Monday,Jul 25 2005, 05:09:08 AMmeaning of life
When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of 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 that 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 cups of coffee 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 --God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and 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 and 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 spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
The words of a lover
Can be as soothing and calming
Like a cup of hot tea on a cold blistery day.
They can be as tender as a petal
Or as loving as a tender caress
A drop of water in a parched land.
Yet the words of a lover
Can be like a sting of a bee,
A sharp slap on your face,
A roar and growl of savage beast,
A piercing of a nail into the palm of your hand,
Or like a prick of a spindle.
Thus are the words of lovers
That can build you up
And then tear you down.
The words that can fill your heart
The words that can also make you drown.
RedSugar
Tuesday,Jul 5 2005, 12:33:05 AM杯子與水的哲學
杯子與水的哲學
有一次，我們幾個分別了多年的同學相約去拜訪大學的老師。
老師很高興，
問我們生活得怎麼樣。
不料，
一句話就勾出了大家的滿腹牢騷，
大家紛紛訴說著生活的不如意:
工作壓力大呀，
生活煩惱多呀，
做生意的商戰失利呀，
當官的仕途受阻呀…
彷彿大家都成了時代的棄兒。
老師笑而不語，
從廚房拿出一大堆杯子，
擺在茶儿上。
這些杯子各式各樣，形態各異，
有瓷器的，有玻璃的，有塑膠的，
有的杯子看起來豪華而高貴，
有的則顯得普通而簡陋……
老師說:
「大家都是我的學生，
我就不把你們當客人看了。
你們要是渴了，
就自己倒水喝吧。」
七嘴八舌，大家說得口乾舌燥了，
便紛紛拿了自己看中的杯子倒水喝。
等我們手裏都端了一杯水時，
老師又發言了。
他指著茶儿上剩下的杯子說:
「你們有沒有發現，
你們手裏的杯子是
最好看最別緻的杯子，
而像這些塑膠杯沒有人選中它。」
當然，我們並不覺得奇怪，
誰都希望自己拿著的是
一隻好看的杯子。
老師說:「這就是你們煩惱的根源」
大家需要的是水，而非杯子，
但我們有意無意地會去選擇
漂亮的杯子。
這就如我們的生活----
如果生活是水的話，
那麼，工作、金錢、地位
這些東西就是杯子，
它們只是我們盛起生活之水的工具。
其實，杯子的好壞，
並不影響水的品質。
如果將心思花在杯子上，
大家還有心情去品嘗水的苦甜，
這不就是自尋煩惱嗎?
