Perception
..something
to think about...
Washington, DC
Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin
played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes... During that time approx. 2
thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He
slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his
schedule.
4 minutes
later:
The
violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and,
without stopping, continued to walk..
6 minutes:
A young man
leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and
started to walk again.
10 minutes:
A 3-year old
boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to
look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child
continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated
by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their
children to move on quickly.
45 minutes:
The musician
played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.
About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man
collected a total of $32.
1 hour:
He finished
playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was
there any recognition.
No one knew
this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in
the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a
violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a
theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a true
story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by
the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception,
taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place
environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to
appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we
do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the
world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most
beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?
The Two Wolves
One evening an old
Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said: 'My son, the battle is between 'two wolves' inside us all. One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt,
resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good.
It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.'
The grandson thought about it for a minute, and then asked his grandfather:
'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee simply replied: "The one you feed." (Submitted by Sean Mallard)
Believe in Yourself
Set your standards high, you deserve the best.
Strive for what you want, and never settle for less.
Believe in yourself, no matter what you choose.
Keep a winning attitude, and you will never ever lose.
Think about your destination, but don’t worry if you stray.
Because the most important thing is what you’ve learned along the way.
Take all that you’ve become, to be all that you can be.
Soar high and proud above the clouds, and let your dreams set you free.
(Jillian K. Hunt)
Quotes to consider......
1. A man is not finished when he is defeated, he is finished when he quits. (Richard Nixon)
2. Dream as if you will live forever, live as if you will die tomorrow. (James Dean)
3. Winning isn’t everything, wanting to is. (Catfish Hunter)
4. Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe. (Abraham Lincoln)
5. Nobody ever drowned in their own sweat. (Ann Landers)
6 …Our destination is shaped by our thoughts and our actions. We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.
7. Fear tortures the weak.
Days to remember
There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept clear from fear and apprehension. One of these days is YESTERDAY with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. YESTERDAY has passed forever from your control. All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY. We cannot undo a single act we performed; we cannot erase a single word we said. YESTERDAY is gone.
The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW, with all its unknowns, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control. TOMORROW’s sun will rise, either in full shine, or behind a cloud-but it will rise, and until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW, for it is yet to happen.
This leaves only one day: TODAY. Anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you add the burdens of the two other days – YESTERDAY and TOMORROW – that we break down. It is not the experience of TODAY that drives us mad – it is remorse and bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW may bring. Let us therefore live one day at a time.
Remember: YESTERDAY is history,
TOMORROW is a mystery,
Today is a gift and that is why it is called the PRESENT.
Persistence
You know, some people are really thick. They never know when enough is enough. Take this bloke for instance…
He was the son of a bit of a no-hoper. He was poorly educated and his mother died when he was only 9 years old.
At the age of 21 he worked in a grocery store doing odd jobs. A year later he opened his own store and promptly went broke.
When he was 23, he ran for a seat in Parliament and was defeated. At 25, he had another go in his own business, and went broke again. A year later, his finance died. He then suffered a nervous breakdown, and went broke again. After that he studied part time for six years to become a lawyer. Then at the age of 29, he again ran for Parliament and again he was defeated.
He tried again when he was 34 and again he was defeated, and again when he was 37, and was defeated once again.
He married and had four sons, three of whom died. At the age of 39 he tried again for Parliament and was defeated again.
You would think this bloke would get the message by now wouldn’t you?! But no.
He tried again when he was 46 and got knocked off again, and when he was 49 – you guessed it – he got done again!
Perhaps he should have listened to what everybody was telling him, “Enough’s enough.” But he didn’t.
Finally…at the age of 52, Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States of America, and he went down in history as one of their greatest.
Remember this: “The number of times we actually succeed is based on the number of times we try….Don’t ever give up if it’s worth trying for.”
Optimism
Two frogs fell deep into a cream bowl,
One was an optimistic soul,
The other took a gloomy view,
“We’ll drown,” he cried, having lost all hope.
So, with one last despairing cry,
He kicked up his legs and said, “Goodbye.”
The other frog said, with a merry grin,
” I can’t get out…But I won’t give in,
I’ll keep swimming, till my strength is spent,
Then I will die the more content.”
Bravely he swam till it would seem,
His struggles began to churn the cream.
On top of the butter at last he stopped.
And out of the butter he joyfully hopped!
The moral of this poem is easily found
“If you can’t see a way out…
Keep swimming around!”
Remember this: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
Cracked pot
Water Bearer in India had two large pots; each hung on each end of a pole, which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and 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 master’s 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 in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it has 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 the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, l apologize to you.” Why” asked the Bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to our master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get all the value from your efforts,” the pot said. The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said,” As we return the master’s house, I want you to> notice the beautiful flowers along the path.”
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half of its load, and so again it apologized to the Bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot,” Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in you! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be sent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life. Or as I like to think of it—if it hadn’t been for the cracked pots in my life, it would have been pretty boring and not so interesting.