We do not become poor by giving

The Universe is in an eternal state of cycles. Day & night, cycle of seasons, water cycle, seed to tree to seed….. Nature's attempt to convey to us that giving and receiving are two different forms of the same energy.

We keep the copiousness of this energy circulating in our lives in our readiness to follow this principle. When we try to cut or stop this flow of energy, we find ourselves blocked to receive the abundance that the Universe has to offer us. The act of fulfilling our desires is directly proportionate to the act of our willingness to make others happy.

When we understand that what we give comes flowing back to us in multitudes, we open the door to this flood of energy and would never make any attempt close it again. Because we begin to appreciate what Anne Frank says, “No one has ever become poor by giving.”

What are the ways in which we can give? Here's what Rhonda Byrne of Secret Scroll has to say:

From The Daily Teachings of the Secret Scroll

Giving opens up the door to receiving. You have so many opportunities to give every day.

Give kind words.
Give a smile.
Give appreciation and love.
Give compliments.
You can give courtesy to other motorists while you are driving.
You can give a smile to the car parking attendant.
You can give a warm greeting to the newspaper stand person or the person who makes your coffee.
You can give by allowing a stranger to go ahead of you into an elevator, and you can give by asking which floor they are going to and pressing the button for them.
If someone drops something you can give a helping hand and pick it up for them.
You can give warm embraces to those you love.
And you can give appreciation and encouragement to everyone.

There are so many opportunities for you to give and thereby open the door to receiving.

May the joy be with you,
Rhonda Byrne

Not everything in Nature can be explained

The male monkey and the female monkey were sitting on the branch of a tree watching the sunset. At one point, she said: 'What makes the sky change colour when the sun reaches the horizon?'

'If we tried to explain everything, we wouldn't be able to live,' replied the male monkey. 'Just sit quietly and let this romantic sunset fill our hearts with gladness.'

The female monkey grew angry. 'You're so primitive and superstitious. You're not interested in logic any more, you just want to enjoy life.'

At that moment, a centipede happened to be walking past.

'Centipede!' called the male monkey. 'How do you manage to move all those legs of yours in such perfect harmony?'

'I've never really thought about it,' came the reply.

'Well, think about it! My wife would like an explanation!'

The centipede looked at its legs and began: 'Well…first I move this muscle, no, no I don't, first, I have to sway my body in this direction…'

The centipede spent half an hour trying to explain how it moved its legs, and the harder it tried, the more confused it became. Wanting to continue on its way, it found it could no longer walk.

'See what you've done?' it cried out in despair. 'In my eagerness to explain how I work, I've forgotten how to move.'

'Now do you see what happens when someone tries to explain everything?' said the male monkey, turning to enjoy the sunset in silence.

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart." Helen Keller

Being Positive

Louise L. Hay in her book “You can Heal your Life”

Think for a moment of a healthy tomato plant with a hundred tomatoes on it. In order to get this, we need to start with a small dried seed. That seed doesn’t look like tomato plant and it sure doesn’t taste a tomato. If you don’t know for sure, you would not even believe it could be a tomato plant. However, lets say you plant this seed in fertile soil, you water it and let the sun shine on it.

When the first little tiny shoot comes up, you don’t stomp on it and say, “That’s not a tomato plant.” Rather, you look at it and say, “Oh boy! Here it comes” and you watch it grow with delight. In time if you continue to water it, give it lots of sunshine, pull away any weeds, and you might have a tomato plant with hundred luscious tomatoes. It all began with that one tiny seed.

It’s the same with creating a new experience for yourself.
The soil you plant is your subconscious mind.
The seed is the new affirmation. The whole new experience is in this tiny seed.
You water it with affirmations.
You let the sunshine of positive thought beam on it.
You weed the garden by pulling away the negative thoughts that come up.

And when you see the first tiniest little evidence, you don’t stomp on it and say, “that’s not enough!”. Instead you look at this first break through and exclaim with glee, “Oh boy! Here it comes! Its working!”
Then you watch it grow and become your desire in manifestation.

