Build Happy Earth Links!

[enigma]

Remember that the people we hang with will have an impact on our lives .

We should not feed our dreams with negative thoughts.
Not everyone is healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives.
There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE.
It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least
minimize your time with, draining, negative, incompatible,
not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships.
Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention.
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill?
When you leave certain people do you feel better or feel worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know or appreciate you?

The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you...the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of Your Life.

"If you cannot change the people around you, CHANGE the people you are around."

It's your choice and your life..... It's up to you who and what you let in it......

[HH]

China: Beijing: Temple of Heaven

Temple of Heaven
And still further along the Imperial Way, the Hall of Prayer for a Prosperous Year (Qiniandian)--the very same that appears on every bottle of Tsingtao Beer. This is the so-called Temple of Heaven, although it has nothing to do with heaven but with prayers offered at the first spring moon. When first built in 1420, near the end of the Yongle Emperor's reign, it was square. The circular form came with a rebuilding in 1545. At that time, the roof tiers were tiled, from top to bottom, with Blue for Heaven, Yellow for Earth, and Green for Nature. In 1751 the Hall was rebuilt again, entirely with blue tiles under the golden pommel.

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[enigma]

Challenge is difficult to get through. Yet on the other side of challenge, there is value.

The bigger the challenge, the more value you'll gain by working through it. The more challenges you're willing to take on, the more accomplishments you'll be able to reach.

When you arrive at a challenge, see that challenge for what it truly is. It is a gateway to real and lasting value.

Keep your focus on the value that lies beyond the challenge. And you'll surely find a way to get through.

When you have conquered a challenge, among the rewards there will be even bigger challenges. In each of those challenges is the opportunity for even greater achievement.

Walk through the gateway of challenge. For on the other side, it's even better than you can imagine.

[enigma]

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of AIDS. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"?

Arthur AsheTo this Arthur Ashe replied: The world over

5 Crore children start playing tennis,

50 Lakh learn to play tennis,

5 Lakh learn professional tennis,

50,000 come to the circuit,

5000 reach the grand slam,

50 reach Wimbledon,

4 to semi final,

2 to the finals,

When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?"

And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"

Be thankful to GOD for 98% of good things in life.

[enigma]

INDIAN BRAIN IN NEW YORK

Once an Indian, always an Indian!
It is because of the business sense demonstrated below.

An Indian walks into a New York City bank and asks to see the loan officer.
He says he is going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000.
The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for such a loan, so the man hands over the keys of a new Rolls Royce parked on the street in front of the bank. Everything is checked out, and the bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan. An employee drives the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there.

Two weeks later, the man returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41.

The loan officer says, "We are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely, but we are little puzzled."
While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multimillionaire. What puzzles us is why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"

The Indian replied, "Where else in New York can I park my car for two weeks just for 15 bucks?"

Cheers!
Indians are Indians......, Smart brains

[akhilis2cool]

Coooooool

[enigma]

Very Interesting......... and True too!!!

The most destructive habit......................Worry

The greatest Joy...............................Giving

The greatest loss................Loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work...............Helping others


The ugliest personality trait.............Selfishness

The most endangered species.........Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resource...............Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm"..........Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome.................Fear

The most effective sleeping pill........Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease............Excuses

The most powerful force in life..................Love

The most dangerous pariah..................A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer........The brain

The worst thing to be without................... Hope

The deadliest weapon.......................The tongue

The two most power-filled words..............."I Can"

The greatest asset..............................Faith

The most worthless emotion..................Self-pity

The most beautiful attire......................SMILE!

The most prized possession................Integrity

The most contagious spirit.................Enthusiasm

Everyone Needs This List to Live By..

[enigma]

A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:

For cutting the grass: $5.00

For cleaning up my room this week: $1.00

For going to the store for you: $.50

Baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping: $.25

Taking out the garbage: $1.00

For getting a good report card: $5.00

For cleaning up and raking the yard: $2.00

Total owed: $14.75

Well, his mother looked at him standing there, and the boy could see the memories flashing through her mind. She picked up the pen, turned over the paper he'd written on, and this is what she wrote:

For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me: No Charge.

For all the nights that I've sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you: No Charge.

For all the trying times, and all the tears that you've caused through the years: No Charge.

For all the nights filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead: No Charge.

TearsFor the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose: No Charge.

When you add it up, the cost of my love is: No Charge.

When the boy finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you."

And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL".

