Power of Patience
This is a story about the power of calm reflection in the face of the dangers and challenges of emotional decision-making.
Long ago, in a distant kingdom, there lived a young king named David. David inherited the throne after his father died at the age of 25. He was raised by a wise tutor named Edward, who taught him not only about the world but also about the values of kindness, patience, and wisdom. After his father’s death, Edward became David’s closest advisor, guiding him through the challenges of ruling the kingdom. Edward became the kingdom’s prime minister and trusted advisor. Things were going well in the kingdom for a year when Edward’s miscalculation of the weather caused an unexpected food crisis. In his despair and anger, David, heartbroken, ordered his tutor Edward to leave the kingdom and never return. Edward calmly obeyed, leaving the palace and his familiar life behind to start a new life. He settled in a remote village and chose the life of a humble farmer. Despite his wealth, he chose a simple life, connecting with the villagers and participating in their daily struggles. Edward quickly earned the respect of the villagers, who turned to him for advice on everything from agricultural matters to their solutions. Conflict meant a return to the kingdom. David was troubled. He missed Edward’s wise counsel, especially when faced with complex decisions alone. Gradually, David began to realize that banishing Edward had been a mistake—a decision made in anger, not thought. He regretted it and decided to send troops to find Edward and bring him back. Days turned into weeks, but there was no sign of him. The kingdom was vast, and no one knew where Edward had gone. Then, inspired by Edward’s cunning ways, David had an idea. He decided to see if he could find Edward’s wisdom anywhere in the kingdom. He ordered his soldiers to send a message and a clay jar to each village chief. The message stated that each chief must return the jar filled with wisdom within a month. If they failed, they would have to fill it with precious gems instead. The jar and the message arrived at Edward’s village. The chief, angered by this strange request, went to Edward for advice. Edward reasoned that wisdom could not possibly fit in the jar, and he knew that the village did not even have enough jewels to fill it. The villagers, fearing punishment for rejecting the king’s strange request, turned to Edward. With troubled faces, they pleaded, “Please help us! Only you can find the solution!” Edward quietly sat among them and assured them, “Give me the jar, and I guarantee that it will be filled with wisdom by the end of the month.” The chief asked, “What is your intention?” Edward smiled simply and replied, "I'm not sure yet, but in time, I believe a solution will come." Trusting in Edward's wisdom, the villagers left the jar with him, hoping that he would find a solution in the silence of his field. Edward pondered the problem. Suddenly, he saw a small gourd vine nearby, and an idea struck him. He gently placed a small gourd inside the jar without cutting it from the vine. Day after day, he watered it, and over time, the gourd grew so large that it completely filled the jar, making it impossible to remove. Finally, Edward cut off the vine and left the jar with the ripe gourd inside. As the king had requested, he returned the jar to the kingdom. When King David received the jar, he was amazed to see it filled with giant gourds. He smiled and said, "It takes wisdom to grow a gourd of this size in a jar." He immediately realized that this clever solution could only come from Edward, without hesitation. David prepared to go, determined to find Edward, apologize to him, and bring him back to the kingdom. Don't make decisions in a state of anger. Strong emotions can cloud your judgment and lead to regret. Second, take a moment to calm yourself down before trying to solve the problem. A calm mind promotes clear thinking and helps you find the best way forward. Remember that wisdom often comes from patience and understanding.
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Leave Your Past Behind
Once upon a time, there was a bird in the forest. This bird was very kind and beautiful. But for a while, it started doing something strange. Every day, whatever it saw, heard or felt, good or bad, it would write down on small stones. Then it would store them in a small bag and fly away. Whether the memory was happy or sad, the bird believed that every moment was worth remembering. It became a habit and even found pleasure in it. It believed that beautiful memories should be preserved forever because such moments may never come back. Even bad experiences were meant to teach it something, so they should be written down too. First of all, it was pleasant for the bird. Every day he would write his experiences on the stones and fill the bag. But as time passed, this habit became stronger. The bag was filled with new stones every day. As a result, it became difficult for the bird to fly. Still, he still believed that all these memories would come in handy one day. That little bag became a treasure for his life. But as time passed, the bag became heavier. The more stones he put in, the heavier it became and it gradually began to affect the bird's wings. Now he could no longer fly as fast or high as before. One day on the way, the bird met a wise old owl. "Little bird," the owl asked, "why did you carry this bag?" The bird smiled and replied, "This bag contains everything in my life, all its joys and sorrows, every lesson from my past." The owl bowed its head and said, "So are you alive in the present? Or are you flying with the weight of yesterday's memories?" The bird did not understand. It flew away. But this time, the flight felt heavier and more painful. Weeks passed. Now the bag was full. The bird could barely lift it off the ground. Its wings ached. It had no strength left. Still, it dragged the bag with it as it walked. One rainy day, as the bird tried to move forward, it slipped. The weight of the stones crushed its fragile body. It lay still, buried under the memories that it once considered the key to its survival. But now those memories had destroyed it. When the rain stopped, some birds flew away. But the little bird had already flown away. Before long, the owl arrived. It looked at the silent bird with sadness in its eyes and whispered, "Memories are there to guide us, not to burden us." This short story teaches us a powerful lesson. Good or bad, memories should be left in the past. We should learn to let go and move on. We should not keep everything with us. We often do that. We collect every little memory, good or bad. But if we carry the burden of the past every day, eventually we will get tired inside. We fail to enjoy the present and cannot move forward into the future. Like birds, many people cling to the pain or even the joys of the past for too long. But life is all about letting go. We cannot get back what we have lost. But we can make our day beautiful. So let go of the past, good or bad, and learn to live in the present. Because we cannot change tomorrow, but we can shape today. Try new experiences, do something new, and create something meaningful in our life. Forgive, forget, move on, feel something new, take new steps, and be at peace.
By Abdur Rahmanabout a month ago in Psyche
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