Face the world Head-on

An eight-year-old boy went to his grandfather and proudly announced, “I am going to be very successful when I grow up. Can you give me any tips on how to get there?”

The grandfather nodded, and without saying a word, took the boy by the hand and walked him to a nearby plant nursery.

There, the two of them chose and purchased two small saplings.

They returned home and planted one of them in the back yard.

The other sapling was placed in a pot and kept indoors.

“Which one do you think will be the most successful in the future?” asked the grandfather.

The boy thought for a moment and said, “The indoor tree. It’s protected and safe while the outdoor one has to cope with the elements.”

The grandfather shrugged his shoulders and said, “We’ll see.”

The grandfather carefully tended to both plants and in a few years, the boy, now a teenager came to visit again.

“You never really answered my question from when I was a young boy. How can I become successful when I grow up?” he asked.

The old man showed the teenager the indoor tree and then took him outside to have a look at the towering tree outside.

“Which one is greater?” the grandfather asked.

“The outside one. But that doesn’t make sense, it has to cope with many more challenges than the inside one.”

The grandfather smiled, “Yes, but the risk of dealing with challenges is worth it as it has the freedom to spread its roots wider and its leaves towards the heavens. Boy, remember this and you be successful in whatever you do; If you choose the safe option all of your life you will never grow and be all that you can be, but if you are willing to face the world head-on with all of its dangers and challenges, the sky’s the limit.”

The young man looked up at the tall tree, took a deep breath and nodded his head, knowing that his wise grandfather was right.

Each one is unique in God's creation

A samurai who was known for his nobility and honesty, went to visit a Zen monk to ask him for his advice.

When the monk had finished his prayers, the Samurai asked, “Why do I feel so inferior? I have faced death many times, have defended those who are weak. Nevertheless, upon seeing you meditating, I felt that my life had absolutely no importance whatsoever.”

“Wait. Once I have attended to all those who come to see me today, I shall answer you.” – replied the monk.

The samurai spent the whole day sitting in the temple gardens, watching the people go in and out in search of advice. He saw how the monk received them all with the same patience and the same illuminated smile on his face.

At nightfall, when everyone had gone, he demanded: “Now can you teach me?”

The master invited him in and lead him to his room. The full moon shone in the sky, and the atmosphere was one of profound tranquility. “Do you see the moon, how beautiful it is? It will cross the entire firmament, and tomorrow the sun will shine once again. But sunlight is much brighter, and can show the details of the landscape around us: trees, mountains, clouds. I have contemplated the two for years, and have never heard the moon say: why do I not shine like the sun? Is it because I am inferior?”

“Of course not.” – answered the samurai. “The moon and the sun are different things, each has its own beauty. You cannot compare the two.”

“So you know the answer. We are two different people, each fighting in his own way for that which he believes, and making it possible to make the world a better place; the rest are mere appearances.”

Do not compare yourself with anybody. Compare yourself with yourself, for yourself and by yourself. We are all uniquely pottered and purposed by our creator!

A lesson from Chinese Bamboo tree

This story is very much true in rearing our beautiful children. As parents, we have to patiently exert efforts in teaching and disciplining our children for them to develop right values and to adopt strong character while at the same time defeat many difficulties and different challenges.

A great lesson of patience, persistence and hard work can be learned from the story of planting Chinese bamboo. Unlike most other plants, Chinese bamboo is quite unique on its own. 

When this bamboo is planted, watered, and nurtured for the whole growing season, it does not outwardly develop even just for an inch. Then, on the next growing season, the farmer must continue to irrigate, fertilize and care for the bamboo tree and yet nothing happens – it fails to sprout just the same.

And as the seasons go in and out, the farmer has to continue caring for the bamboo for four consecutive years.

What could really be discouraging is the farmer has nothing substantial to demonstrate for all of his labor in caring and growing the tree. Four lonely years of hard work and caring and yet you have nothing!

And then on the fifth year, you must be prepared for something so amazing and incredible!

