THE STOLEN WATCH<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Khurshid Ali and Kenneth J. M. MacLean<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one class of an elite college, there were 30\nstudents. One of the students got a very\nprecious wrist watch from his father as a birthday gift. He put this watch on\nand went to the college. With pride he showed it to everyone and received\npraise. Then, during break time, he put the watch on his desk and went outside.\nWhen he came back, the watch was not there. Somebody had stolen it. He got very worried and told his professor, \u201cI\nhave lost the precious watch I received from my father as a birthday gift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow was it lost?\u201d the professor asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring the break I put it on my desk and went outside. When\nI returned, the watch was not there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWell, this happened just now, so no new person could have\ncome into the room, nor could anyone have left. This means that the watch must\nbe here. I hope we can find it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor was\nsure that he could find the watch but he did not desire that anyone would see\nwho had stolen the watch. He wanted to save the thief. The professor found a\nsolution. \u201cEvery student must blindfold himself. All of you stand in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor then went down the row, tapping the pockets of\neach of the students until he found the watch in one of the student\u2019s pockets.\nBut he did not stop his search until he reached the end of the row. Therefore,\nnone of the students knew which of them was the thief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor then\ncontinued with his lecture and after class returned the watch to the student\nwho lost it without telling anyone who the thief was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the following days the thief became more and more\nworried, for this was not the first time he had stolen, even though he had\nnever been caught.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat if the professor\ntells the dean that I was the thief? Then my whole story will come out. What if\nhe tells my parents? I will be expelled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thief worried and grew more and more anxious. Finally,\nhe could take it no more. He went to the professor and abased himself. \u201cI am so\nsorry I stole that watch. I thank you so much for not revealing to anyone that\nI was the thief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor smiled at the student. \u201cBut I did not know who\nthe thief was until you came to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The student was shocked. \u201cBut how is this? You knew who I\nwas because you took the watch from my pocket before returning it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo. I blindfolded myself before I conducted the search. I\nwas wondering if you would come to me and admit your guilt. Now that you have\ndone so, I am satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The thief was amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou see,\u201d the professor said, \u201cI did not wish to know who\nthe thief was. I did not want to\nremember the incident. My job is not to\nfind the weaknesses of my students, but to help them live a better life. A person and his actions are two different\nthings. We can choose our actions. Deep\ninside, every person is good. Our\nactions, however, depend upon the time, the\ncircumstances, and our thoughts, and\nchange with time. At different times or\nunder a different situation, a person might behave differently. We should not form a final opinion of anyone\nunless we give them a chance to right their wrong. You have done so, and I am\nproud of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From that moment the thief\u2019s life changed. He told the\nprofessor of his other thefts and how he would make restitution. He vowed then\nand there to only do good in the world, and help others. \u201cI will show the\npatience and the compassion to others that you showed to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor had tears in his eyes. \u201cI believe you. I think\nyou will be a force for good in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The former thief kept his promise. He made restitution to\nall he had robbed. Over the years he made enough money in his job to found a small\nschool that would teach the principles of tolerance and compassion, for he had\nlearned these things the hard way. He named the school after his professor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first he had trouble getting students, for in this world\ncompassion comes a distant second to making money, ambition, and\nself-promotion. But gradually the school began to gain a reputation for\nintegrity and adherence to the highest educational standards. The school\nflourished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He invited the professor, now an old man, to give a lecture\nto his students at their graduation. The professor invited his former student\nup on the stage, and asked him to describe that long-ago incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At first the founder was concerned that his reputation would\nbe sullied and that he would lose students if he told the truth about his past.\nThe professor looked at him gravely. Finally the founder smiled and realized that\nthis was a further test of his integrity. He described the incident truthfully,\nand all he had done. \u201cAnd so you see,\u201d he said to the audience, \u201cthat my old\nprofessor was able, without punishment or even mentioning my thievery to\nanyone, to turn my entire life around.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor said, \u201cIt is better to not try to know bad\nthings about others. If a person makes a\nmistake, he should be given a chance to\nrealize it and correct it by himself. \nJust imagine, if this incident of stealing had not happened, my student would\nnever have thought about founding this wonderful school.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the students in the audience objected. \u201cBy ignoring\nthievery, we promote thievery,\u201d he said. \u201cTo stop thieves the consequences for\ntheir wicked actions must be severe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor smiled. \u201cBefore we look at the weaknesses or the\nvices in others, we must look at our own vices. If we do not want others to\nknow or talk about our vices, then why should we do so? Even when we notice\nsomeone’s faults, we must remember that he or she also has good in them. Rather\nthan castigating wrong behavior, it is better to recognize the good and praise a\nperson for that. In doing so, we will help him improve and become a better\nperson. And most important, seeing the good in others is a source of heartfelt pleasure\nfor us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The professor then said, \u201cThievery, and other dark things,\nonly come when we fail to see the good in people. Those who we have abandoned then\nturn on us, and on society. Ponder this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The parents and the students left the lecture with a lot to\nthink about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the speech, the founder of the school was still\nconcerned that parents would not want to send their students to a school run by\nan admitted thief, for the founder had proclaimed loud and wide that his school\nwas run only by those with the highest integrity. But over the next year, the school\nincreased its membership even more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such is the power of light when it is recognized in others over\nthe power of dark to punish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you think? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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THE POWER OF LOVE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Khurshid Ali and\nKenneth J. M. MacLean<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once upon a time a\nvery loving family came upon ill fortune. They lost all their belongings and\nmoney, and in the end even the house they lived in was taken by the bank so\nthat the family became homeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the father, the\nmother, two sons, and two daughters were united in love. The parents respected\ntheir children and the children loved their father and their mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father said, \u201cGod\nis kind and our bond of love is strong. This misfortune is only temporary. It\nis a trial for us but we will stand up to it and come out successful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weather was warm. Three\nmiles from the neighborhood there was a small forest. The family had nothing.