WISDOM
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Wisdom and Philosophy
Wisdom Tips and Ideas
Wisdom Quotes
Wisdom Stories
Philosophy Stories
Wisdom Examples
Wisdom Quotations
Short Wisdom Illustrations
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Here you will find 5 short 'Wisdom
Stories' per week.. The theme that is followed in each story is... a
short introduction, a wisdom related story and a powerful quote.
Please enjoy...
ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
QUOTE: 'Empathize with one who is angry and watch the anger melt away into
acceptance.'
(Eva Gregory)
Starting with a quote on this occasion has helped set the mood. A major
part of wisdom is control, not dominance but allowance. The greater
control comes from letting go. Rather than seeing control as 'hands on' we
ought to view it from a different perspective as 'hands off'.
As in the quote above empathy is not control it is an understanding. To
understand allows a greater force to work. If we could adapt that to our
own life rather than the quote's suggestion as seeing others, we could
temper many a storm.
As with adapting to change, could we not allow the change to happen and
adapt rather than fight its effect? The greater energy flow would arise by
letting go, rather than mustering up the strength to fight.
Our emotion state of mind is at its strongest during a period of calm and
settled existence. Stir that up and our decisions become more erratic and
dysfunctional. So the power arises from the calm rather than the futile
lashing out from the anger.
Today's story illustrates how we can disarm the anger; the anger of doing
wrong. The route is through letting go rather than dominance.
DISARMING THE ENEMY
According to an Associated Press account, in September 1994 Cindy Hartman
of Conway, Arkansas, walked into her house to answer the phone and was
confronted by a burglar. He ripped the phone cord out of the wall and
ordered her into a closet.
Hartman dropped to her knees and asked the burglar if she could pray for
him. "I want you to know that God loves you and I forgive you, '' she said.
The burglar apologized for what he had done. Then he yelled out the door
to a woman in a pickup truck: "We've got to unload all of this. This is a
Christian home and a Christian family. We can't do this to them."
As Hartman remained on her knees, the burglar returned furniture he had
taken from her home. Then he took the bullets out of his gun, handed the
gun to Hartman, and walked out the door.
Praying for our enemies is incredibly disarming.
(Unknown Author)
QUOTE: 'Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the
first suffering, how can we turn it into good. So shall we take occasion,
from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.'
(Leigh Hunt)
HAPPINESS:
Happiness can be the result of forgetting.
Emotional highs and lows use up our energy and ability to remember. We
forget how to be happy.
Today's story explains how easy it is to forget, but at the same time how
valuable it is to remember.
The story is about a speech, cleverly written to express a point. Be
assured that the writer was happy during its composure. If some anxiety or
anger would have occurred whilst writing this clever speech, we would have
never felt the expressive gratitude given to the VALUE of good friends.
A CENSORSHIP-FREE GRADUATION
The following salutatorian speech was delivered by the author at the June
7, 2002 graduation ceremony of Hollidaysburg Area High School. The text
was initially censored by school officials because of its religious
content. The school later allowed the author to deliver her remarks
un-censored after being contacted by Liberty Counsel, a public interest
legal group. The uncensored speech is presented here.
I don't know about all of you, but I definitely don't feel old enough to
be standing here today. I maintain that I am really an eight year-old
somehow trapped in the body of an eighteen year-old.
But, in the past few weeks, I've really started to think about what I have
done in my life, and I am slowly coming to the realization that a lot has
transpired in my seemingly few eighteen years. Time seems to have flown
past without me, though I possess a mind full of memories that indicate
otherwise.
If I try as hard as I can, I am able to pull up some memories as far back
as kindergarten, though this is quite a chore, as most of those memories
have been crowded out by derivatives, the structure of DNA, and the format
for a diction paragraph.
But once I dig through to those early years, I begin to understand how far
I have come. I've gone from being unable to even write my own name to
being able to understand (supposedly) college level calculus and live for
a month in Germany. My repertoire has expanded greatly, and, looking back,
I cannot imagine how I accomplished everything I have.
