Wisdom unbound

 आलस्यं हि मनुष्याणां शरीरस्थो महारिपुः । 
नास्त्युद्यमसमो बन्धुः कृत्वा यं नावसीदति ॥ 

Laziness is the biggest enemy in the body. There is no better friend than hard work, one does not remain sad after doing it. 

उद्यमेन हि सिद्ध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः। 
न हि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य प्रविशन्ति मुखे मृगाः॥ 
Hard work brings the results, not the mere wish of it. Deers don’t flock to sleeping lion’s mouth. 

सन्तोषः परमो लाभः सत्सङ्गः परमा गतिः । 
विचारः परमं ज्ञानं शमो हि परमं सुखम् ॥ 

Contentment is the highest gain, 
Good Company the highest course, 
Enquiry the highest wisdom, 
and Peace the highest enjoyment.

The Ant and the Grasshopper – A Story About Building for the Future

 

Grandmother told the fable of an ant and grasshopper who lived in the same meadow.

All summer long, the grasshopper would sing, dance and hop about, having a wonderful time.

Meanwhile, the ant worked diligently, gathering and storing grain for the winter.

“Stop and talk to me,” said the grasshopper.   “We can sing some songs and dance a while.”

“Oh no,” said the ant.  “Winter is coming.  I am storing up food for the winter.  I think you should do the same.”

“Oh, I can’t be bothered,” said the grasshopper.  “Winter is a long time off.   There is plenty of food.”

So the grasshopper continued to sing, dance and hop about and the ant continued to work diligently.

Inevitably, winter came, and the grasshopper had no food and was starving.

He went to the ant’s house and asked, “Can I have some wheat or maybe a few kernels of corn?  Without it I will starve.”

“You danced last summer,” said the ant.   “You can continue to dance.”  And he closed the door without giving him any food.

Are you an ant or a grasshopper?

Are you working hard to prepare for the future, or are living frivolously, assuming that the future will look after itself?

Are you continuing to learn, grow and develop, or do you mistakenly think that today’s skills will remain useful in the dynamic, ever-changing world that we live in?

As JIM ROHN once said, “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”

Winter’s coming and you can’t avoid it, so start planning and get to work.