Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed would live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man could not hear the band, he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should hehave all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - and that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room, he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now, there was only silence--deathly silence.
The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendant to take it away--no words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
Moral of the story:
The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. And I am certain that our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get just right, we will never find lasting joy.
The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like programs, awaiting the code that will determine behaviors; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts, if we continue to bite our lips just before we begin to grumble and complain, if we shoot down that seemingly harmless negative thought as it germinates, we will find that there is much to rejoice about.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Brooklyn Bridge
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so.", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.", "It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.
Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.
"We told them so.", "Crazy men and their crazy dreams.", "It`s foolish to chase wild visions."
Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.
He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.
It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.
He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.
For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances. It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.
Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.
Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.
Even the most distant dream can be realized with determination and persistence.
Glass of Milk
This was a heart touching story sent by a friend of mine Hari Krishna. Just wanted to share through my blog . .
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! . She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."
He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the water comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
Thanks for the wonderful story Hari . . . :-)
So, do help the needy, what if it doesn't come back to you...? at least you did help someone...! and I believe most of the times it comes back to you, of which may times you will not even notice it came back to you.
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.
Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! . She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"
You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."
He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."
As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.
Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.
He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words
"Paid in full with one glass of milk"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: "Thank You, God, that Your love has spread broad through human hearts and hands."
There's a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the water comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place - And, after all, isn't that what life is all about?
Thanks for the wonderful story Hari . . . :-)
So, do help the needy, what if it doesn't come back to you...? at least you did help someone...! and I believe most of the times it comes back to you, of which may times you will not even notice it came back to you.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
64 kalas or arts
We have been hearing all through our childhood that lord Krishna is an expert in all the 64 kalas. So here is the list of all those kalas, check out how any are you good at:
(1) Geet vidya - art of singing.
(2) Vadya vidya - art of playing on musical instruments.
(3) Nritya vidya - art of dancing.
(4) Natya vidya - art of theatricals.
(5) Alekhya vidya - art of painting.
(6) Viseshakacchedya vidya - art of painting the face and body with color
(7) Tandula kusuma bali vikara - art of preparing offerings from rice and flowers.
(8) Pushpastarana - art of making a covering of flowers for a bed.
(9) Dasana vasananga raga - art of applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, cloths and painting the body.
(10) Mani bhumika karma - art of making the groundwork of jewels.
(11) Sayya racana - art of covering the bed.
(12) Udaka vadya - art of playing on music in water.
(13) Udaka ghata - art of splashing with water.
(14) Citra yoga - art of practically applying an admixture of colors.
(15) Malya grathana vikalpa - art of designing a preparation of wreaths.
(16) Sekharapida yojana - art of practically setting the coronet on the head.
(17) Nepathya yoga - art of practically dressing in the tiring room.
(18) Karnapatra bhanga - art of decorating the tragus of the ear.
(19) Sugandha yukti - art of practical application of aromatics.
(20) Bhushana yojana - art of applying or setting ornaments.
(21) Aindra jala - art of juggling.
(22) Kaucumara - a kind of art.
(23) Hasta laghava - art of sleight of hand.
(24) Citra sakapupa bhakshya vikara kriya - art of preparing varieties of delicious food.
(25) Panaka rasa ragasava yojana - art of practically preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color.
(26) Suci vaya karma - art of needleworks and weaving.
(27) Sutra krida - art of playing with thread.
(28) Vina damuraka vadya - art of playing on lute and small drum.
(29) Prahelika - art of making and solving riddles.
(30) Durvacaka yoga - art of practicing language difficult to be answered by others.
(31) Pustaka vacana - art of reciting books.
(32) Natikakhyayika darsana - art of enacting short plays and anecdotes.
(33) Kavya samasya purana - art of solving enigmatic verses.
(34) Pattika vetra bana vikalpa - art of designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows.
(35) Tarku karma - art of spinning by spindle.
(36) Takshana - art of carpentry.
(37) Vastu vidya - art of engineering.
(38) Raupya ratna pariksha - art of testing silver and jewels.
(39) Dhatu vada - art of metallurgy.
(40) Mani raga jnana - art of tinging jewels.
(41) Akara jnana - art of mineralogy.
(42) Vrikshayur veda yoga - art of practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs.
(43) Mesha kukkuta lavaka yuddha vidhi - art of knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds.
(44) Suka sarika pralapana - art of maintaining or knowing conversation between male and female cockatoos.
(45) Utsadana - art of healing or cleaning a person with perfumes.
(46) Kesa marjana kausala - art of combing hair.
(47) Akshara mushtika kathana - art of talking with letters and fingers.
(48) Mlecchita kutarka vikalpa - art of fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry.
(49) Desa bhasha jnana - art of knowing provincial dialects.
(50) Nirmiti jnana - art of knowing prediction by heavenly voice
(51) Yantra matrika - art of mechanics.
(52) Dharana matrika - art of the use of amulets.
(53) Samvacya - art of conversation.
(54) Manasi kavya kriya - art of composing verse mentally.
(55) Kriya vikalpa - art of designing a literary work or a medical remedy.
(56) Chalitaka yoga - art of practicing as a builder of shrines called after him.
(57) Abhidhana kosha cchando jnana - art of the use of lexicography and meters.
(58) Vastra gopana - art of concealment of cloths.
(59) Dyuta visesha - art of knowing specific gambling.
(60) Akarsha krida - art of playing with dice or magnet.
(61) Balaka kridanaka - art of using children's toys.