All the hard work seems to be paid off on the fifth year because that Chinese bamboo tree seed at last grows and not just growing as we normally see with other plants. The bamboo tree shoots up to more than 80 feet all in just one growing season! Now, that is a very astonishing demonstration of the power of nature!

Was the small tree inactive for four years and then just decides to grow dramatically on the fifth? The answer is quite clear for us to see. The little tree was actually developing itself underground by expanding its root system to make it tough enough to sustain its impending external growth in the fifth year and even beyond.

Had the tree failed to build up a strong and able underground foundation, it would be impossible for it to keep on growing when it is time to sprout outside into the outside world.

If that Chinese bamboo farmer dug up his little bamboo seeds each year just because he is curious or wants to make sure it was growing or what, he could effectively stopped the tree’s growth. 

There are times when we demand our little children to sit still and behave and be patient but big lessons can be deeply taught once they are demonstrated in actions and not just in words.

Enjoy your gifts

Author Unknown

May this story serve as a gentle reminder to all of us that the things we overlook as simple and ordinary are often the most wonderful - and we don't have to travel anywhere special to experience them.

Junior high school students in a school were studying the Seven Wonders of the World. At the end of the lesson, the students were asked to list what they considered to be the Seven Wonders of the World. Though there was some disagreement, the following received the most votes:

1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. The Taj Mahal in India
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona
4. The Panama Canal
5. The Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, hadn't turned in her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were 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:

1. to touch...
2. to taste...
3. to see...
4. to hear... (She hesitated a little, and then added...)
5. to feel...
6. to laugh...
7. and to love.

The room was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

Enjoy your gifts!

Lessons from His Creations

Lesson 1 (Lesson from hedgehogs)

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. 

The hedgehogs, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. 

This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.

Lesson 2 (Lesson from the Geese)

Whenever the geese migrate during winter, they always fly forming a ‘V’ formation. But little do we realize the lesson they are teaching us by this act.

1. By flying this way forming a ‘V’ formation, the birds add 71% more flying range than if each bird flies on its own range.
Lesson learnt? If we share a common direction and sense of community, we can get where we are going more quickly and easily, because we are travelling on the thrust of one another.

2. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly comes back to the V formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
Lesson learnt? We should stay with those who are headed the same way as we are.

3. When the head goose gets tired, it swaps position with another goose which takes the lead.
Lesson learnt?Its sensible to delegate jobs with people in the group when required, rather than becoming a bad leader.

4. Geese honk from behind to encourage those upfront to keep up speed.
Lesson learnt? When we honk at others let’s do so for encouraging them and not to discourage.

5. When a goose in the group gets sick, and falls out of formation, two other geese follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it gets well or dies. Only then do they start flying on their own or join another V formation group to catch up with their own.
Lesson learnt? We are here to help each other in times of difficulties.

Does evil exist?

Author Unknown

A striking clarity on good and evil. Like the professor in this story, we all believe rapes, murders, violence, etc are all evil. But does evil really exist? Read on….

At a certain college, there was an agnostic professor with a reputation for being tough on believers in God. At the first class every semester, he proceeded to degrade and make fun of their belief.

One semester, he asked the class if anyone believed in existence of God. 

One young man raised his hand

The professor asked "Did God make everything, young man?"

"Yes he did sir," the young man replied.

The professor responded, "If God made everything, then God made evil. We can only create from within ourselves, so God is evil."

The student didn't have a response and the professor was happy to have once again proved the faith to be a myth.

Then another man raised his hand and asked "May I ask you something, sir?"

"Yes you may," responded the professor.

The young man stood up and said, "Sir, is there such thing as cold?"

"Of course there is, what kind of a question is that? Haven't you ever been cold?" 

The young man replied, "Actually, sir, cold does not exist. What we consider to be cold, is really only the absence of heat. Absolute zero is when there is absolutely no heat, but cold does not really exist. We have only created that term to describe how we feel when heat is not there."

The young man continued, "Sir, is there such thing as dark?"

Once again, professor responded, "Of course there is."

