Corporate Lessons

Corporate Lesson 1:

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day.

A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”

The crow answered: "Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.

All of a sudden, a fox appeared, Jumped on the rabbit... and ate it.

Moral of Story 1: 

Corporate Lesson 2:

A turkey was chatting with a bull......

"I would love to be able to get to the top of that  tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy.”

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating more dung, he reached  the second branch.

Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree

Moral of Story 2:

Corporate Lesson 3:

A little bird was flying south for the winter.

It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field.

While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug  him out and ate him!

Moral of Story 3:

Cause and (the GOD) Effect

Once four disciples of a Guru were feeling extremely disappointed at the way things were happening in this World. They were debating on why God had created the beings in this world with such partiality.

They were not able to understand why even within humans some were born rich and others poor, some intelligent and others ignoramus…some kind and others cruel and so on. They could not understand the way creation was designed by God. They felt God was imperfect and finally decided to seek the help of their Guru in finding the answer to their questions.

The Guru listened to them calmly. He then told them to be ready early in the morning the next day so that they could go exploring the world to understand God’s design of creation.

The next day, the Guru asked them to get on to a Pushpak Vimaan (Something like an aeroplane). They started flying high above the ground.

The Guru now said, ”Dear Students, while on this flight I will ask you a question. The answer to my question will be the answer to all your queries. But the only condition is that if your answer is not satisfactory, then this Pushpak Vimaan will push you down to the earth." He also added that the moment one of you gives the right answer, the rest of you will be pushed from the Vimaan.

The Guru then pointed to the earth and asked the Disciples to observe a scene on the earth.

Down on the earth, a Deer was grazing along with its newly born Calves. At the same time, a Tigress that was pregnant had set out for its hunt. The Tigress began chasing the Deer, killed it and began eating it in front of the Calves, leaving them motherless.

Now the Guru turned to his Students and asked, now tell me what went right or wrong in the scene you just watched.

Student 1 was spontaneous : Guruji, what the Tigress did was wrong. It had no rights to orphan the calves. Now, what will the Poor Calves do…….(and Student 1 was seen falling to the ground)

Student 2 plunged in : Guruji, What the Tigress did is right. After all the deer is the Tigress's food and so it has all the rights to kill the Deer….(and Student 2 was seen falling to the ground)

Student 3 was very Smart : Guruji, What the Tigress did is neither wrong nor right. Now I have completely understood God’s design of creation….(and Student 3 went following Student 1 and 2)

It was the turn of Student 4 : He was very silent. He looked at the Guru with tears and said “Guruji, I am extremely sorry. I have not been to conclude anything from what I observed….the more I try the more confusing it becomes.…”

The Guru and Student 4 went travelling the rest of the journey and were back safely to the earth.

Intelligence is also about accepting the fact that there are things beyond Human comprehension ….like GOD. Let us stop fighting in the name of religion and begin being spiritual. The irony is that for being spiritual you actually do not require a GOD.

Cost of Knowledge

It has been 2 years since Sudheer’s birth that Joe had literally spent any time with him due to her busy schedule at Office. This has been a regular complaint even by her Husband.

One fine Saturday, Joe seemed to be relatively free from all her busy schedules and decided to take Sudheer to the nearby park.

She made him sit on the grass and play with the toys that she had brought from home. Since going to the Park was a new experience to Sudheer, he showed little interest in any of those costly toys. He was very excited and started running all over the Grass. He fell down with a thud but instead of crying started laughing and rolling all over the Grass….

Suddenly he saw some colourful insects flying. He began chasing them and almost had one in hand before which he heard a sound. It was so smoothening to the ears…he tried replicating..”chirp..chirp”

Another sound and this time it was musical…He became curious yet enjoying every bit of it….he tried “coooo…..coooo”

Joe, who was observing all this, also felt happy for Sudheer. She wanted to spend the time more qualitatively with him. So she decided to join the game…

She started running along with Sudheer chasing those colourful insects….

She said to him…Those are butterflies….

Sudheer babbled…”Buttelplies”....”Buttelplies”.....”Buttelplies”......

Now she pointed at the direction from where the sound was coming…

She told Sudheer…..those are Sparrows….

He repeated…”Spallows”...”Spallows”....”Spallows”....

The other sound…and she said, that is a Cuckoo…

And he replied….Cuk…cuk…cuk and began laughing…..

