There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you its going to be a butterfly

There's nothing in a caterpillar that tells you that its going to be a butterfly.
- Buckminister Fuller
I had recently attended a workshop for children, in which they stressed the need for 'Value education'. While the academic education we pursue, fill our minds with knowledge, value education helps mould the inner personality of a person. While the outward dress does create the first impression, to 'hold' the attention it requires the strength of character.
A nice story was narrated, as to in a school, there was a class of very naughty and rowdy children. A person visited the class and observing the behaviour of the children said that the kids are going to grow up to be gangsters and wastrels. A few years later, as the person inquired he was surprised to see the same class students had turned out to be doctors, lawyers, accountants etc. He approached many of them to know the reason for their transformation and they attributed it to one particular teacher. He located the teacher, who by that time had grown quite old, and asked her 'what did you teach the students that there was so much of a transformation in them'. The teacher had difficulty remembering the class, and finally recollected and said, 'that class students... Oh I loved them'.
During the first 5-7 years the children are very impressionable and it is possible to mould them into good human beings. Like during the making of a chappati/ bread, it is possible to mould and make changes in the dough; if we add more water the chappati/bread will be soggy and if we add less water it will dry. It is only through experience that we know how much water is to be added; but once the chappati/bread is made/ baked we cannot change it. It is only during the dough stage that moulding and changing is possible. So this stage is very important. The basic idea of good habit forming must be done in this age. Old habits are hard to break and the further personality of the person is built on the values imbibed during child hood; not just by the parents, but also by the teachers and students in whose company the child is. Also the values taught by the teacher in the school must be compatible with the values taught at home. For eg if in the school the teacher tells a student that you must not tell lies, don't ignore his harmless lies at home.
If you take a container and fill it with marbles, you will see that it is 'full'. There is not any space for more. Try adding some semolina, it will slip into the gaps of the marbles and fit in smugly. Now the container is really full, or is it? Try adding some water. And yes, it will seep in it too. The marbles are the 'duties', the semolina is the daily 'routine tasks' that have to be done with and the water is 'play and fun activities'. So the most essential thing in life is to prioritize your important activities. If you fill the container with semolina first, there will be no space for marbles. So encourage your child to fit in all activities in a day, by prioritizing the important and the not so important ones.
And finally,
What you hear...... you forget
What you see....... you can recollect
What you do........ you never forget.
It is better to teach a children showing pictures and giving real life examples where possible, where it is imprinted in the memory of the child. If you can make your child do something himself, there's nothing like it. As the brain can recollect better in pictures, than simply giving a dry lecture which is easily forgotten. And remember value education begins from birth. So start now..

Why do people love me so much...

Why do people love me so much; that they get so obssessive and possessive about me, wondered I...

Maybe I am sounding a bit pompous and self centered, but many a times in our lives we are surrounded with people who love us so much, that we are overwhelmed. Our parents, spouse, kids and close friends and relatives. Sometimes, the love may be a bit too possessive, especially when it comes to your child who'd love to be around you 24*7 and hates the thought of anyone else talking to you and taking you away from him.
I guess the protective love from our parents is the most purest form of Love. Its simply giving without expecting anything back in return. Sometimes looking back I feel guilty for taking their Love for granted. Today, having matured with age, I have learnt to give back love to them. I look at my son and I see history repeating itself.
To my thinking, the love in friendship is the most easy going one. Most of the time its mutual among close friends and they are the people we always confide in the thoughts and feelings that we cannot tell anyone else. They say blood is thicker than water, but down the walk of life I have forged some really close relationships with some non- blood relatives, so much that I consider them my soulmates. They are my life line and I lean back on them as they can give me some unbiased advice when I need it.
Finally, I guess if you are lucky enough (I am, touchwood!!) the love of a spouse is what completes the circle of your Love. Here's a nice poem summing the love (by Laura Veronica Merodio)

A stranger you were once.
Then, with a gentle look you took my hand.
As our lives engaged,
you lit my life and I held both your hands.
Now that decades have passed,
ours souls have indeed become one.
How fortunate we are
that we have found the love so true
that everyone dreams about.

Finally summing up, as F.P Jones has said, 'Love doesn't make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.'

Beautiful thoughts

1) Don't aim for success if you want it;
just do what you love and believe in,
and it will come naturally

2) You may get delayed to reach your targets.
But every step you take towards your targets is equal to victory.

