Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Abraham Lincoln ( On self confidence and self - respect )


You are aware of how Abraham Lincoln , though born in a poor family , rose to become the President of America because of his self confidence . He was born in a poor family . His classmates used to heckle him for his dress and poverty . Lincoln , unable to bear this humiliation , approached his mother and said ,
" Mother , I am subjected to a lot of redicule by fellow students . Please get me a new dress . " Then the mother told him ,
" Son , we are not well-to-do . You must act according to our family condition . Don't be deterred by other people's taunts . Develop self confidence and uphold your self - respect ."
From that moment , Lincoln strictly followed the advice of her mother . After sometime , his mother passed away . and his father married again . His stepmother was also quite affectionate towards him and encouraged him to persevere on the path shown by his mother . After his father's death , Lincoln , who was aged 16 years then , left home to earn his livelihood and started selling newspapers . Even then also , he continued to uphold his self respect . Seeing his good qualities , his friends encouraged him to contest the elections . Lincoln stood for elections and won with a thumping majority . He was made the President of America . Though he was born in a poor family , he rose to such an exalted position because of his self confidence and self - respect .

Monday, March 14, 2011

The Atlantic Eel ( The Purpose of Life )


Blog Entry The Atlantic Eel ( The Purpose of Life )
for everyone


The Atlantic eel is born in the deep waters of South Atlantic . It then swims all the way North till it reaches the mouth of one of the North American rivers flowing into the Atlantic Ocean . The eel then moves from salt water to fresh water and swims up the river the long way. It lives there and when the time comes , it starts on the return journey . First it swims and goes back to the mouth of the river and from there it swims south to go to the part of the Atlantic ocean where it was born. Having reached its place of birth , the eel lays eggs and dies. Few know of this remarkable happening in nature , and how God silently guides the eel all the way to a river far from its native place and then finally brings it back to the same spot for " eternal rest ".

Life is a gift of God , and human life in particular is a very special and precious gift given to humans for a specific purpose . " What is that purpose? "
The atlantic eel can give us a hint about this question that both ancient and modern men often asked of himself . The purpose of life is to go back to where you came from . From God you have come, and to God you must return . Life must be so lived that you get back to God. Getting back to God is not at all that easy . The world is where we live. But we must live here in such a fashion that we are focused always on the return journey .If one loses focus , we may catch a " wrong flight " and end up elsewhere . However, we must be aware of the dangers lurking here in this world. Many people catch the wrong flight because they succumb to temptations . One must learn to kill the ego ( edging God Out ) and be able to put ceiling on desires through mastery and control of the mind and the senses.

Life is not meant to be frittered away in making merry , in pursuit of power , pelf and such other infructuous objectives . Instead , life must be so lived that we can return once and for all to our natural habitat , from which we have stayed away far too long .

The Polio Victim ( On determination and Self will )


The Polio Victim ( On determination and self will ) Mar 14, '11 4:23 AM
for everyone
This is an inspiring story about a boy , a polio victim who lives in one Asian city far away. Because of physical disability , he could not attend school . Feeling that he was becoming a burden to his family , this boy became very depressed . To forget his misery , he began to teach himself English by listening to BBC . Soon , he picked up English very well . Hearing of this , BBC presented him with a short wave radio . After this he began to learn German , once again by listening to the radio . In this way , this boy taught himself many things . One day , he started teaching the son of the maid servant who worked in his house . Word spread , and other poor boys came to him for instructions . Soon he found he was running a small school at home . Seeing this , relatives who once came from America donated this boy a wheel chair . Other boys who once avoided this polio victim now became his friends and , forming a service club ,they began to do service all over town . This is an example of what sheer determination and self will can do . This noble man lives in the city of Madras , India .