Powerful wisdom stories about experience, compassion, freedom, failure, overconfidence and the scars of life—offering timeless lessons on how to live more wisely.
Experience Without Growth Is Just Repetition
Two teachers were once applying for the same Vice-Principal position at a local high school. One had been teaching a total of 8 years and the other a total of 20. Everyone expected the teacher with the greater experience to get the job, but when a decision was made it was the person with 8 years teaching who was chosen.
The teacher
overlooked for the job complained bitterly – “I’ve got 20 years teaching to her
8” he cried. “I’m vastly more qualified.”
The School Board’s reply went like this:
“Yes sir, you do have 20 years teaching to her 8, but where she has 8 years
experience you have 1 years experience repeated 20 times.”
Simply experiencing the passage of time
doesn’t mean we have grown or learned from those things we experience during
that time.
Source: unknown
A Birthday Party That Exposed the Heart of Christianity
It was one of the most extraordinary birthday parties ever held. Not it wasn’t in a plush ballroom of a grand hotel. No there weren’t famous celebrities, nor anyone rich or powerful.
It was held
at 3am in a small seedy cafe in Honolulu, the guest of honour was a prostitute,
the fellow guests were prostitutes, and the man who threw it was a Christian
minister!
The idea came to Christian minister Tony
Campolo very early one morning as he sat in the cafe. He was drinking coffee at
the counter, when a group of prostitutes walked in and took up the stools
around him. One of the girls, Agnes, lamented the fact that not only
was it her birthday tomorrow but that she’d never had a birthday party.
Tony thought it would be a great idea to surprise Agnes with a birthday party.
Learning from the cafe owner, a guy named
Harry, that the girls came in every morning around 3.30am Tony agreed with him
to set the place up for a party. Word somehow got out on the street, so that by
3.15 the next morning the place was packed with prostitutes, the cafe owner and
his wife, and Tony.
When Agnes walked in she saw streamers, balloons, Harry holding a birthday cake, and everyone screaming out “Happy Birthday!” Agnes was overwhelmed. The tears poured down her face as the crowd sang Happy Birthday.
When Harry called on her to cut the cake she paused. She’d
never had a birthday cake and wondered if she could take it home to show her
mother. When Agnes left there was a stunned silence. Tony did what a Christian
minister should. He led Harry, Harry’s wife and a roomful of prostitutes in a
prayer for Agnes.
It was a birthday party rarely seen in
Honolulu – thrown by a Christian minister for a 39 year old prostitute who had
never had anyone go out of their way to do something like this and who expected
nothing in return. Indeed, so surprising was this turn of events that the cafe
owner found it hard to believe there were churches that would do this sort of
thing, but if there were then that’s the sort of church he’d be prepared to
join.
Three Truths That Keep the Mind Free
A happy and cheerful man once captured a bird and placed it in a cage. “Give me my freedom sir!” cried the bird as he shut the door. Startled that the bird was talking to him, the man listened as it continued. “I am no use to you sir, for I have no beautiful feathers to look at nor am I able to sing beautiful songs, and I am to small to eat.
If however,
you promise to grant me my freedom I will tell you three wise teachings.”
The man agreed, whereupon the little bird
told him: “First: Do not grieve over things that have already happened. Second:
Do not wish for that which is unattainable. Third: Do not believe in that which
cannot be possible.”
“Indeed, these are wise things you have
taught me” said the man. As agreed, he opened the door of the cage and set the
little bird free. The man sat and pondered the bird’s sayings, and the bird
flew up to a branch high up in a tree. After a few moments the man heard the bird
laughing. “Why do you laugh?” he called.
“Because I so easily won my freedom”
replied the bird. “You humans pride yourselves on being the wisest of the
creatures, yet I a tiny bird, have outwitted you. Within my belly lies a
diamond the size of a hen’s egg. If you had not let me go you would be a
wealthy man.”
Upon hearing this news our once happy and
cheerful man became angry, sad and depressed. And the more the little bird
laughed the angrier, sadder and more depressed the man became.
After some time the man started hurling abuse at the laughing bird as he attempted to recapture it. But to no avail. The little bird was always beyond his reach. Finally, the little bird called out. “Listen to me O human.
When you granted me freedom I gave you three
teachings, yet you almost instantly forgot them. You should not grieve over
things that have already happened, but still you are grieving that you gave me
my freedom.
You should not wish for things that you
cannot obtain, and yet you want me, for whom freedom is my whole life, to
voluntarily enter a prison. You should not believe that which is impossible,
and yet you believe that I am carrying about inside my body a diamond as large
as a hen’s egg, although I myself am only half the size of a hen’s egg.”
