Tuesday, June 12, 2012

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

Live by your values
 we pride ourselves on our heritage and deep routed values which guide us through the life’s major challenges and quandaries and help us lead a meaningful life. But these values not magically pass on from one generation to another. Building and living by our values needs lot of conscious efforts such as:
1)      Read a lot: Be it religious texts ,true life stories, text books or fiction work, reading brings us face to face with the outside world .It exposes us to new ideas, to the triumphs and tribulations of others ,and different ways of looking at the world.    
2)      Spend time with grand-parents: Our values are not passed on to us by parents, but rather from our grandparents. Their simple stories can bring complex morals and values alive; their experiences can teach us more than text books .
3)      Think about others: Our values turn into actions when we go beyond ourselves and think about others as well. Consider about the feeling of others before acting. Think of how would you have felt if the same had been done to you.
4)      Become responsible: There is no better way to learn than from our experiences .Our lives are fraught with moments when we question our ethics and values. Take responsibilities of your actions and decisions.
5)      Be open: Values are not just some sentences meant to be blindly imbibed or accepted. Instead, discuss concerns and dilemmas with your parents and teachers and ask pertinent questions.
6)      Have meaningful discussions with your peers: Our peers are individual who are similar to us in many ways and different – with diverse families and backgrounds. Engaging in meaningful discussions with them can open you up to newer ideas and perspectives.
7)      Become involve in something that appeals to you and helps others: There is great satisfaction in helping others. Think of an activity that you enjoy that can still help someone else- be it community service, assisting a classmate in maths, giving music classes with limited means.
8)      Be honest to yourself: Our values are not rules imposed on us by our parents, teachers or priests. They are what we hold to be most important in ourselves. We all make mistakes, but accepting them and being honest with ourselves is the only way to become better human beings.
9)   Think for yourself: Don’t do things under pressure simply because others ask you to or you see others around you do it. Think critically and think for yourself. Do what your conscience tell you to do.
10)   Value the means, not just the end: There are times when we are tempted to compromise on the means to reach the end. But winning may not always justify the costs. Life is not just about what we achieve, but rather how we achieved it.
                                                   
                                                        STORY
       A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
      The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes." The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
       "Now", said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions - things that, if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car.
      The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first" he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the rubbish. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand".