. His own family, however, had very little. Some days, they only had rice and salt.

One evening, on the way home from the mosque, Adam found a small packet on the roadside. Inside were three fresh dates and a few ringgit. His heart leapt with joy.

“This is enough for a good iftar tonight,” he whispered.

But then he remembered the imam’s reminder during taraweeh:
“Ramadan is not only about hunger. It is about honesty, patience, and trust in Allah.”

Adam stood there for a moment. He looked around and noticed an old man searching the ground anxiously.

“Pak cik, are you looking for something?” Adam asked.

“My dates… and some money. I dropped them somewhere,” the old man replied sadly. “That was all I had for tonight.”

Adam felt a struggle inside his heart. His family needed that food. He was hungry too.

Slowly, he took the packet from his pocket and handed it to the old man.

“I think this belongs to you.”

The old man’s eyes filled with tears. “May Allah reward you, my son.”

That night, Adam returned home empty-handed. When his mother asked about iftar, he simply smiled and said, “Allah will provide.”

Just before Maghrib, there was a knock at their door. It was the old man — carrying bags of food.

“I told some friends at the mosque about your son’s honesty,” he told Adam’s mother. “This is for your family...”

MORAL: Fasting teaches self-control, sincerity, and trust in Allah. Allah provides in unexpected ways. When we sacrifice for good, blessings often return multiplied.