And with that the little bird flew away.
Source: Adapted from Otto Knoop, “Die drei
Sprüche,” Ostmärkische Sagen, Märchen und Erzählungen (Lissa:
Oskar Eulitz’ Verlag, 1909), no. 72, pp. 147-149 (translation by DL Ashlimann).
Why the Experts Keep Getting the Future Wrong
“Computers in the future may weigh no more
than 1.5 tons.” – Popular Mechanics, 1949
“I think there is a world market for maybe
five computers.” – Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943
“There is no reason anyone would want a
computer in their home.” – Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of
Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
“This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings
to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is
inherently of no value to us.” – Western Union internal memo, 1876.
“The wireless music box has no imaginable
commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” –
David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the
radio in the 1920s.
“The concept is interesting and
well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be
feasible.” – A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s
paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found
Federal Express Corp.)
“Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” –
H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s
falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” – Gary Cooper on his decision not to
take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar
music is on the way out.” – Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are
impossible.” – Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
“So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve
got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you
think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our
salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to
Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you.
You haven’t got through college yet.'” –
Apple Computer Inc. founder, Steve Jobs, on attempts to get Atari and H-P
interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer.
“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the
ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.” – Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried
to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.
“Stocks have reached what looks like a
permanently high plateau.” – Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale
University, 1929.
“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no
military value.” – Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole
Superieure de Guerre.
“Everything that can be invented has been
invented.” – Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
“X-rays will prove to be a hoax” Lord
Kelvin, President of the Royal Society, 1893.
“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” –
Bill Gates, 1981
“Unworthy of the attention of practical and
scientific men” – British Parliamentary Committee report on Thomas Edison’s
electric light bulb.
When Confidence Becomes Catastrophe
Apollo was one of the greatest gods of
ancient Greek mythology. One of the stories about him concerns his human son
Phaeton. Each morning Phaeton’s mother, Clymene would point out to the boy the
rising of the sun and it’s passing through the sky.
This was his father Apollo riding a chariot
through the sky. However so magnificent were Clymene’s descriptions of Apollo
that Phaeton became very conceited, boasting loudly and often of his divine
parentage.
Tired of these boasts Phaeton’s playmates
urged him to provide proof. Stung by their insults Phaeton learned from his
mother how to find Apollo and then set out after the god.
When he finally encountered Apollo he
timidly entered his presence, and, encouraged by Apollo, poured out his story.
As soon as he finished Apollo swore a solemn oath that he would grant his son
any proof he wished. He had but to ask.
And ask Phaeton did. He asked permission to drive the sun chariot that very day, sure that his friends would see him and be convinced that Apollo was his father. Apollo was dismayed. Patiently he explained to Phaeton that the four fiery steeds would be beyond Phaeton’s control, that he would kill himself if he tried to drive the chariot.
He begged Phaeton to
select another proof.
But Phaeton refused to budge from his original request. He wanted to drive the sun chariot, and because Apollo had sworn an oath he could not deny the boy.
The hour came when the fiery steeds
were ready to go forth. Apollo anointed his son with a cooling oil to protect
him from the suns harsh rays, gave him directions, and urged him to watch the
steeds with the greatest care, especially to use the whip sparingly as the
horses were inclined to be very restive.
Phaeton impatiently listened then leaped
into the chariot. For an hour or two he paid heed to his father’s advice and
all went well.
But, growing overconfident and reckless he
drove the horses faster and faster and lost his way. In getting back to course
he drove too close to the earth, with disastrous results. The plants shrivelled
up, the fountains and rivers went dry, the earth was blackened, and even the
people in the land over which he drove were blackened.
Terrified at what he’d done Phaeton drove
so far away that all the vegetation which had survived the scorching died on
account of the sudden cold.
The people of earth cried out so loudly
that the supreme god, Jupiter, was aroused form his sleep. Surveying what had
been done he grew furious, took a lightning bolt and hurled it at the conceited
Phaeton, killing him instantly.
Phaeton demonstrates the way of foolishness. Refusing to listen to the wiser counsel of others, fools rush headlong on their way, giving little thought to the possible consequences and so often finding themselves stranded in disaster.
Source: Reported in Guerber, The
Myths of Greece and Rome
The Scars That Make a Heart Truly Whole
A young man once stood on a street corner,
opened his coat, and cried, “Look at my heart, look at my perfect, perfect
heart.” A crowd soon gathered, impressed by his perfect heart. They stood in
awe of a heart without blemish, perfect and complete in every way.