As pictures from my past cross my mind, I am glad for what I have
achieved, but then I look a little closer and catch a glimpse of something
even more amazing in my life.
Yes, I am blessed to have done all I have to reach this point, but when I
look hard at where I have been, I see how I have arrived here. At that
point, I finally understand that I owe success not to my own efforts, but
to the love and friendship of some truly wonderful people.
Usually they are not on the forefront garnering attention for themselves;
no, they are in the background, doing the things that matter most, the
things that have gotten me where I am today.
They stayed up with me into the wee hours of the morning, discussing all
the things that really matter; they pored through history books, trying to
pick out the information that would surely be on that massive test
tomorrow; they were there to listen to my frustrations when time seemed
too short and the work too long; they gave me advice when I didn't know
what to do, yet never pushed me to do what they thought was right.
More than any of that, though, they taught me how to have fun in life,
regardless of the ugly situations that often present themselves at the
most inopportune of times.
By now you must be wondering who these awesome people are, and to that I
answer that I have been very blessed to call them my friends and family.
God, in His perfect way, has managed to connect me with these people who
have shaped my life, and for that I am forever grateful to Him.
Now, as I prepare to go off to college, the hardest part is not starting a
new chapter, but finishing this one. Those people who have grown so dear
to my heart must now be allowed to go their own ways, and in the case of
some, must be left behind as I move ahead.
But just when I think I can't go through with it all, who should be there,
encouraging me to follow the dreams God has given me, but those dear
people, the same ones I don't want to leave.
I dread these partings that draw nearer by the day, but these people have
helped me understand that there is One who will never leave me or forsake
me. He will stick closer to me than a brother, even when I mess up or even
try to run from Him. He, even more so than the people I love, has been
there every day, never forcing me to do anything, but always encouraging
me to stretch my limits and strive for the best He has to offer.
As we prepare to continue in this journey of our lives, I look back with
special fondness on everything my friends and family have done for me.
Through all we have been through together, I have learned the lessons that
will make my life happier in years to come.
The people God has placed around me are some of life's sweetest blessings,
and my prayer is that God will bless them as much as they have blessed me.
I encourage all of you today to remember those people who have made you
who you are; do not forget to thank them before you leave. They have aided
us in reaching this point where we now stand, and for that they should
never be forgotten.
(Shannon Wray)
QUOTE: 'Dwell not on the past. Use it to illustrate a point, then leave it
behind. Nothing really matters except what you do now in this instant of
time. From this moment onwards you can be an entirely different person,
filled with love and understanding, ready with an outstretched hand,
uplifted and positive in every thought and deed.'
(Eileen Caddy, Spiritual Writer)
LOVE:
Many people are aware of how powerful love is, but few would have a story
to illustrate this.
Today's story is similar to loss of custom in a business. You must treat
everyone the same, with the same degree of love, care and attention. A
failing business will often show the signs of no love. No employee cares
anymore, so as a consequence their attitude spills over into customer
relations. The customers feel aggrieved and take their business elsewhere.
Where there is no LOVE there exists greed, a selfishness that consumes;
this consumptions sucks out all appreciation. Your circle of customers or
for that matter your circle of friends starts to decline.
The mirror principle appears to apply in this situation. If you have no
love, you reflect no love. It is as if you're trying to see your
reflection in quick-sand.
So it follows that without LOVE you lose so many attributes. Whilst
today's story has no mention of the lack of love, it mentions what showing
love can do.
THE BISHOP'S GIFT
Once a church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the
pastor and four others, all over 60 years old.
In the mountains near the church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred
to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might
save the church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked
for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to
give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."
The pastor, returning to the church, told the church members what the
Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members
pondered the words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each
asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began
to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that that
one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each
member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves
with extraordinary care.
As time went by, people visiting the church noticed the aura of respect
and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small
church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the church.
