The daily tidbits of wisdom is what I have decided to start posting here in
the Philosophy and other Silliness section of the Asylum....
Everyday in my email, I get these little stories and bits of wisdom from
my friends from all over the internet. They are mostly Native American in
nature, but I think that the information can be applied to all walks of life. I
just hope that you all enjoy them when I post them.
An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life........
He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil---he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, Self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego.
The other is good ---he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too."
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather ,"Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
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Email of Wisdom 2
Many, many years ago when the world was new, there was a beautiful river. Fish in great numbers lived in this river, and its water was so pure and sweet that all the animals came there to drink.
A giant moose heard about the river and he too came there to drink. But he was so big, and he drank so much, that soon the water began to sink lower and lower.
The beavers were worried. The water around their lodges was disappearing. Soon their homes would be destroyed.
The muskrats were worried, too. What would they do if the water vanished? How could they live?
The fish were very worried. The other animals could live on land if the water dried up, but they couldn't.
All the animals tried to think of a way to drive the moose from the river, but he was so big that they were too afraid to try. Even the bear was afraid of him.
At last the fly said he would try to drive the moose away. All the animals laughed and jeered. How could a tiny fly frighten a giant moose? The fly said nothing, but that day, as soon as the moose appeared, he went into action.
He landed on the moose's foreleg and bit sharply. The moose stamped his foot harder, and each time he stamped, the ground sank and the water rushed in to fill it up. Then the fly jumped about all over the moose, biting and biting and biting until the moose was in a frenzy. He dashed madly about the banks of the river, shaking his head, stamping his feet, snorting and blowing, but he couldn't get rid of that pesky fly. At last the moose fled from the river, and didn't come back.
The fly was very proud of his achievement, and boasted to the other animals, "Even the small can fight the strong if they use their brains to think."
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Email of Wisdom 3
Bear cubs
Translated by Mary-Jane (Piwas) Andrew
When spring finally came to the country, the bear woke from hibernation. She got out of her den and said "The spring has arrived again."
She went for a walk to the place where most of the snow had melted so that she could eat berries. She left her children behind where they were still asleep. After she had finished eating, she went back to her den and took a nap. While she was sleeping, her children woke up and saw that their mother's mouth was purple from eating berries.
One cub said to the other, "Look, what's that in mother's mouth, sticking to her teeth?"
The other replied, "Let's get them out."
And they took the berries out that had been sticking in mother bear's mouth, and ate them.
The first cub said, "They taste very good. Let's follow her footprints and see if we can find the berries too."
So they followed their mother's footprints until they reached a patch of berries and started eating too. After they had eaten enough berries, they both went home. When they had nearly reached their den, they heard their mother making desperate cries.
But it was too late. A greedy monster had killed their mother and had eaten her. This monster knew that there were cubs around because he had seen their footprints in the snow. We was very excited because he knew that baby cubs are very tasty and tender to eat. He started to run as he chased after the baby cubs.
The cubs had already taken off running when they heard their mother screaming. After running for a long time, they met grandmother porcupine along the trail. They said to her, "Grandma, please let us pass. We are running away from someone who has killed our mother. Will you try to stall him while we run again?"
"Yes, I will," replied the grandmother porcupine. "You have another grandmother who can kill this monster. You will find her. Just follow this trail," pointing to the path ahead. And so the cubs ran again.
Shortly thereafter, the monster got to the grandmother porcupine. He said to her, "Please move out of the way grandma. I'm looking for our grandchildren. They have run away from me."
Grandmother porcupine said, "I will not move out of the way unless you can do what they have done for me."
The monster replied, "What did they do?"
She said, "They built me a fire and they rubbed their faces on my tail."
The monster replied, "Oh, that's easy. I can do that for you." And so he built her a fire. He was very happy thinking that she would soon let him pass.
After he had finished making a fire, he rubbed his face on her tail. But while he was doing this, grandmother porcupine swung her tail very hard on his face. Guills were lodged all over his eyes and mouth.
"Now I will move out of your way so you can pass," she said to the monster.
The monster passed, taking his time to pull the porcupine quills out of his face. After he had finished picking the quills out, he was on his way again. He saw the cubs' prints on the ground.
