Moral Stories

Easier said than done.. Right?

We all have a tendency of thinking that the work that we do is the most difficult in the world. We feel that it needs a lot of talent and special skill to accomplish the tasks done by us and the other person’s work is trivial and can be done very easily.

I also had the same feeling and an air of pride about the work I did in office. My wife is a home maker and till very recently I never knew that she is the pillar of my success and life would have been so difficult without her. My usual routine used to start at around 6 in the morning and go up to around 11 at night. I usually had a very tight schedule and very rarely spent quality time with my family. Not that I didn’t want to but my work demanded more of my time. My wife knew the pressure that I went through in office and never complained about me not being able to spend time with her.

So that complacency came in our life and without knowing it had started taking her and her contributions for granted. But life is a great leveler and knows how to teach important lessons. My wife was pregnant and as I was busy with my work we planned that she will go to her parent’s place for delivery. And as planned I arranged for her travel two months before her delivery date. My wife was not sure as to how I will be able to take care of myself for two long months and shared her concerns with me. But I undermined her concerns stating that it is very easy to do the work around the house and she doesn’t need to worry about me.

The first day taught me a big lesson. I woke up as usual at around 6 in the morning thinking that the whole work can be completed in a matter of around half an hour but to my amazement and shock it took me half the day to complete the whole work. I missed my office that day and by the evening I was already squeezed out of energy.

I realized my mistake and it is not easy to be a home maker and it is easier said than done. I called my wife in the evening and confessed that it is not easy to imagine life without her.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.. Believe me

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction is Newton’s third law and is applicable in physics. But it was applicable in life even before it was found out by the great scientist. No wonder our parents and grandparents used to tell us to act wisely and try not to harm anyone deliberately. You pay for your act in some way or the other is what they used to tell us.

Being the person with an inquisitive nature I had to have a definitive proof to believe something. I felt that if things cannot be proved then they are just hearsay and it is not important to believe hearsay

But I did not have to wait for too long. Life is the best teacher and I learnt it from the best teacher in the world. It was a very small lesson but it was enough to teach me that the theory works in real life too. I was in college doing my sophomore and we planned to go for a movie over the weekend. I agreed to pay for the whole expense and it was decided that the amount will equally shared by the rest the following morning. We went ahead with our plan and had a great time. We watched the movie and after that had dinner in a fabulous restaurant. The next morning when it came to sharing the expenses, one of my friends denied paying saying that he was not interested in going and was forced to join the team. It obviously agitated the whole group but we did not make a big issue out of it and we took him out of the equation. He was very happy that he enjoyed the whole evening without even spending a dime out of his pocket.

We all forgot the whole incident as the semester exams were nearing by and we were busy preparing for our exams. On the day of our exams my friend came back and took out his share of money from his pocket and gave it to me. When asked the reason for doing so he said that he learnt his lesson. That day while going home he lost his gold chain which had cost his parents a fortune. He understood that he tried to cheat me out of a few dollars and in turn had lost much more than he tried to gain.

When I heard that I understood that yes every action has an equal and opposite reaction in life too.

Love and pain is to be shared forever

I was pretty much an introvert all my life till I met someone who changed my thoughts totally. I never believed in sharing and always kept my emotions with me. I felt that only weak people share their emotions let it be their love for others or their pain or sorrows. I was very happy with my life and felt that I am strong enough to take care of myself and I did not need anyone’s support. And I felt that I was right in a way as I did not come across any situation which made me extremely happy or sad and I needed someone to share that feeling with anyone.

Then I came to a stage in my life when I felt that I needed a life partner and was searching for someone who understands me and doesn’t expect me to change for her. Instead she changes herself according to my ways. Cupid struck and I fell in love with my lady love. It was more of a love at first sight but all the efforts were taken by her. And I was happy that she understood me and did not want me to go through the change process.

But I did change as I understood that if I didn’t then I might end up losing her forever. And that feeling or fear of losing her came in my life very suddenly. My wife used to be very accommodative and understanding and always share her feelings with me and never ask me a lot of questions.

But slowly I started seeing some very subtle changes in her. She had stopped sharing her feelings and thoughts and was busy with her own work. At first I was very happy that she is not disturbing me. But as time passed by I started realizing that it was her silence that was more dangerous than her talks. I was missing her talk and sweet nothing. But I could see that she was withering off and was not the vibrant lady she used to be. That started hurting me a lot.

I could not stop myself from asking her the reason for this uncharacteristic change. She said very simply that she did not want to disturb me and wanted me to be happy. That is when I realized that emotions if kept inside can actually hurt a lot. And whether it is love or pain, it needs to be shared. It was time for me to change and I did change for our sake.

We are all born with a purpose and need to serve that purpose

We are all born for a purpose and we fulfill that purpose in our life time. My grandfather used to tell me often but I never understood the real meaning of it. I always used to ask him is my part to just go to school and face the same teacher and do all these hard home works? My question used to bring a smile on his face.

I never got the answer to my question and I never understood the real purpose of my life. Time passed away and I grew up and chose a career path and was happy with my progression. But my grandfather’s words always disturbed me and I was always trying to find the purpose for my life. Very soon I got married and settled down in life. I started growing up the ladder in my professional and personal life.