She was extremely happy for having spent Quality Time with her beloved Son…

It was time for them to return home…

Everything around remained the same…the park, the grass, the colorful insects, beautiful sounds and even Joe....ONLY THAT SUDHEER WAS CHANGED...

Sudheer could no longer see the magic in colors…he started seeing the “Buttelflies”.......no longer listen to mesmerizing music in the air…He began to search for the…Spallows and Cuk..cuk.cuk…

Pin Drop Silence

I am sure every one of us should have heard the phrase "Pin drop silence" at some point of time in our lives. I have always tried to make a figurative meaning out of this phrase but couldn't. Finally, I came across some real life situations, where at the end there was stark silence.....a silence that spoke much more than words could have.....Situations in which the heart sinks to levels from where one can hear nothing else but their own heart beat and probably the sound of a pin drop.....

Situation 1:

Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Maneckshaw once started addressing a public meeting at Ahmedabad in English. 

The crowd started chanting, "Speak in Gujarati. We will hear you only if you speak in Gujarati." 

Field Marshal Sam Bahadur Maneckshaw stopped. Swept the audience with a hard stare and replied, "Friends, I have fought many a battle in my long career. I have learned Punjabi from men of the Sikh Regiment; Marathi from the Maratha Regiment; Tamil from the men of the Madras Sappers; Bengali from the men of the Bengal Sappers, Hindi from the Bihar Regiment; and even Nepali from the Gurkha Regiment. Unfortunately there was no soldier from Gujarat from whom I could have learned Gujarati.".............

You could hear a pin drop....

Situation 2:

Robert Whiting, an elderly US gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.

At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur ?", the Customs officer asked sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said, “The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !", the Customs officer sneered.

The American senior gave the Frenchman a long, hard look.

Then he quietly explained ...

"Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach, at 4:40am, on D-Day in 1944, to help liberate your country, I couldn't find a single Frenchman to show a passport to.... "

You could hear a pin drop....

Situation 3:

Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of senior Army Officers to select the first General of the Indian army.

Nehru proposed, "I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of The Indian Army, as we don't have enough experience to lead the same."

Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the civilians and men in uniform present nodded their heads in agreement.

However one senior officer, Nathu Singh Rathore, asked for permission to speak. Nehru was a bit taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, though, he asked him to speak freely.

Rathore said, "You see, sir, we don't have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn't we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India?"

You could hear a pin drop....

After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, "Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army?"........

Rathore declined the offer saying "Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us."

This is how the brilliant Gen. Cariappa became the first General and Rathore the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army.

Balance

A man often bought oranges from an old lady. 

After they were weighed, paid for and put in his bag, he would always pick one from his bag, peel it, put a segment in his mouth, complain it is sour and pass on the orange to the seller.

The old lady would put one segment in her mouth and retort, “why it is sweet”, but by then he was gone with his bag.

One day his wife asked, “The oranges have always sweet but then why do you do this to the poor lady every time”.

The Man replied with a smile, “The old mother sells sweet oranges but never eats them herself. This way I get her to eat one, without losing her money.”

The Vegetable seller next to the Old lady saw this and chided, “Mother, Every time this man purchases your oranges, I see that you weigh a few extra for him. Why?

The old lady smiled. “I know that he does this to feed me an orange. Only that he thinks I don’t understand.”

She continued, “I never weigh extra. It’s just that his love tilts the balance a bit in his favor every time”

The Branch

Once there was a King who received a gift of two magnificent Falcons from Arabia.

He gave his precious birds to his Head Falconer to get them trained. Months passed and one day the Head Falconer informed the King that though one of the Falcons was flying majestically, soaring high in the Sky, the other bird had not moved from its branch since the day it arrived.

The King summoned healers and sorcerers from all over the land to tend to the Falcon, but no one could make the bird fly. 

He presented the task to the members of his court but in vain. The King saw through the palace window that the bird had still not moved from its branch.

Having tried everything else, the King thought to himself, “May be I need someone who is more familiar with the countryside to understand the nature if this problem”.

So he ordered his Court, “Go and get some Farmers”.

In the morning the King was thrilled to see the Falcon soaring high above the palace gardens. He said to his court, “Bring me the doer of this miracle”.

The Court quickly located the Farmer, who came and stood before the King.

The Kind asked him, “How did you make the Falcon fly?”

The Farmer bowed before the Kind and replied,” It was easy my lord….I simply cut the branch where the bird was sitting”…

We are all made to fly…to realise our incredible potential as human beings. But at times we sit on our branches, clinging to the things that are familiar to us. The possibilities are endless, but for most of us they remain undiscovered. We confine ourselves to the familiar “Comfort Zones”, making our lives mediocre..

