The Cup of life

The Cup of Life

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.



What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups."

"Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change."

"If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it."

-Mother Teresa

What ever happens for the best

Whatever Happens Happens For The Best

Once upon a time a king decided to go for hunting. He and his men went to the forest. On the outskirts they set up camps for resting. Then they made merry picking and eating ripe fruits from the trees.

Suddenly, there was a major commotion people were shouting "The king had cut his hand". All the king's men ran here and there looking for herbs and water to apply to the wound, and there were shouting and commotion all around. Actually, the king tried to slice an apple into pieces with his sword, in the process he cut the little finger of his left hand.

The king felt pleased that his men were so concerned for him.

But then he noticed the minister was ignoring the issue and felt irritated. He called the minister and asked him " Are you not concerned about the spilling of royal blood?". The minister calmly replied "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best." This reply enraged the king no end and he shouted "What! are you not concerned at all about my cut finger?" The minister kept his cool and replied again "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best."

The king was most annoyed at the extreme indifference and ordered the minister to be put in captivity awaiting trial for royal treason after the hunting was over. He asked the minister for the last time if the minister had any submission to make, all he said again was "Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best."

The next day the king entered the deep forest with his men in search of a big game. With great zeal the King rode far ahead of his men and got separated from his group. In the deep forest he lost his way and was taken prisoner by a clan of ferocious dacoits. The dacoits planned to make a Royal sacrifice to propitiate their deity and seek her blessings for usurping the throne.

The next morning there was great chanting and merry making all around the den in preparation for the great event. The king duly bathed, appropriately ordained, was led to the alter for the sacred sacrifice. Just when he was to be beheaded, it was noticed that the subject for sacrifice , the king, had a cut on his left hand. The practice of the clan forbade offerings with defects.

So with no better option at hand the dacoits released the king and he finally made his way back to his camp. He narrated the experience to his men and then remembered that he had the minister in captivity waiting for trial for royal Treason.

He called for the minister and sat in judgment. The minister then said " My lord, consider the facts as they occurred. You cut your finger, and I said 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best.' you got annoyed and put me into captivity before going for the game hunting and I again said 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best'. You went deep into the forest and got lost from your companions and should I have not been left behind I would be keeping you company and we would have both fallen into the hands of the dacoits. The dacoits were about to make a Royal Sacrifice, but for your cut finger you escaped certain death and the Kingdom was saved from rule of the dacoits. Had I been with you failing to make a Royal Sacrifice the dacoits would have very certainly sacrificed me, as the next best alternative. So because your finger was cut you got saved, because I was left behind, I have now a chance to explain the deep philosophy of my statement 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best.'

The king reflected on the happenings and released the minister saying yes you are a wise man and see things in their positive perspective.


Always, Life has two forces, the positive force and the negative force, negative force pulls us down like gravity, the tragedy is most of us surrender to the negativities of life, but those who succeed see the brighter side of the worst tragedies and remain positive and psyche themselves up through positive energy to new levels of success.

So being able to say 'Sir, whatever happens, happens for the best' is a great way to look at LIFE and its happenings.