LIBRARY BOOK MARK

1) Change Yourself and not The World:

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 centers 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 had visited many pilgrim centers 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.

2) The Power of Silence

Joe was an old man aged 75 years. He lived very happily and formed a beautiful family. His children grew up and moved to different cities in pursue of good career and future. He lived in a small village carrying the memories of his deceased wife. Joe had 4 grand children and they used to visit him during their holidays.

And it was the vacation time and Joe was eagerly waiting for the arrival of his grand children. He was preparing his home for the kids, cleaning the home, mowing the garden, rearranging the household items, buying the favorite foods, dresses for the children, etc. In the busy arrangements, he lost his favorite watch. old-watch

The watch was gifted by his dead wife when their first child was born. Joe treasured the watch and it became his sole companion after his wife's death.

He forgot the watch missing and was happy receiving the kids at home. It was only the next day when he was about to take bath, he remembered that the watch was missing. He saw the watch last when he was arranging things in the barn. He was shocked and very upset.

His grandchildren asked him why he was so dull and asked him what troubled him.

Joe said, 'Dear children, I lost the most precious watch I have ever had and I ever got in my life. It was gifted by your grandma and I lost it while cleaning the home! I feel like I'm missing my heart.'

Joe was on tears and the children promised him that they would search the watch for him.

One granddaughter asked 'grand pa, do you remember when you saw the watch last before it was missing?'

Joe told, 'I guess when I was cleaning the barn!'

The children decided to search for the watch in the barn. The barn was full of waste materials, books, scraps, broken furniture, etc.

The children searched for more than 2 hours with help of Joe and a servant, but could not find it. Joe was completely shattered and asked the children to stop searching as they could not find anything.

The kids were also too sad, and consoled the grandfather.

One grandson again moved to the barn, and Joe asked why he was going there again. The little boy requested others not to follow him and remain silent.

While the others were little surprised, they still followed what he said. The little boy went to the barn and sat there in silence.

The other children reached him and asked him what he was doing and the little boy asked them not to make noise.

He sat there for about 15 minutes and then rushed to his grandfather. Yes, he got the watch and happily gave it to Joe.

He was surprised and asked how he was able to find it. The little boy replied, 'I sat there without making a noise and the barn was so silent. After a few minutes, I heard the 'tick tick' sound and found the watch.

Joe hugged him and thanked the little boy.

This is the power of silence. If we stay calm, we can find the solution very easily!

3) The Apple Tree and the Farmer:

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.

4 ) Money Can't Buy Everything:

Nick was a 10 year old boy. He was the only son to his parents. Nick's father was a very busy businessman who could not spend time with his son. He came home after Nick slept, and was off to office before Nick woke up in the morning. Nick yearned for his father's attention. He wanted to go outdoors and play with his father just like his friends did.

One day, Nick was surprised to see his father at home in the evening.

"Dad, it is a big surprise to see you at home," Nick said.

"Yes son, my meeting was cancelled. So I'm at home. But after two hours I have to catch a flight," his father replied.

"When will you be back?"

"Tomorrow noon."

Nick was in deep thought for a while. Then he asked, "Dad, how much do you earn in a year?"

Nick's father was taken aback. He said, "My dear son, it's a very big amount and you won't be able to understand it."

"Ok dad, are you happy with the amount you earn?"

"Yes my dear. I'm very happy, and in fact I'm planning to launch our new branch and a new business in a few months. Isn't that great?"

"Yes, dad. I'm happy to hear that. Can I ask you one more question?"

"Yes, dear."

"Dad, can you tell me how much you earn in a day or even half a day?"

"Nick, why are you asking this question?" Nick's father was perplexed.

But Nick was persistent. "Please answer me. Can you please tell me how much you earn in an hour?"

Nick's father gave in and replied, "It will be around $ 25/- per hour."

Nick ran to his room upstairs, and came down with his piggy bank that contained his savings.

"Dad, I have $50 in my piggy bank. Can you spare two hours for me? I want to go to the beach and have dinner with you tomorrow evening. Can you please mark this in your schedule?"

Nick's father was speechless!

The greatest gift a parent can give his child is time. Money can't buy everything!