Who Knows What Is Good And What Is Bad?
Common Sense of a Goose
A Monster to Hug
You Can't See a Person's Heart on the Outside
Who Knows What Is Good And What Is Bad?
(This was published in this newsletter just a couple of months ago. But at this time, I think it's good to remember this....) Most of us divide up our life experiences into those we like and those we don't. A traditional story illustrates this: When an old farmer's stallion wins a prize at a country show, his neighbor calls round to congratulate him, but the old farmer says, "Who knows what is good and what is bad?" The next day some thieves come and steal his valuable animal. His neighbor comes to commiserate with him, but the old man replies, "Who knows what is good and what is bad?" A few days later the spirited stallion escapes from the thieves and joins a herd of wild mares, leading them back to the farm. The neighbor calls to share the farmer's joy, but the farmer says, "Who knows what is good and what is bad?" The following day, while trying to break in one of the wild mares, the farmer's son is thrown and fractures his leg. The neighbor calls to share the farmer's sorrow, but the old man's attitude remains the same as before. The following week the army passes by, forcibly conscripting soldiers for a war, but they do not take the farmer's son because he cannot walk. The neighbor thinks to himself, "Who knows what is good and what is bad?"Common Sense of a Goose
Submitted by Russ Michael HereÃ's what scientists have learned about why geese fly in a "V" formation... As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following it. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 70% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.- People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of another. Whenever a goose falls out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone. It is easier if we stay in formation with those who are headed the same way we are going.
- When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wind and another goose flies point. Leadership can be shared.
- The geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. We need to be careful what we say when we honk from behind. Keep it positive and encouraging.
- Finally, when a goose gets sick or injured and falls out, two geese fall out of formation and follow the bird down to help or protect the injured bird. They stay until the goose can fly or is dead, then launch out on their own to catch up with the group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other.
A Monster to Hug
Submitted by Barbara Moore, Washington In 1972, David Miln Smith decided to spend a night alone in St. Michael's Cave on the island of Gibraltar as a test of courage. He tells of hearing strange sounds all around him as he lay there in the pitch-black, damp, deserted cave that night. Particularly, he came to believe he was not alone! Fear became panic and he was afraid he was losing his mind. Then suddenly, as he was approaching his psychological breaking point, Smith thought to himself, "Whatever the monster looks like, I will hug it." That simple, almost silly thought, brought great relief to his restless mind. He soon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep until morning. He learned that embracing his fear, literally or figuratively, allowed him to subdue it. We each have our nights of fear. We each encounter monsters of some sort. We may fear spiders or insects, heights or crowds, abandonment or loneliness, the future or death. And most of us are occasionally visited by shadows of these monsters in the dark of night. An interesting sequel to Smith's story is that the curator of St. Michael's Cave later informed the adventurer that he had discovered unusual footprints in the cave the morning after his overnight stay! Which shows, of course, that though fears may be legitimate, they must still be embraced. The next time you're afraid, try "hugging the monster." Face that fear head-on, whatever it is, and embrace it. You may be surprised at how quickly it slips away, and at how confident you begin to feel. Like that beautiful spirit Eleanor Roosevelt said, "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face." Do you have a monster to hug?You Can't See a Person's Heart on the Outside
A lady in a faded gingham dress and her husband, dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston, and walked timidly without an appointment into the outer office of the president of an old and established university. The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at this school and probably didn't even deserve to be in Cambridge. She frowned. "We want to see the president," the man said softly. "He'll be busy all day," the secretary snapped. "We'll wait," the lady replied. For hours, the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They didn't. And the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president, even though it was a chore she always regretted to do. "Maybe if they just see you for a few minutes, they'll leave," she told him. And he sighed in exasperation and nodded. Someone of his importance obviously didn't have the time to spend with them, but he detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern-faced with dignity, strutted toward the couple. The lady told him, "We had a son that attended school here for one year. He loved it. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. And my husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere on campus." The president wasn't touched, he was shocked. "Madam," he said gruffly. "We can't put up a statue for every person who attended school here and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery." "Oh, no," the lady explained quickly. "We don't want to erect a statue! We thought we would like to give a building to this university." The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, "A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical plant here." For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. He could get rid of them now. And the lady turned to her husband and said quietly, "Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don't we just start our own?" Her husband nodded. The president's face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. And Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford walked away, traveling to Palo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name, a memorial to a son.
