wit and wisdom stories

According to a Greek legend, in ancient Athens a man noticed the great storyteller Aesop playing childish games with some little boys. He laughed and jeered at Aesop, asking him why he wasted his time in such frivolous activities. Aesop responded by picking up a bow, loosening its string and placing it on the ground. Then he said to the critical Athenian, ‘Now answer me the riddle, if you can. Tell me what the unstrung bow implies.’ The man looked at it for several moments but had no idea what point Aesop was trying to make. After a while Aesop explained, ‘If you keep a bow always bent, it will break eventually; but if you let it go slack, it will be more fit for use when you want it.’ Like the bow people too need to relax. We all need to take time to rest. A certain amount of loosening, diversion and entertainment can equip us for greater action. One of the greatest necessities in the world is to discover creative solitude.- Carl Sandburg

Daddy came home one day with a torn up map of the world and asked his son to put the map right again. In exactly ten minutes the boy was back with the map in perfect condition. Though the boy had no idea of geography, he had done the puzzle right in record time. Daddy wondered how his son could have done it so well. When asked by his father, the boy said, ‘All I did was to put the man right and the world came out right.’ Indeed, there was the picture of a man at the back of the map. There is nothing wrong with the world. The world will always be what man wants to make of it. If he acts responsibly  and with tolerance things will always be right with the world. Man is to a great degree a creature of his own making and, when made as he ought to be made, is destined to hold no trival place in the creation.- Edmund Burk

Once, a young French soldier deserted Napoleon’s army. He was captured within a matter of hours, by his own troop. To discourage soldiers from abandoning their posts the penalty for desertion was death. The young soldier’s mother heard what had happened and went to plead with Napoleon to spare her son’s life. Napoleon heard her plea but pointed out that because of the serious nature of the crime her son had committed he clearly did not deserve mercy. ‘I know he doesn’t deserve mercy,’ the mother answered. ‘It wouldn’t be mercy if he deserved it.’ To be merciful is to forgive someone even when he does not deserve to be forgiven - it is a gift given gratuitously. Showing mercy is the mark of a great man. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Matthew 5:7

A king went to visit the prisoners in the state prison. He then asked each criminal what he was punished for. The king was surprised when each criminal pleaded innocence and blamed the police and the judges for their atrocities and biased judgements, and the witnesses who gave false evidence. One convict, however, acknowledged his wickedness openly. He said the he deserved the punishment. The king was touched by his sincerity. ‘This man is too wicked to be with such innocent people. He much leave this place at one,’ he said. The king asked the judge to try him again and set him free. When something goes wrong, no one blames themselves-others are the ones who have done them wrong! They either misguided you, or influenced you to do wrong. They are to be blamed! The one who acknowledges his fault is wiser now than he was when he committed the wrong. Moral of the story- The best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or to spend time denouncin...

Lessons from 9/11, the annoying little things: As you might know, the head of a major company survived the tragedy of “9/11” in New York because his son started kindergarten. Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts. One woman was late because her alarm clock didn’t go off in time. One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident. One of them missed his bus. One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change. One’s car wouldn’t start. One went back to answer the telephone. One had a child that dawdled and didn’t get ready as soon as he should have. One couldn’t get a taxi. The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today. Now when I am stuck in traffic…       – miss an elevator…       –...

My little 10-year-old daughter, Sarah was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day to tell me she had competed in “field day” – that’s where they have lots of races and other competitive events. Because of her leg support, my mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my Sarah, things I could say to her about not letting this get her down – but before I could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I won two of the races!” I couldn’t believe it! And then Sarah said, “I had an advantage.” I knew it. I thought she must have been given a head start…some kind of physical advantage. But again, before I could say anything, she said, “Daddy, I didn’t get a head start…my advantage was I had to try harder!”

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation: Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren’t in prison. Love, Dad Shortly, the old man received this telegram: ‘For Heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!!’ At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what had happened, and asked him what to do next. His son’s reply was: ...