They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends.
Within a few years, the small church had once again become a thriving
church, thanks to the Bishop's gift.
(Unknown Author)
QUOTE: 'It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin
it. If you think about that you'll do things differently.'
(Warren Buffett, Investment Entrepreneur)
THE LOVE OF WISDOM:
What is preventing you from success? Your mind!
In wisdom success is always attributed to money, but to other such
successes such as achieving love and happiness. Yet whether we live in a
world of wisdom or not the controller of our destiny is our own little
self.
We follow actions suggested within our mind. So ultimately the controller
is our mind. We are all too well aware that TWO people or more exist
within our mind; no one individual runs the whole show. It almost appears
as if we have two opposite ends controlling all of our decisions, a GOOD
GUY and a BAD GUY.
In WISDOM the attempt is for the one true self to run the mind; we need to
limit the effects of the others. The others may be referred to as the EGO,
INNER TALKING, SELF TALK, CONVERSATIONS within the mind or many other
weird and wonderful names various countries around the world give to them.
Nevertheless if we want success we need to have some control of our own
mind, we need to eliminate the bad and poor decision maker.
Today's story is an illustration of how a strong and active mind can
overcome difficulties.
MY STORY
I have a dream, and I will stay determined, work hard, and do everything
in my power to make my dream a reality.
Growing up, I had a lot of negativity in my life, and just recently, I
experienced a success that I consider, a significant step towards my
dream/goal for life.
During my elementary/middle school years, achieving straight A's was never
an easy task due to a mild learning disability. My disability lead to low
quality test taking ability, which affected me a lot with the SAT's.
However, during high school, I achieved almost all A's in which I am very
proud of. The SAT's of course was the only thing holding me back from
getting into the school of my choice. The school of my choice is located
near Los Angeles, CA, the home of the entertainment industry. Working in
the entertainment industry is my goal/dream, and just going to school in
the same area was something to strive for in itself.
With a mild disability in Reading Comprehension, the SAT Verbal Section
was really to my disadvantage. I applied for extra timing numerous times,
and got turned down each and every time. When I got a letter from the
school, which was not a solid rejection, saying my SAT score did not reach
the minimum for allowable admission, I began to lose hope.
I started crying, hating myself, my life, standardized tests, among other
things. I called up my admissions counsellor in tears when I received the
letter and asked him nicely if there was anything else I could do to
improve my application packet. My counsellor was one of the most
understanding, kind, and considerate people I have ever met. He gave me a
second chance to improve my scores and gave me suggestions of how to
really prepare for the SAT. So, I purchased an 8 inch thick SAT prep
booklet, and drilled away for 3 hours each day, during the 2 week period I
had before the test. The book really stressed me out and I thought I was
gonna die, trying to retain all of that information.
Well, I finally took the test, and remained utterly nervous and scared for
the 4 weeks prior to receiving my scores. I finally received my scores,
and was ecstatic to see that I increased 50 points. My counsellor told me
that I needed a 50-60 point increase for consideration. I was so happy! My
admissions counsellor was very happy for me too, and sent my application
packet to an appeal committee, convincing them that I really have the
drive to go to their school and am determined to do well. My grades were
stellar, which was a total plus. Just shows that a simple test score
doesn't mean anything when it comes to measuring a person's intelligence
and potential.
After 3 weeks of waiting around for a decision, my counsellor called me
and said "Congratulations Julia, you have been admitted." That literally
made my year! I was so happy and excited, I wasn't in a bad mood about
anything for a long time. I was so determined to make it into that school,
I did anything to get there.
No matter how rough the seas may get, never give up. If all the doors are
closed, open one. If opportunity runs out, make more. If the storms get
rough, they blow away, not you. My advice to anyone with a dream is to
always believe in yourself, believe in the universe and you will for sure
see good results.
The path to any success, big or small, may get rough, and when it does,
take charge, never settle for less than you are determined to get. The
human being can do amazing things, and if the mind really dwells upon
something, the body will react. Follow your dreams and never give up,
because it's the losers that say success is only "luck".