3) "An aim in life is the only fortune worth finding,
and it is not to be found in
foreign lands, but in the heart itself."- Robert Louis

4 Today well lived makes every
yesterday - a dream of happiness
and tomorrow - a vision of hope

5) The summit of happiness is reached
when a person is ready to be what he is.

6) In between goals is a thing called life,
that has to be lived and enjoyed.

7)"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking
that they can do things.
When they belive in themselves they have the first secret of success."

8)If you find stumbling blocks in your path,
use them as stepping stones to move close to the good in life.

9) All changes are difficult and sometimes costly,
but if they're good changes,
in the long run they pay off.

10) Life Consists not in Holding Good Cards
but in Playing Well Those You Hold.

11)Every king was once a helpless baby,
every oak once an corn,
every mighty ocean swell once a ripple,
and every great structure once a blueprint.
It's not where you are today,
but where you are going that counts.

12) Without your involvement you can't succeed.
With your involvement you can't fail.

13) Happiness is a perfume
you cannot spread on others without getting a few drops on you yourself.
so always be happy to make other happy!

14) 'Challenges'
are what makes life interesting
'Overcoming'
them is what makes life meaningful.

15) The toughest part of getting to the top of the ladder,
is getting through the ground at the bottom.

MEANING OF LIFE...

On the first day, God created the dog and said:

'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'

The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'

So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said:

'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'

The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the Dog did?'

And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said:

'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'

The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'

And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said:

'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'

But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'

'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family.. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Thoughts to ponder on..

1)"When you face choices, just toss a coin ….. Not becoz the it settles the question, but while the coin is in the air, you’ll know exactly what your heart is hoping for !!!"

2)The first rule for happiness is, avoid too lengthy mediation's on the past.

3)The more enthusiastic you are about life, the more joy you will find in it.

4)A Man with outward courage dares to die, a man with inward courage dares to live.

5)Until you value your self you will not value your time.
Until you value your time you will not do anything with it.

6)The biggest failures are those who have failed to win friends,
but even bigger failure are those who lose what friends they have made.

7)Don't sit back and take what comes....Go after what you want.

8)Efficiency without God's sufficiency is a deficiency.

9)The future belongs to those who see possibilities before they become obvious.

10)It's better to look for a solution than a scapegoat.

11)Take time to be quiet, it is the opportunity to see yourself.

12)A Hero is no Braver than an Ordinary Man,
but he is braver five minute longer --Ralph Waldo

13)Don't allow yourself to become consumed by life's problems;
become consumed with life's joys.

14)A positive attitude helps bridge the gap between ability and expectations.

15)"Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty
rather than the difficulty in every opportunity. - Reed Markham

16)God asks no man whether he will accept life. You must take it.
The only question is how.

17)"If you can imagine it, you can create it.
If you can dream it, you can become it."

18)The Successful person is the individual who forms
the habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do.

19)Be like water adjust to the object and you will
find a way around or through it." -Bruce Lee

20)The only limit to our realization of tomorrow
will be our doubts of today

I BELIEVE

A Birth Certificate shows that we were born,
A Death Certificate shows that we died.
Pictures show that we lived!
Have a seat . . . Relax . .. . And read this slowly.

I Believe...
Opportunities lost are lost forever as the same opportunities almost never come again
I Believe...
That just because two people argue, doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if
we understand that friends change.
I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.
I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with
loving words It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That we are responsible for what
we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.
I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them....and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find
out a secret. It could change your life Forever.
I Believe..
Two people can look at the exact same
thing and see something totally different.
I Believe..
That your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if
a friend cries out to you... you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe...
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything..
Thank you God for all the wonderful people who help us throughout the journey of life..
Forgive quickly, love slowly, and live free.

A MESSAGE BY GEORGE CARLIN

GEORGE CARLIN (His wife recently died...)

Isn't it amazing that George Carlin - comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind..
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

George Carlin

MONSOONS

It was in the air,
They smelt it - the birds, the trees, the animals,
A mysterious scent engulfing us,
Strong winds blowing, the trees bowing,
The dark podgy warriors marching on..
Darkness crept - conquering every inch
Soothing cool breeze massaging every muscle
A ray of light, the drummers began,
Midst nature applauding, chins titled,
Eyes skywards witnessing the annual rendezvous,
The wait was over, it came -
Softly orchestrated at first, till rock took over,
A shiver in the spine, but as hearts opened,
It went on and on and on...
The Monsoons at last took over.

(Pallavi S)