Break free from your mediocrity…cut off the branches you are clinging to…New horizons will unfold in front of you….

Why me?

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon Player was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983.

He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed:

“Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease as this?”

Arthur replied:

50 million children start playing Tennis every year…of which….

5 million just learn how to play Tennis….

500 thousand learn Professional Tennis….

50 thousand come to the Circuit….

5 thousand reach Grandslam….

50 reach Wimbledon….

4 reach the Semi finals….

2 reach the Finals…

And when I was holding the cup in my Hand…I never asked God….“Why Me?”

So now that I am in pain, should I be asking God : “Why me”

Happiness keeps you sweet.

Trials keep you strong.

Sorrows keep you Human

Failure keeps you Humble

Success keeps you Glowing

But…Only Faith keeps you Going

Gratitude

When Alexander the Great was coming to India he met one great man, Diogenes. In their dialogue there is one point which is relevant. Diogenes asked him, “What are you going to do after you have conquered the whole world?”

Alexander said, “After I have conquered the whole world, I am going to relax, just like you.”

Diogenes was having a sunbath, naked. He lived naked, by the side of a river, and he was lying in the sand enjoying the morning sun and the cool breeze.

Diogenes laughed and he said, “If after conquering the whole world you are just going to relax like me, why not relax right now? Is conquering the whole world a precondition for relaxation? I have not conquered the whole world.”

Alexander felt embarrassed because what he was saying was right. Then Diogenes said, “Why are you wasting your life in conquering the world – only to relax, finally, just like me. This bank of the river is big enough, you can come, your friends can come. It is miles long and the forest is beautiful. And I don’t possess anything. If you like the place where I am lying down, I can change!”

Alexander said, “Perhaps you are right, but first I have to conquer the world.”

Diogenes said, “It is up to you. But remember one thing: have you ever thought that there is no other world? Once you have conquered this world, you will be in difficulty.”

It is said that Alexander became immediately sad. He said, “I have never thought about it. It makes me feel very sad that I am so close to conquering the world … and I am only thirty-three, and there is no other world to conquer.”

Diogenes said, “But you were thinking to relax. If there was another world, I think first you would conquer that and then relax. You will never relax because you don’t understand a simple thing about relaxation – it’s either now or never. If you understand it, lie down, throw these clothes in the river.

If you don’t understand, forget about relaxation. And what is the point in conquering the world? What are you going to gain by it? Except losing your life, you are not going to gain anything.”

Alexander said, “I would like to see you again when I come back. Right now I have to go, but I would
have loved to sit and listen to you. I have always thought of meeting you – I have heard so many stories about you. But I have never met such a beautiful and impressive man as you. Can I do anything for you? Just a word, a hint from you, and it will be done."

Diogenes said, "If you can just stand a little to the side, because you are blocking the sun. That will be enough gratitude – and I will remain thankful for my whole life."

One String

Niccolo Paganini, a colourful and gifted Violinist of the nineteenth century was standing before a packed house, playing through a difficult piece of music. A full orchestra surrounded him with full support. Suddenly, one string on his violin snapped and hung gloriously down from his instrument.

Beads of perspiration popped out of his forehead. He frowned but continued to play, improvising beautifully. To the conductor’s surprise, a second string broke and shortly after, a third. Now there were three limp strings dangling from Paganini’s violin as the master performer completed the difficult composition on the remaining one string. The audience jumped to its feet and in good Italian fashion filled the Hall with shouts of “Bravo! Bravo!”

As the applause died down, the violinist asked the people to sit down. Even though they knew there was no way they could expect an encore, they quietly sank back to their seats. He held the Violin up high for everyone to see. He nodded at the conductor to begin the encore and then turned back to the crowd.

With a twinkle in his eye, he smiled and shouted, “Paganini and one string!”

After that he placed the single string Stradivarius (violins manufactured by Antonio Stradivari) beneath his chin and played the final piece on one string as the audience shook their heads in silent amazement.

Our life may very well be filled with troubles, worries and disappointments. We spend most of the time concentrating and fretting over the strings that snap or at things that can’t be changed. If you are one of them who is still grieving over the snapped strings in life, then lookout for that “one string” that is still intact and start playing the single string with conviction. Let it yield a sweet, winsome melody that the world needs so desperately. 

You can if you will…