I became a proud father of a daughter who loved me a lot and was my favorite pet. I was very happy with my nucleus family and my grandfathers words faded with time. Life went on and I became busy with my daily life. There were achievements of my daughter that made me happy and there were her problems which made me worried and sad. My wife and I made every effort to make sure that we give my daughter all the facilities in life and she has a perfect upbringing. But all the while there was one thing that gave me sleepless nights, the thought of my daughter getting married. It is that moment of a father’s life which makes him both happy and sad.

And that day came in my life too. All of a sudden my life became meaningless. There was no purpose for me to live and her marriage brought a vacuum that was very hard to fill. But very soon the good news of me becoming a grandfather came. The news brought a new lease of life inside me and I had again got a reason to live. My grandson became the source of happiness for me and my life again had a purpose. His small pranks brought smile on my face and his questions made me toil hard. I had to be prepared with an answer for all his questions.

That reminded me of my childhood and reminded me of my grandfather’s words. We all have come here with a purpose. I understood the purpose for my birth. And I realized how true my grandfather was when he said those words.

What will you do when ....?

My uncle asked me this question once. What will you do when you find god and your mother standing in from of you at the same time? I replied back without thinking even for a minute that I will ask a boon from the god to make me richer. Then he asked me what will you ask your mother? And I said that I will ask my mother what she wants and buy for her.

He praised me for my answer and changed the topic. He knew that I was too young to understand the meaning of the question and one day I will realize the right answer. There was nothing special about this question as far as I was concerned so it just skipped my mind.

Time passed it became my turn to become a mother. I gave birth to a smart boy who resembled my husband in many ways. He was the jewel in the crown for me and he changed my perspective towards life. Now he became the centrifugal character around whom my life revolved.

Similarly I was the most important person in my son’s life and he could not imagine a life without his mother. I was very proud of him and would tell about his acts to my friends and relatives with a lot of pride.

Just to see what answer he would give to the question that was asked to me around 22 years ago I asked him the same question. What will you do if both god and mother came in front of you together at the same time? I was eagerly waiting for his answer to see whether he gave the same reply that I gave.

But his answer actually made me to think. He said that he would thank god coming near him but before that he will thank mother for giving birth to him. I was very confused with his answer. I asked him as to why he said that. His answer made me cry. He said if my mother would not have been there then I would not have been born. And if she would not have told me that the one standing near her is god then I would not have know about it.

I hugged him tight and said that I was very proud of my son and realized how important mothers are in the life of a kid and I was a mom too.

Where there is a will there is always a way

Everyone has a dream and they try everything that is possible from their side to fulfill it. Even I had a dream of joining the armed forces to serve my nation. I was very passionate about my dream and joining the armed forces became the goal of my life. According to me that was the only way in which I could do something for my country.

I was very careful about the way I prepare myself and had taken all precautionary measures in order to reach my goal. But I forgot that when man proposes, God disposes. And the D day came in my life. All my dreams crashed when my doctor told me that I had to wear glasses. And I understood that I will not be able to realize my dream anymore. I was totally shattered and I felt like a failure. I had lost my motive to live and didn’t know what to do.

Just when I had started to come to terms with my situation I came across a person who changed my life totally. It was a sunny afternoon and I was driving back from my college when I noticed a man who was physically challenged and was struggling to ride his cycle. I just ignored him in the beginning as I was engrossed in my own thoughts. But later when I reached home and thought about that man I realized that even after being physically challenged he had the will to fight the odds in his life and he had a sense of achievement in him. He was happy and content and had the will to live.

And when I compared myself with him then I realized how blessed I was to be able to live a normal life. His determination to live and the pride on his face made me understand that if you will to do something then no one can stop you from achieving your dreams. And armed forces are not the only way through which I can serve my country. All I needed to do was understand my potential and see how I could contribute to the development of my country in my own small way. Today I am an entrepreneur and have around fifty people working with me and I am happy that I am able to bring a difference to their life in some way.

I am a happy and content person today and I have learnt that where there is a will there is a way.

You are never alone.. just turn back and see

We all feel that we are the ones being test the most by God. We always complain that our life is full of sorrows and whenever we need support god is never there for us. It is a common feeling that we all share and feel left out when our wishes do not come true.

There are ups and downs in life and one had to go through all the phases in life. I had my share of sorrows in life and there have been many testing times where I had felt that I will surely not be able to pass this test. But somehow I had the courage to fight my way out of each and every test in my life. That made me a strong man but somewhere down the line I stopped having faith in God and started feeling that you need to carve your own way out and God never helps you when you are badly in need of help.

I had many instances that backed my theory and whenever anyone tried to talk to me about the importance of having faith I used these instances to back my theory. Many people failed to make me realize that my thinking was wrong and God does help us or guides us through our troubles.