[enigma]

A porcupine and a fox were returning from a great battle.
“Why wear that armour of spines?” said the fox. “The fighting is over.”
Thus beguiled, the porcupine took off his armour and the fox promptly pounced on him and devoured him.
Moral: Beware of advice from those who have their own interests at heart.

[enigma]

Bhupendra Prasad had spent a huge sum on his only son’s wedding which had been celebrated with pomp and splendour.
A few weeks after the wedding, Bhupendra, wanting to test his daughter-in-law’s intelligence asked her: “Can you guess how much I spent on your wedding?”
“About the cost of a sack of rice,” said the woman.
Her father-in-law’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“The cost of a sack of rice!” he spluttered. “You foolish girl, I spent a fortune on your wedding!”
The woman said nothing.
“She’s a nitwit,” thought Bhupendra. “A nitwit! My poor son!”
A few weeks later, while they were all going to a relative’s wedding they met up with a funeral procession.
“Who has died?” asked Bhupendra, stopping a mourner.
“Is it just one corpse or a hundred?” asked his daughter-in-law.
Bhupendra, greatly embarrassed by his daughter-in-law’s question, walked away without waiting for the mourner’s answer.
Presently they came upon labourers working in a field.
“Looks like you had a good harvest!” shouted Bhupendra.
“But are you reaping this year’s harvest or last year’s?” asked his daughter-in-law.
“Your wife is mad!” said Bhupendra to his son. “Mad! She talks nonsense!”
“Does she?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” roared his father. “Didn’t you hear the silly questions she asked!”
“Her questions may not be as silly as they seem,” said his son. “Why not ask her to explain?”
Bhupendra did not say anything. But later when he found himself alone with his daughter-in-law he decided to act on his son’s advice.
“Tell me,” he said, “what did you mean when you asked the mourner whether they were carrying one corpse or a hundred?”
“Some men have scores of dependents,” explained the young woman. “When such a man dies many lives are shattered. His dependents die with him, in a way. That is why I asked the mourner whether they were carrying one corpse or a hundred.”
“What did you mean when you asked those labourers whether they were harvesting this year’s crop or last year’s?”
“These labourers are perennially in debt,” explained the daughter-in-law. “I was enquiring whether they were working to pay off last year’s debt or had paid it all and were beginning anew.”
Bhupendra now realised that his daughter-in-law, far from being a nitwit, was probably cleverer than he was.
“One last question,” he said. “Why did you say I spent only the equivalent of the price of a sack of rice for your wedding when you know full well I spent a fortune?”
“What you spent on the essentials of the marriage amounted to only a few hundred rupees,” smiled the young woman. “The rest you spent to uphold and enhance your prestige. In other words, not on the marriage but on yourself.”

[enigma]

A man from Shiraz met a scholar from Damascus at the public baths.
Noting that the scholar was balding, the Shirazee upturned a brass vessel and, pointing to its rounded shining base, said to the scholar:
"How is it that all you Damascenes have heads like this?"
The scholar took the vessel from the man, upturned it and pointing to its empty cavity said:
"How is it that all Shirazees have heads like this?"

[enigma]

[enigma]

[enigma]

[enigma]

A father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the
country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be.
They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be
considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the
trip?" "It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people can be?" the
father asked. "Oh Yeah" said the son. "So what did you learn from the
trip?" asked the father.

The son answered, "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have
a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that
has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the
stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole
horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go
beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to

protect us, they have friends to protect them."

With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks
dad for showing me how poor we are."

Too many times we forget what we have and concentrate on what we don't
have.

What is one person's worthless object is another's prize possession. It
is all based on one's perspective. Makes you wonder what would happen if
we all gave thanks for all the bounty we have, instead of worrying about
wanting more. Yes, it's all a matter of perspective.

I've heard it said before that the richest are not those with the most,
but those who need the least. Take joy in all you have, especially your
friends.

[enigma]

# There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.

# So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

# Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

# So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

# What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

# What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter are not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

# Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

# Choose to live a life that matters.

# "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give"

[enigma]

A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead.

Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible. The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary.

Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellows. Spent and disheartened, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted. His companions began anew, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders! Finally leapt so high that he sprang from the pit.

Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds.

This simple story contains a powerful lesson. The book of Proverbs says, "There is death and life in the power of the tongue." Your destructive words can cause deep wounds; they may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying - or even their life. Your destructive, careless word can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence and have a lasting impact on the way others respond to them. Your encouraging words can lift someone up and help them make it through the day.

