| Well done is better than well said." --Benjamin Franklin
(1706-1790) ---------- PAG SUNDAY WIT & WISDOM: 29 April 2007 ---------- THE TEACHER & THE JUDGE A gorgeous young school teacher ran a red light and got caught by a ticket camera. She went to the traffic court judge's chambers to request special attention since she was supposed to be teaching her class. The judge looked at her and said, "You know, I've always had a fantasy about schoolteachers." Her ticket, her fine, her increased insurance rates flashed through her mind. As she sat on the edge of his desk, she said, "Why, judge. Is there anything I can do about it?" The judge grinned. "You sure can. Sit down at that table
over there and write 'I will not run a red light' five hundred times!" Many years ago in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer's beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer's debt if he could marry his daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning money-lender suggested that they let providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag. 1) If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife and her father's debt would be forgiven. 2) If she picked the white pebble she need not marry him and her father's debt would still be forgiven. 3) But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail. They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the farmer's field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. Now, imagine that you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis would produce three possibilities: 1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat. 3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from his debt and imprisonment. Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl's dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers. What would you recommend to the girl to do? Well, here is what she did: The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles. "Oh, how clumsy of me," she said. "But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked." Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the money-lender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one. The Moral of the Story: Most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we
don't attempt to think. An atheist was fishing on Loch Ness when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. With an easy flip, the beast tossed his boat high into the air and then opened its huge mouth to catch him. As he sailed into the sky, he cried, "Oh, God! Help me!" At once, the ferocious scene froze! As the atheist hung there in mid-air a booming voice came out of the clouds: "I thought you didn't believe in Me!" "Come on, God. Give me a break!" pleaded the man. "A
minute ago I didn't believe in the Loch Ness monster either!" Upon recovery, the woman decided to stay in the hospital and
have a face-lift, liposuction, breast implants and a tummy tuck. She even
had someone come in and change her hair color and brighten her teeth!
Since she had so much more time to live, she figured she might as well
make the most of it. God replied: "I didn't recognize you." A modernized Chinese fable tells of Mary Lin, who was widely-known as a holy woman. She was a kind mother, a devoted wife, a loyal friend, an active part of her community of faith and a concerned neighbor to those in need. She visited the lonely who had nobody. She assisted the ill, caring for them however she could. She baked for new families who moved to her community. She befriended children and always had time to listen when anybody needed an ear. Mary Lin was busy and contented. And when she died, everyone who knew her believed she would go to heaven. If there was no heaven, one would certainly be prepared for her, they agreed. Mary Lin stood at heaven's gate. She was welcomed into a city alive with many voices of joy and praise. A gentle feeling of rest came over her, for here there were no worries, no tears, no sorrows and no losses. She could rest forever and enjoy the companionship of other good souls. But a strange thing happened. Amid the pleasant sounds of heaven, Mary Lin thought she heard weeping. She concentrated on that sound and discerned that it was the cry of a child far, far away. It was barely audible as it moved up to her from the earth. She knew someone was distraught. Someone was in need. Mary Lin turned and passed out through the gate.... "If we make our goal to live a life of compassion and unconditional love," said Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, "then the world will indeed become a garden where all kinds of flowers can bloom and grow." The world can become ... heavenly. http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/21/10-most-magnificent-trees-in-the-world/ Sir Peter of Sedona
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