And once again, the student replied, "Actually sir, darkness does not exist. Darkness is really only the absence of light. Darkness is only a term man developed to describe what happens when there is no light present."

Finally, the young man asked, "Sir, is there such thing as evil?"

The professor responded, "Of course, we have rapes, and murders and violence everywhere in the world, those things are evil."

The student replied, "Actually, sir, evil is not a substance but an altered version of the good substance that God made. Evil is like rust to a car or rot to a tree. It is a lack in good things, but it is not a thing in itself. It exists only in another but not in itself. God did not create evil. It isn't like truth, or love, which exist as virtues like heat and light. Evil is simply the state where Good is not present, like cold without heat or darkness without light."

The professor had nothing to say. 

World Environment Day

“World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated every year on 5th June to raise global awareness of the need to take positive environmental action.” Says Wikipedia.

Today, on this environment day, I have this riddle for you:

A potato's key tool, I have all the power.
I am generally used on the half or full hour.
If my cells were deceased or lost or the such,
My partner would only respond to your touch.
Who am I?

Answer A television remote control. 

Often used by a "couch potato". Channels are most often changed between programs, which end on the hour or half-hour.If you lose the batteries, the only way to control the TV is by hand.

Here comes the next question. 

Who invented the remote control? (There is a reason for my asking this question).

I recently read in http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18164200 “TV remote control inventor Eugene Polley dies at 96”. 

Frankly, until I read this news, I never knew that he was the one who invented this magic gadget called "remote control". That set me thinking. Day in and day out I keep using this gadget. But it never stuck me to find its inventor nor appreciate him. How lazy I am? When I thought more about it, i realized that more than laziness, it was indifference on my part which made me act so.

More deeper thinking and I realized that this remote control is only a tip of the iceberg. Do I know who invented Mixie? Do I know who invented the blender? Do I know who invented the electric oven? Who invented Microwave oven?  I don’t! (for all questions). I’m using all these gadgets left, right and centre, 247! Shame on me! As my mind pressed the panic button, quickly my hands pressed the “Google” button. Even if you know, please check your answers with these: 

"in 1908, Herbert Johnson invented the mixer"

"The first electric blender was developed and in 1932, its inventor Stephen J. Poplawski received patents for it."

"The electric oven was invented by Thomas Ahearn,1892 who was a Canadian inventor."

"Dr Percy Spencer invented the first Microwave oven after World war II from Radar technology"

It was a shame that I ignored to find out the inventors all these days, let alone appreciate them. 

Now a little voice in me peeped out. “You are talking about manmade inventions. Have you ever appreciated the feeling of the fresh air on your skin, the sweet smells of the tiny flowers, the whispering sounds of rustling leaves, the tall mountains that stand majestically, the water that quenches your thirst, the (etc, etc) ………......which is around you 24*7?" 

Of course, I am sensible enough NOT to google to find its creator.

I realized how i've ignored to appreciate Nature and its Creator. Trees, plants, flowers, ocean, mountains...... It got me to thinking that, to be true citizens of the planet, shouldn't we be paying more attention to these and offer our gratitude to the Creator? Don't we take too much for granted? 

Consciously or unconsciously, we always link our physical / mental state with Nature. When we are happy we say “I feel sunny,” when we follow our dreams, we say “I’m shooting for the star,” to reach our goals, we say “I climb mountains”. Nature bestows us with peace and harmony. When we are at peace, we attract more peace. Isn’t that what laws of attraction say? When we take the time to protect our Environment and feel gratitude for it, we attract more of that value into our lives and more means to preserve and protect Nature in a harmonious way. Our appreciation, our gratitude and action in harmony with Nature can protect this planet and improve our lives on it.

These are the gifts that the Creator has given us with lots of love. Shouldn’t we offer him a return gift in gratitude? What is it that we can offer him? Protecting this planet from pollution of all kinds, keeping our minds from pollutions of all kinds by living in peace and harmony and spreading it. If we do it constantly every day, we don’t need to earmark 22^nd April as earth day, 5^th June as Environment day, etc. Do you agree?