But a small child was able to do what no one was able to achieve. He taught me the importance of having faith in God. I was travelling for a business trip and I met with a family and on the course of my journey became very close to them. They had a 10 year old child who impressed me with his way of talking. I became particularly close to the child and we started talking when he told me a short story which he said his grandfather had told him. The story is as follows

A man went to heaven and met God and wanted to see his life in the times of sand. He saw two pairs of foot prints on some places and one pair only on other places. When he asked God to describe the reason behind it the God said I was walking with you when you had your good times but when you were having trouble in life I was carrying you. That is why you see two pairs of footsteps at some places and only one pair at other.

That is when I realized that I was never alone in the journey of life and was supported and lifted and helped by God in different ways.

You do not gain anything without going through the pain in life.. that is the truth of life

I consider myself very lucky when I look back at my childhood days. I was literally born with a silver spoon and because I was the only son for my parents they did everything possible from their side to give me a decent upbringing. All my demands were fulfilled and I never knew how it feels to be asking for something and not getting it. I was also good at studies so I was used to being successful and being praised for all my achievements in life.

In short I never knew the meaning of struggle and pain as success came to me very easily. I had an uncle who was a very level headed person and always used to tell me to be ready for failure and struggle in life as the next failure could be just round the corner and if I am not prepared then the smallest of failure can give me a big jolt in life. But I had the support of my parents and I never cared to take my uncle’s words so seriously.

And then came the time when I had to leave the shelter of my house and go out to face the big bad world. And then I realized how true my uncle was and how underprepared I was when it came to face the harsh realities of life. I was no more the cherished darling that I used to be in my house and had to get everything the hard way.

The classic example was my first day in office. I expected someone to be welcoming me but the reality was something totally different from what my expectations were. I was just another employee of the company and had to wait for my turn and there were no especial treatments that I was used to in my house. I had to wake up early in the morning to make sure that I was not late for the office bus and there was no body to cajole me when I was tired. I had to learn to make as fewer mistakes as possible as very rarely I would get a second chance of rectification.

That is when I remembered what my uncle used to tell me. I had to go through the motions of learning things the hard way. So I accepted the challenge to go through the pain to gain the experience of life.

You need to be up there to be able to enjoy life

I still remember that journey back home and how that one conversation forced me to look at life from a different perspective. Like any young person I had a lot of dreams about my professional career and had mentally charted out my career plan. But I was unaware of the harsh realities of life. Life did start teaching me in its own ways and all my dreams started getting shattered.

Slowly my working hours started becoming longer and my manager became my biggest enemy. I could not fathom the fact that his activities were never questioned and on the other hand a few minutes delay from my side became the cause of concern for all and sundry. Frustrated started creeping in and I felt that my talent was not getting recognized and undeserving people were getting all the benefits.

I was travelling back home for vacation when I met an old man who was going back to his family after a long time. After sharing pleasantries with him unknowingly I started sharing all my office issues with him. Realizing my mistake, I was just waiting for him to start lecturing me about virtue of patience and hard work. But he smiled and asked whether he can tell me a story. I could hear anything as long as it was not related to my issues.

The story goes like this

It was a warm sunny afternoon and all the animals in the jungle were busy collecting food for their family. But there was this crow which was perched on a tree top and enjoying his afternoon. A rabbit which was busy with his work saw the crow and told the crow how lucky he was to enjoy his afternoon. The crow very nonchalantly told the rabbit that even he can relax and enjoy his afternoon. Rabbit happily listened to the advice of his new friend and sat down to take some rest and in no time was killed by a jackal”

By the time the old man completed his story his destination came and he parted from me. It’s been 12 years since that incidence occurred and I have come a long way since then. Now when I look back and think, I understand the moral of the story “ If you want to enjoy life then you need to be at that level and you need to work hard to reach at that level “.

Your family comes first

There was a phase in my life when I started getting inclined towards spirituality and was very much impressed with the teachings of the learned people and I did not realize that I was forgetting my duties and neglecting my family.

My friends and families tried in different ways to make me understand my duties but I was not ready to listen to them as I was convinced that what I was doing was right and was very proud of my spiritual knowledge.

It was a Sunday afternoon and I was sharing my knowledge with my friends. One of my friends interrupted me and said that he wanted to tell me a story. I was irritated at first on being interrupted but I allowed him to tell his story which was something like this.

A priest went to heaven. God welcomed him and asked the priest whether he had any wishes? The priest told the god that he was very satisfied and happy that he got a chance to serve the lord his whole life. At that very instance a poor farmer wished for a good crop and the god granted his wish immediately. The priest was surprised at what he saw and told the god that it hurt him that not a single wish of his was fulfilled but the farmer who rarely takes out time for the god got his wish granted. The god smiled and asked the priest to take care of a bowl of milk for him for one whole day. The condition was that not a single drop should spill over. Priest happily accepted it and the whole day he was busy taking care of the bowl making sure that the condition is fulfilled. In the evening the god asked for the bowl and said that he was happy that the priest was able to fulfill the condition. Then he asked the priest whether he got time to do his morning prayers for the day. The priest got a bit agitated and said that he hardly had time as he was taking care of the milk bowl. God smiled and said that you had to just take care of a bowl of milk and you forgot me and that farmer has to take care of all the needs of his family but still manages to take out time for me whenever he can. Don’t you think I should be granting all his wishes? The priest realized his mistake.

And so did I. I understood that family and the duties towards the family always come first.