Be careful what you say. Speak life to (and about) those who cross your path. There is enormous power in words. If you have words of kindness, praise or encouragement - speak them now to, and about, others. Listen to your heart and respond. Someone, somewhere, is waiting for your words...

[enigma]

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you." "Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?" "I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path." Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.

[enigma]

A bus carrying only ugly people is involved in a crash, and everyone
on the bus dies. They go to Heaven. Because of the grief they have
suffered, God decides to grant them one wish each, before they enter
Paradise.

They're all lined up, and God asks the first one what their wish is.
The person answers, "I want to be beautiful," and so God snaps His
fingers, and it is done.

The second one in
line sees this and says "I want to be beautiful too."

Another snap of His fingers and the wish is granted. This goes on
for a while, but when God is halfway down the line,the last person in
Line starts laughing. When there are only
ten people left, this man is rolling on the floor, laughing his
pants off.

Finally, God gets to the end of the line and asks the laughing one
what his wish will be.
The man eventually catches his breath, and says: "Make them all ugly
again".




Moral of the Story: Don't get disheartned for being last, as you can
Still change others lives being last

[enigma]

A sage presented a prince with a set of three small dolls. The prince was not amused.
"Am I a girl that you give me dolls?" he asked.
"This is a gift for a future king," said the man. "If you look carefully, you'll see a hole in the ear of each doll."
"So?"
The sage handed him a piece of string.
"Pass it through each doll," he said.
Intrigued, the prince picked up the first doll and put the string into the ear.
It came out from the other ear.
"This is one type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, comes out from the other ear. He doesn't retain anything."
The prince put the string into the second doll. It came out from the mouth.
"This is the second type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him, he tells everybody else."
The prince picked up the third doll and repeated the process. The string did not reappear from anywhere else.
"This is the third type of person," said the man. "Whatever you tell him is locked up within him. It never comes out."
"What is the best type of person?" asked the prince.
The man handed him a fourth doll, in answer.
When the prince put the string into the doll, it came out from the other ear.
"Do it again," said the sage. The prince repeated the process. This time the string came out from the mouth. When he put the string in a third time, it did not come out at all.
"This is the best type of person," said the sage. "To be trustworthy, a man must know when not to listen, when to remain silent and when to speak out."

[enigma]

* Whether the day is gray or whether it is sunny, you can make a difference. If others support you or if they conspire to stand in your way, you can make a difference.
* If you have plenty of resources available to you or if you have very few, you can make a difference. If momentum is on your side or if it is not, you can make a difference.
* You can wait and hope for things to go your way. Or you can get busy and make it happen.
* You can complain that life has been terribly unfair. Or you can move ahead anyway and achieve what you intend, no matter what the obstacles may be.
* You can plead with others to give you a break. Or you can go ahead and forge your own path to success.
* Wherever you may be, whatever may have happened, you can make a positive difference. Live with commitment, decide to move forward no matter what, and you will.

[enigma]

An old man, staying in a small south Indian town came to visit his son in Bombay recently. The son in his early thirties is a successful businessman living with his wife and son.

The father, having spent most of his life at his birthplace, hardly understands a splatter of Hindi or English, forget Marathi. But he doesn't care. 'I have come here to spend a few days with my son and his family. I don't have to go out and socialize with the city people,' he said.

But the son is very excited about his father's rare visit to Bombay. He wants to make the best of it.

He and his wife want to show him around the city. And yes, the son enjoys those evening hours too, when he and his father go out and sit in a good bar, sipping their favourite drink.

Face off

Last week he was in a very good mood. 'Let's go to a five star hotel's bar tonight,' he told his father. It was a beautiful evening.

Talking about everything under the sun they had a few drinks. As usual they were offered some salad, peanuts, wafers etc ..as accompaniments with their drinks. The old man being almost toothless was not much interested in eating. But that day when they got up to leave, he simply took a handful of chana (roasted grams) and stuffed it in the fold of his dhoti. He might have thought about munching on them, sitting in the car, or whatever.

Unfortunately while walking in the lobby, he missed a step and stumbled.

Down he went, scattering the chana on the plush carpet.

No problem .Now try to visualize that scenario. Someone else in his son's place would have been mortified, embarrassed to death. He might have cursed not his father but his own self for causing this awkward situation. 'Never again will I take my old man to such hotels', he would have vowed.

No sir, not this son. Gently, with a smile, he helped his father get back on his feet. Instead of feeling irritated or angry, he was amused. He found the whole incident very funny.Laughing, they both went home and on the way they decided to return to the same place the following Sunday.