For an update on me, I just finished my first semester at Chapman
University in Orange County CA, having earned a 3.7 GPA. My major is
Communications, however I am switching to Theatre Performance. I am
breaking into the modelling industry which I plan Television and Movies to
follow. UCLA is in mind for transferring to as an undergraduate and/or
future schooling. To everyone who took the time to read my story: God
Bless every one of you, and may all of your lives shine like stars.
(Julia Barys)
QUOTE: 'It is hard to fight the enemy who has outposts in your head.'
(Sally Kempton)
SELF DEVELOPMENT:
Why do we choose to accept a first impression?
It seems that we have grown up with accepting them and therefore it
becomes a habitual act. This accepting a habitual act alone proves how
many other aspects of our life can be clouded by judgements made from
assumptions.
Is accepting a first impression actually the first impression? More often
than not it is the second impression. The first impression is a gut
feeling that we discard incorrectly.
I was out shopping with the family over the weekend and walked passed a
tramp. The children stared intently at the tramp and after we had passed
they gave me a barrage of questions. At eight and six years old my two
girls were wondering was he a nice man or a naughty stranger, and why was
he sitting on the floor?
I explained the reasons for his need to sit and beg, but also continued
with that we all would assume that he is a horrible person, because of his
unshaven and unwashed appearance. Then I followed with, the way he appears
on the outside doesn't mean that it is the way he is on the inside. He
maybe able to laugh about his misgivings and have learnt some very
valuable lessons in life, his soul maybe enriched with love and affection.
We are better to reserve judgement than fill in the gaps and complete our
first impression without all the facts. Yet, nevertheless as with our
life, we seem to be making decisions with fewer facts than should be
advised.
To improve our self development we need introduce a goodness that prevents
the proverbial first impression being accepted. Making assumptions means
that you are taking risks, and taking risks causes heartache and problems.
When you first see a tramp you show immediate empathy and sorrow; and only
then do you put up your guard and make the recognizable 'first
impression'.
The more you assume the more you are making decisions without the full
facts. This leads to inaccuracies in your life; you'll be continually
going over ground you've already trodden.
Spot the two first impressions accepted in this story. Watch also for the
gathering of people who act as though they were sheep and follow everyone
else's lead and make the same assumptions.
HIS NAME IS JOHN
His name is John. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it,
jeans and no shoes. This was literally his wardrobe for his entire four
years of college. He is brilliant. Kinda esoteric and very, very bright.
He became a Christian while attending college.
Across the street from the campus is a well-dressed, very conservative
church. They want to develop a ministry to the students, but are not sure
how to go about it. One day John decides to go there. He walks in with no
shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started
and so John starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is
completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are looking a
bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything.
John gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and when he realizes
there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although
perfectly acceptable behaviour at a college fellowship, trust me, this had
never happened in this church before!) By now the people are really
uptight, and the tension in the air is thick.
About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the
church, a deacon is slowly making his way toward John. Now the deacon is
in his eighties, has silver-grey hair, a three-piece suit, and a pocket
watch. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks
with a cane and as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying
to themselves, "You can't blame him for what he's going to do. How can you
expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college
kid on the floor?"
It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly
silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on
him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The people are thinking, "The
minister can't even preach the sermon until the deacon does what he has to
do." And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With
great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to John and sits
with him so he won't be alone.
Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control he says,
"What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just
seen, you will never forget."
(Unknown Author)
QUOTE: "Goodness is the only investment that never fails.'
(Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Highest Laws, 1854)
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Resources:
All Authors, where know are credited to both quotes and 'add-in' stories
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Wisdom and Philosophy
Wisdom Tips and Ideas
Wisdom Quotes
Wisdom Stories
Philosophy Stories
Wisdom Examples
Wisdom Quotations
Short Wisdom Illustrations
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