~ Good or Bad, hard to say ~

foga

4 May 04, 12:49

dugged this out somewhere in my e-mail....

Here is a really interesting story. I enjoyed it
as it is offers both humour and food for thought.
Hope it will give you encouragement even though
sometimes we perceived things to be in a bad light.

P.S. - a good thing to emulate this chap in the story when
circumstances come our way by having this attitude - "Good or bad, hard to say!"

Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of
his followers very much because he was very wise and
always gave very useful advice.
Therefore the king took him along wherever he went.

One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was
injured and the wound was getting worse. He
asked the follower if that was a bad sign. The follower said, Good
or bad, hard to say'. In the end, the finger of the king was too bad
that had to be cut.

The king asked the follower again if that was a bad sign. Again, the
follower gave the same answer, 'Good or bad,
hard to say'. The king became very angry and sent the
follower to prison.

One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle.In the end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make thing worse, he got captured by the native people lived inside the jungle.

They wanted to sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that
the king had one finger short, they released him immediately as he
was not a perfect man anymore and not suitable for sacrifice. The king managed to get back to his palace after all. And he finally
understood the follower's wise quote, 'Good or bad, hard to say'. If he hadn't lost one finger, he could have been killed by the native people.

He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to
him. But to the king amazed, the follower was not mad at him
at all. Instead, the follower said, 'It wasn't a bad thing that you
locked me up.'

Why? Because if the king hadn't locked the follower up, he would have brought the follower along to the jungle. If the native found that the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower. Again, the quote 'Good or bad, hard to say' stands.

The moral of the story -

Everything that happens in this world, there is no absolute good or
bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad things eventually, while bad things become a gain. Whatever good things that happen to you, enjoy it, but don't have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your life.Whatever bad things that happen to you, don't have to feel too sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all.

If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier.
Cheers & smile often won't you???

on tenterhooks

4 May 04, 12:57

Thgt of contributing this story as well....

The KingÂ’s Four Wives

Once upon a time there was a rich king who had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and adorned her with riches. He also loved his third wife and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms.

However, he always feared that she would leave him. His second wife was kind and considerate and his trusted confidante and advisor in difficult times. Wife number one was devoted and loyal and although she loved him deeply, he was not so interested and tended to ignore her.

One day, the king fell ill and knew his time was short. He thought of
his luxurious life and feared being alone when he died.

He asked his fourth wife, "I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" she replied and walked away without another word.

The sad king then asked the third wife, "I have loved you all my life.
Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company? " "No!" she replied. "Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to remarry!"

He then asked the second wife, "I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" she replied. "At the very most, I can help with your funeral."

Then a voice called out to the king in his sadness: "I'll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go." The king looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny and undernourished. Greatly grieved, the king said, "I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!"

In truth, we all have four wives in our lives. Our fourth wife is our
body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die. Our third wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others. Our second wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave. And our first wife is our soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the ego. However, our soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.

The moral of the story:

Look after your body and keep it healthy so you can live life to its
fullest.

Enjoy your possessions and the comfort they provide.

Cherish your friends and family and the love they provide.

But don't forget to nourish your soul--it is the source of all your life
and your most faithful friend.

Wink