The old man liked the place. Liked the chana too.A son rises A few days back, at a friend's place they both described this event and made everybody laugh.

Weren't you embarrassed? Somebody asked the son. 'Oh, come on now' replied the son. 'He is my father. He talks in his native language, prefers to wear a dhoti even to a posh city hotel, takes chana from the bar to eat later, does whatever he feels like.... So what? Why should I feel embarrassed with his nature and habits? Nobody has a right to stop him from doing whatever he feels comfortable with, as long as it is not harmful to others.'

The son doesn't care what the staff in the hotel thought about that incident.

He says 'they should be concerned only with their bills and tips. I am concerned about my father's happiness.' The wife too totally agrees with the husband on this issue. She feels there are enough other qualities in her father- in- law to feel proud of.

Accept them .The above incident is not mentioned just to show the love and devotion of a son for his father. More than love it is a matter of understanding and a healthy respect for the other person's lifestyle.

A seventy plus old man doesn't want to change his lifestyle now. He likes the way he eats or dresses or talks. In his eyes there is nothing wrong with the old ways of living. And the son says, ok, fine. Every body has a right to live as per his wish. Now at his age, why should he be forced to learn to eat with a fork and knife, if he doesn't want to? I will feel bad if he is doing something morally wrong or indulging in some harmful activities. But otherwise it is fine. I am not going to try to change him at this stage. He is my father. I love him, respect him.

Hey folks, can you think this way?

So many times we see people getting embarrassed by the so called unsophisticated behaviour of their family members. They keep on apologizing about their lack of class and manners or about their drawbacks to outsiders. My wife can't speak proper English; she doesn't know what's happening in the world, so I avoid taking her out or introducing her to my friends and business associates...

My parents can't eat with a spoon and fork, so I don't take them to restaurants.... My husband is working as an ordinary clerk, so I feel awkward when I introduce him to my rich friends. My brother is mentally challenged, so I don't feel like going out with him...

Are you plagued with such thoughts or do you meet such people who think alike?

If you do, please ask yourself. Why do others or I feel this way? Really what is there to feel ashamed of? Most of the people always have this fear of other peoples' opinions and comments. What would others say?

They think and try to alter their own way of living.

Sometimes unnecessarily. What is worse is they try to change their own people too. And when they can't, they are ashamed, angry. And apologetic to outsiders.

In fact, these are the people who have no respect for others and no confidence in oneself. They try to copy others, try to be what they are not, and constantly ask for outsiders' approval for their behaviour. They don't care about the feelings of their family members when they avoid or belittle them.

They don't think how happy his or her family member would feel if he/she gets an opportunity to go to some swanky restaurant or a fun- filled party. Your wife, mother, father, little sister, and old aunt...all those people depending on you for their happiness. If you don't fulfill their desires, who will?

They are what they are. We are what we are. We don't have to change ourselves to please strangers. And if you do, you are in for life long misery.

In that case you would never dare taking your dhoti clad relative to a five star hotel. And your father would never sit amongst your friends and laugh his heart out over some funny incident.

An Excellent Moral

[HH]

Aspire, Perspire & Inspire!

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[enigma]

This is a famous paper written for an Oxford philosophy exam, normally requiring an eight page essay answer and expected to be backed up with source material, quotes and analytical reasoning.



This guy wrote the below answer and topped the exam!





OXFORD EXAMINATION BOARD 1987: ESSAY QUESTION



Question: What is courage? (50 Marks)



Answer: This is courage

[enigma]

The boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an

urgent problem with one of the main computers.

He dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a

child's whispered, "Hello?" "Is your Daddy home?" he asked.

"Yes," whispered the small voice.

"May I talk with him?"

To the surprise of the boss, the small voice whispered, "No."

Wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mommy there?"

"Yes," came the answer.

"May I talk with her?"

Again, the small voice whispered, "No."

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss

asked the child, "Is anybody else there?"

"Yes" whispered the child, "a policeman."

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss

asked "May I speak with the policeman?"

"No, he's busy," whispered the child.

"Busy doing what?" asked the boss.

"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the firemen," came the whispered answer.

Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a

helicopter through the earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is

that noise?"

"A hello-copper" answered the whispering voice.

"What is going on there?" asked the boss, now alarmed.

In an awed whispering voice, the child answered, "The search team just

landed the hello-copper."

Alarmed, concerned, and more than just a little frustrated, the boss

asked,

"What are they searching for?"

Still whispering, the young voice replied, along with a muffled giggle

"Me."