Letters
7 years ago

A big lesson from a simple story

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A few days ago I read an interesting story about life and I would like to share it with my fellow readers. The story is somewhat like this: One day a philosophy teacher came to a class carrying some materials in his hand which he placed on the table next to him. When the class started, he took a big jar in his hand and began to fill it with stones. Then he asked his students whether the jar is full and the students replied 'yes'.
Then he poured some pebbles from the jar. When he shook the jar lightly, the smaller pebbles made room for the larges ones. He again asked his students whether the jar was full, the students again replied 'yes'.
Then the teacher poured sand from a box and poured the same into the jar. The sand filled all the empty spaces in the jar. He once again asked his students whether the jar was full, the students replied again 'yes'.
Then he said to his students, "Now, I want you to think that the jar is your life. Big stones are important things in life - your family, your health, your kids. If everything else is lost from your life, then your life will be full. Stones are your house, jobs etc. and sand represents other small things in your life. If you first put the sand in the jar then there would have been no place for stones and pebbles.
Likewise, if you spend all your power behind small things, you will not be caring about other important things in life. So you give time for your family first and then for anything else. Therefore before everything else learn to take care of the big stones, which are very valuable for you. Everything else is like sand, things of secondary importance. 
Mohammed Sohel Hara
Bonosree, Dhaka                      
[email protected]

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