A student complained to his learned teacher
about the difficulties he has to endure in his life. He came from a very poor family
and had to look after his home and support his aged and sick parents and his
younger siblings by working hard every day after the classes in school while
his wealthy class-mates could play and rest without any stress or strain. He
was almost exhausted and had even thought about committing suicide.
The wise teacher gave him a carrot and an egg
to examine. He was asked to comment on their hardness. He said that the carrot
was sufficiently hard that it cannot be crushed by hands. The egg could be
easily cracked and the liquid contents would leak out with ease.
Then the teacher put the carrot and egg
together in a pan, added some water to cover the articles and then boiled the
water over the flame. After some time, the teacher took out the articles from
the pan and asked for the comments of the student. The boy observed that the
carrot, which was hard earlier, had become very soft after boiling. The egg, on
the other hand, became very hard during the boiling. Its contents had
solidified and now would not flow out even when the shell is shattered.
The teacher told the boy, “Earlier, you were
like the carrot. Your courage and strength of mind were lost when you were
exposed to the hard realities of life. You became weak and could be smashed
easily.”
Next, he displayed the egg and told,
“Be like the egg. You are soft and tender by nature, but the adversities of
life should make you bolder and stronger. Then you can gain the courage to face
any harsh moments with confidence.” He then narrated the biography of
successful persons who could overcome the hard times of early life with
confidence and earnest efforts.
The teacher could arrange some financial
support for the boy. The boy was earnest, honest and hard working. By the
constant support and guidance of his loving and dedicated teacher, he could
mould a successful career in life.
The round, smooth beautiful pebbles found in
rivers are the results of years of grinding in the flowing river, enduring waterfalls
and floods. A flute is made by harsh treatments of natural bamboos. The steps
involve cutting, shaping, drying and perforation. It is said that adversity is
the best university to perfect our personality.
We
must accept the sufferings and pain of life with the spirit of sacrifice. A
grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the
ground and suffers hard times. Then it sprouts and later produces a good
harvest of a large number of grains.
...........................................................................................................
© By Dr. Babu Philip,
Professor, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Fine Arts Avenue,
Kochi-682016, Kerala, India, Prof. Mrs. Rajamma Babu,
Former Professor, St. Dominic's College, Kanjirappally and Leo. S. John,
Maniparambil, Ooriyakunnath, Kunnumbhagom, Kanjirappally, Kottayam-686507, Kerala , India
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