\nIt was either go downtown to the homeless shelter, or live temporarily outdoors\nin the woods. The father said, \u201cWe will go to the forest. There we will make a\ntemporary hut and try our luck. I will seek work in the city and when our good\ndays come, we will take back our house and live in it again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father was very\nconfident because he believed in the power of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So they all piled into\nthe car with some canned goods and drove to a small dirt parking lot that\nbordered the woods and went into the forest. While they were looking for a\nsuitable place, the family saw a small clearing among a stand of trees with\ndeadwood from a fallen tree that they could use for fires. A small stream ran\nthrough the clearing. They thought this was a good place, so near that tree\nthey put all their belongings and took a rest. The father, who was a carpenter,\nbegan weaving tree branches together to form a small hut. While this work was\nin progress they saw a very unusual looking bird sitting on a tree branch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family was hungry\nso they decided to prepare some food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father asked the\nson to go and collect some wood so that they could make a fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOK father.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird on the tree\nwas watching this. He said \u201cHa ha ha, what a bunch of losers you are!\u201d But the\nfamily did not care and went on with their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father told the\ndaughter to take the pail and to go to the stream and fetch some water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes dad, I will do it.\u201d\nShe took the pail and went to the stream and filled it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird began to\nlaugh again at the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family did not pay\nany attention to it and went on with their work. Soon the father had made a\nsnug little shelter and covered the roof with boughs from an evergreen tree to\nkeep out the rain. The family stood outside their hut and admired it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father asked his\nwife to make some food. \u201cYes my dear I will do it. We have enough canned goods\nto last us for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird laughed very loudly.\n\u201cWhat will you do when your food runs out?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father looked at\nthe bird. This was a very unusual bird, large and brightly colored. The father\nsaid, \u201cOh, no problem. When our food runs out we will catch you, kill you, and\nthen cook you.\u201d Then he spoke to all members of the family. \u201cThis bird looks\ntasty. Let us catch him and cook him right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family all said in\nunison: \u201cYes dad, let\u2019s do it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hearing this, the bird\nbecame frightened. He said, \u201cNo no, please don\u2019t kill me. I am a poor bird, but\nI know here in this forest there is a place where a treasure is buried. I will\nlead you to that treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father agreed and\nthe bird flew away. The family followed. After a half mile of walking there was\na black stone, the bird asked them to turn over the stone. Under that stone was\na hole and when they dug into the ground they found an ornately enameled box.\nInside the box were two oilskins, each containing an ancient manuscript upon\nwhich maps were drawn. The family was very happy and they thanked the bird. The\nfather took one of the manuscripts, leaving the other in the box. He drove to a\nbookseller in the city that sold rare manuscripts and showed him the map. The\nbookseller was astounded. \u201cDo you know what this is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father shook his\nhead. \u201cIt is valuable, I\u2019d stake my life on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cValuable indeed! This\nmap is at least 300 years old and should fetch a great price. If you will\npermit, I will auction the map for some collectors I know, and take 10% of the\nproceeds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was agreed. The\nold map fetched an astounding price, enough for the family to pay the debt on\ntheir house and move back in. The family was grateful and began to live a happy\nlife once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their neighbor saw\nthis with surprise. One day he asked how had it all happened. The mother told\nthe story of how they were going to live in the forest until the father could\nfind work. She told him about the unusual bird and how it had made fun of them.\n\u201cWhen we threatened to kill him, it led us to the treasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The neighbor thought\nthey could do the same. So they went to the same forest and found the tree\nwhere the bird was sitting. They found the shelter. But the family had\nforgotten to bring food and it would be dark soon. They didn\u2019t want to walk all\nthe way back to the car and decided to spend the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father said, \u201cWe\nare hungry, we need something to eat.\u201d He asked his son, \u201cGo and collect some\nwood so that we can make a fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The son said, \u201cWhy\nshould I go? You are sitting and not doing anything, you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father became\nangry. \u201cYou stupid bird, who are you to laugh? This is a family matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then father then said\nto the daughter, \u201cGo and fetch some water with the pail.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The daughter said,\n\u201cFetching water is work for a man. Let my brother do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird laughed\nagain. The father said, \u201cYou scoundrel, shut up!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father asked his\nwife to cook something, for they were all hungry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His wife said, \u201cYou\nfool! We have no food, we didn\u2019t bring any.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird said, \u201cYou\nhave nothing to cook, what will you do? You are a very stupid family. I know\nbeggars smarter than you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The father became\nenraged. \u201cWe will catch and kill you and then cook you if you don\u2019t show us the\ntreasure!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird said, \u201cHa ha ha,\nI am not afraid of you people. You are not united, you squabble and bicker and\ndon\u2019t cooperate with each other, you can do nothing against me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut you showed that\nother family the treasure! You must show us too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The bird said, \u201cFor that\nfamily I had great respect, for they were united in love and did not complain\nabout their diminished circumstances. If that family had decided to catch me,\nthey would have done so easily. But you people are stupid and I have no liking\nfor you. Get away from here!\u201d The bird flew away, laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This family spent a\nmiserable night in the woods. In the morning it began to rain. They had to trek\nthree miles back to the parking lot, arguing and blaming each other all the\nway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love isn\u2019t just a\nconcept. It results in harmony and cooperation, and sometimes, even good luck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE STOLEN WATCH By Khurshid Ali and Kenneth J. M. MacLean In one class of an elite college, there were 30 students. One of the students got a very precious wrist watch from his father as a birthday gift. He … Continue reading