The cubs were still following the trail that the grandmother porcupine had shown them. They finally reached their other grandma's house. This grandma was a giant seagull. They said, "Grandma, we are running away from someone who has killed our mother. We are afraid he might try to kill us too."
The grandma said, "Don't be afraid. I have killed this kind of monster before." The cubs were no longer afraid.
She said, "I will take both of you across to where you can stay safely." She took them across the water in her boat.
The cubs said to their grandmother, "Will you kill this monster, Grandma?"
"I will," she replied.
When she got back to her boat, she painted it with dirty, smelly fish. When the monster reached the crossing place, he called out to the seagull, "Grandma, please come help me get across!"
The seagull paddled her boat to the monster.
"Did you see our grandchildren? I have been running after them. I was thinking of eating them because they are still very tender."
The seagull said, "Yes, I have seen them. I took them across. Would you like to go across too?"
"Yes," said the monster. And he got into the boat. When he got into the boat, he couldn't stand the smell of it.
The seagull said, "If you can't stand the smell, hang your head over the side instead." And so the monster held his head over the water to avoid smelling the stinking boat. While he was doing this, the seagull took a huge knife out from hiding and cut his head off. It fell into the water.
After she had killed the monster, she went back to the bear cubs. "I have already killed the monster who killed your mother," she said. "You can both stay here, and I will make you toys to play with."
The bear cubs played with their boat on the river, and they had a lot of fun. They stayed there forever.
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Email of Wisdom 4
LOVE starts with a SMILE , grows with a KISS , and ends with a TEAR.
DON'T cry over anyone who won't cry over you.
Good FRIENDS are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.
You can only go as far as you push.
ACTIONS speak louder than words.
The HARDEST thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else.
DON'T let the past hold you back, you're missing the good stuff.
LIFE'S SHORT. If you don't look around once in a while you might miss it.
A BEST FRIEND is like a four leaf clover, HARD TO FIND and LUCKY TO HAVE.
Some people make the world SPECIAL just by being in it.
BEST FRIENDS are the siblings God forgot to give us.
When it HURTS to look back, and you're SCARED to look ahead, you can look beside you and your BEST FRIEND will be there.
TRUE FRIENDSHIP "NEVER" ENDS. Friends are FOREVER.
Good friends are like STARS You don't always see them, but you know they are ALWAYS THERE.
DON'T frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.
What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry?
Nobody is perfect until you fall in love with them.
Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.
Most people walk in and out of your life, but only FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.
To those whose mocassins slipped off the path I know it is hard not to be angry, but try to remember when you are angry that you have lost some of your power and control and given it up to the enemy. The honor of one is the honor of all, the hurt of one is the hurt of all. Now all has been said and it is time to move on and speak of it no more. Let the voices of those that speak of it be as the sound that falls on the ones with no ears.
THE PERFUME
As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.
It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle." !
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, " Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.
On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered! his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.
They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
We all have some kind of purpose on this earth, It's not to hurt people
or tell them their worth.
Everyone was put here with an equal chance, Take a look around you, take
a good long glance. Some were meant to heal, and some to teach, Some are
used to build, and some to reach. You may not know your purpose just yet,
God will tell you, when he knows you are set. Don't rush your fate, it
has already been planned. And God will always be there to lend a helping
hand.
You will go through times that are really rough, But you will always have
someone, when the going gets tough.
Don't judge others, for when you do,
There is always someone else, judging you.
Think about things before they are said, Say your prayers before going
off to bed.
Take time just to sit, and observe all things,
A flower and it's petals, or a bird and it's wings.
For when you just look at what is around, A new aspect on life could be
what you have found. Live for today, live one day at a time. Live for
yourself, and for God, that's no crime.
For when you do all these things to make your life great, You will find
your own way to the pearly white gate.
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Email of Wisdom 8
Saturdays .....
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting
business himself. He was talking about "a thousand marbles" to someone named "Tom." I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles." "You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
"Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which isthe number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part. "It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy."
"So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to roundup 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. "Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones......
"It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!" You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show's
moderator didn't have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast.
"What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special," I said. " It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
(This only goes to show to have fun before you lose all of your marbles.)
