LIFE�S REALITIES
The world is made right
A pilgrim
was walking along a narrow path that ended in a peaceful valley.
There, on the shadow of a mighty oak he lay down to rest. He
looked up at the sky and all around, and started to philosophise
aloud: �Undoubtedly the world is not made right. I would have
made it different. What is the reason for these thick branches
and this gigantic trunk just to support a tiny acorn? On the
other hand, look at that creeping plant which, on a branch as
thin as a thread, supports an enormous pumpkin of considerable
weight. Would not the acorn be better here, and the pumpkin in a
gigantic oak tree? Truly the world is not made right!�
No sooner had he finished saying this when the wind blew and an
acorn came off the tree and fell right on the nose of the
philosopher. When he came to, he thought it over and said,
�Truly the world wasn�t made so bad after all. Suppose a pumpkin
had fallen on my nose instead of an acorn�!�
How many times do we also grumble about God�s infinite
providence, and how many times does life teach us that
everything is made right!
*
* *
Selfishness
Diogenes was one day standing on
a street corner laughing like a madman.
�Why are you laughing?� he was asked.
�Do you see the stone in the middle of the street? More than ten
persons have already stumbled on it, they have looked at the
stone and cursed it but nobody has removed it to prevent someone
else�s stumbling.�
Nobody was thinking of others but only of himself. Pure
selfishness!