Soon an old man walked by and paused to see
what the commotion was all about. When he heard the young man proudly crying
“Look at my perfect heart” the old man pushed his way to the front to get a
closer look. And when he saw the young man’s heart he scolded him. “Son, that’s
not a perfect heart.
If you want to see a perfect heart you need
to see mine.” With that the old man opened his coat to reveal and old, knotted
and ugly heart. It was full of bumps and holes, and pieces of it had broken off
here and there.
The crowd began to laugh, but the old man
raised his hand and began to speak. “See this bump” he said, “That’s when I me
my first love. Oh, how the sun shone that day, how bright the colours of the
universe were, how sweet the swinging of the birds in the trees.
What a wonderful moment it was…Ah, but see
this hole, that’s when my first love and I broke up. How it pained me, and
pains me still. But the hole once ran much deeper. The years have managed to
fill it in a lot…See this bump, that’s when I me the woman who became my life
partner.
Oh, what a wonderful life we had – year
after year of shared companionship, of laughter, tears and joy. This scratch
here is when we had a blazing row that threatened to end our marriage – but we
made up and moved on…Over here, this place where a piece of my heart has been
broken off, this is when she passed away. Oh the ache – yes it still aches even
today, for she took a part of my heart to the grave with her, but I trust she
will return it to me someday…Ah, but here’s another great bump. This was when
we began our family. You’ll notice the hole beside it. That’s when we learned
we could not bear our own children.
How hard it was to accept, how painful to
live with. But the bump is when we got our adopted daughter – our very own
beautiful little girl to raise as our own. And yes, there are scratches and
indentations surrounding the bump – the times we fought and yelled. But always
we learned to forgive, and so this bump grows ever bigger.”
The old man went on to describe many other
bumps and holes and scratches on his heart, and when he finished the crowd was
silent. “You see son” he aid, turning to the young man with the unblemished
heart, “yours is not a perfect heart, for it has not lived, it has not been
touched with joy and tears and laughter and love and pain and anguish and
hardship and celebration.
Only when you are an old man like me will
you be able to look upon a gnarled and battered heart and be able to say, ‘yes,
now that is a perfect heart.'”
Source: original story by Rev. Garry
Izzard, rewritten and used with permission
Integrity and Wisdom
“My boy,” said the store owner to his new employee, “wisdom and integrity
are essential to the retail business. By ‘integrity’ I mean if you promise a
customer something, you have got to keep that promise-even if it means we lose
money.”
“And what,” asked the teenager, “is wisdom?”
“That,” answered the boss, “is not making any stupid promises.”
Ten Rules for Happier Living
245. Give something away (no strings attached).
246. Do a kindness (and forget it).
247. Spend a few minutes with the aged (their experience can be priceless
guidance).
248. Look intently into the face of a baby (and marvel).
249. Laugh often (it is life’s lubricant).
250. Give thanks (a thousand times a day is not enough).
251. Pray (or you will lose the way).
252. Work (with vim and vigor).
253. Plan as though you will live forever (because you will).
254. Live as though you will die tomorrow (because you will die on some
tomorrow).
Lessons From Teardrops
Two little teardrops were floating down the river of life. One said to the other,
“Who are you?” It replied, “I am a teardrop from a girl who loved a man and
lost him. Who are you?” The first responded, “Well, I am a teardrop from the
girl who got him!”
Life is like that. We cry over things we cannot have. If we only knew it, we
would probably cry more if we had received them. Paul had the right idea when
he said, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content”
(Phi 4:11).
Wise Advice from Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln once said, “You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging
thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help
the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further the
brotherhood of man by encouraging class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn. You cannot build
character and courage by taking away man’s initiative and independence. You
cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for
themselves.
Seek Counsel from More Than One
Here is a caution about seeking experienced counsel: It’s dangerous to go on
just one person’s experience. Mark Twain told about a cat who sat on a hot
stove lid. That experience taught the cat never to sit on a hot stove lid again.
But further, that cat never sat on a cold stove lid either. He took more from
the experience than it had to offer. If we’re going to talk about experiences,
we would be wise to talk to a number of people who have faced similar decisions
and extract direction from their combined counsel.
Motivation behind Choices
There are a great many actions which, in and of themselves, are neither right
nor wrong. They are made right when we act in love. They become wrong if we act
in selfishness.
It’s like playing the piano. There are no right or wrong notes. There are only
right or wrong notes in the context of the musical score.
\We many not like G or F, or be very favorable to middle C, but the note is
only wrong in the context of what is being played. Likewise, choices become
right or wrong based on the motivation behind them.
Read also: When Christians Become the Witness