(62) Vainayiki vidya - art of enforcing discipline.
(63) Vaijayiki vidya - art of gaining victory.
(64) Vaitaliki vidya - art of awakening master with music at dawn.
Hopefully someday I would love to give the branches and the professions that correspond to each of these arts in the modern world. Please post your comments on the same and help in creating a modern 64 arts list.
Byeeeeeeeeeee :-)
Source: Wikipedia
(1) Geet vidya - art of singing.
(2) Vadya vidya - art of playing on musical instruments.
(3) Nritya vidya - art of dancing.
(4) Natya vidya - art of theatricals.
(5) Alekhya vidya - art of painting.
(6) Viseshakacchedya vidya - art of painting the face and body with color
(7) Tandula kusuma bali vikara - art of preparing offerings from rice and flowers.
(8) Pushpastarana - art of making a covering of flowers for a bed.
(9) Dasana vasananga raga - art of applying preparations for cleansing the teeth, cloths and painting the body.
(10) Mani bhumika karma - art of making the groundwork of jewels.
(11) Sayya racana - art of covering the bed.
(12) Udaka vadya - art of playing on music in water.
(13) Udaka ghata - art of splashing with water.
(14) Citra yoga - art of practically applying an admixture of colors.
(15) Malya grathana vikalpa - art of designing a preparation of wreaths.
(16) Sekharapida yojana - art of practically setting the coronet on the head.
(17) Nepathya yoga - art of practically dressing in the tiring room.
(18) Karnapatra bhanga - art of decorating the tragus of the ear.
(19) Sugandha yukti - art of practical application of aromatics.
(20) Bhushana yojana - art of applying or setting ornaments.
(21) Aindra jala - art of juggling.
(22) Kaucumara - a kind of art.
(23) Hasta laghava - art of sleight of hand.
(24) Citra sakapupa bhakshya vikara kriya - art of preparing varieties of delicious food.
(25) Panaka rasa ragasava yojana - art of practically preparing palatable drinks and tinging draughts with red color.
(26) Suci vaya karma - art of needleworks and weaving.
(27) Sutra krida - art of playing with thread.
(28) Vina damuraka vadya - art of playing on lute and small drum.
(29) Prahelika - art of making and solving riddles.
(30) Durvacaka yoga - art of practicing language difficult to be answered by others.
(31) Pustaka vacana - art of reciting books.
(32) Natikakhyayika darsana - art of enacting short plays and anecdotes.
(33) Kavya samasya purana - art of solving enigmatic verses.
(34) Pattika vetra bana vikalpa - art of designing preparation of shield, cane and arrows.
(35) Tarku karma - art of spinning by spindle.
(36) Takshana - art of carpentry.
(37) Vastu vidya - art of engineering.
(38) Raupya ratna pariksha - art of testing silver and jewels.
(39) Dhatu vada - art of metallurgy.
(40) Mani raga jnana - art of tinging jewels.
(41) Akara jnana - art of mineralogy.
(42) Vrikshayur veda yoga - art of practicing medicine or medical treatment, by herbs.
(43) Mesha kukkuta lavaka yuddha vidhi - art of knowing the mode of fighting of lambs, cocks and birds.
(44) Suka sarika pralapana - art of maintaining or knowing conversation between male and female cockatoos.
(45) Utsadana - art of healing or cleaning a person with perfumes.
(46) Kesa marjana kausala - art of combing hair.
(47) Akshara mushtika kathana - art of talking with letters and fingers.
(48) Mlecchita kutarka vikalpa - art of fabricating barbarous or foreign sophistry.
(49) Desa bhasha jnana - art of knowing provincial dialects.
(50) Nirmiti jnana - art of knowing prediction by heavenly voice
(51) Yantra matrika - art of mechanics.
(52) Dharana matrika - art of the use of amulets.
(53) Samvacya - art of conversation.
(54) Manasi kavya kriya - art of composing verse mentally.
(55) Kriya vikalpa - art of designing a literary work or a medical remedy.
(56) Chalitaka yoga - art of practicing as a builder of shrines called after him.
(57) Abhidhana kosha cchando jnana - art of the use of lexicography and meters.
(58) Vastra gopana - art of concealment of cloths.
(59) Dyuta visesha - art of knowing specific gambling.
(60) Akarsha krida - art of playing with dice or magnet.
(61) Balaka kridanaka - art of using children's toys.
(62) Vainayiki vidya - art of enforcing discipline.
(63) Vaijayiki vidya - art of gaining victory.
(64) Vaitaliki vidya - art of awakening master with music at dawn.
Hopefully someday I would love to give the branches and the professions that correspond to each of these arts in the modern world. Please post your comments on the same and help in creating a modern 64 arts list.
Byeeeeeeeeeee :-)
Source: Wikipedia
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Awesome is the moon . . .
Here are two wonderful pictures of moon,
Might take some time to load the images, but it's worth waiting . . .
This second one is another wonderful animation created from the lunar full moon phases from apogee to apogee. We can clearly see how the moon is becoming smaller and larger (apogee is when the moon is farthest from earth).
It was awesome watching these wonderful animation made out of natural images of moon.
Courtesy: Wikipedia: Picture of the Day Archives
Hope you enjoyed them too . . :-)
Might take some time to load the images, but it's worth waiting . . .
The first one is made from lunar phases . . . i.e., from one full moon to another with all the phases in between included. It's a superb animation.
Courtesy: Wikipedia: Picture of the Day Archives
Hope you enjoyed them too . . :-)
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