The Empty Pot

 

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!"

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kids laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grown, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!

by Demi

And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith, and do not doubt, you shall not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it shall happen.

Matthew 21:21

Words Of Great Wisdom



1. Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.

2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

3. Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.

4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best food, give them the best bed and treat them with respect and honor.

5. Do not take what is not yours whether from a person, a community, the wilderness or from a culture. If it was not earned or given, it is not yours.

6. Respect all things that are placed upon this earth - whether it be people or plant.

7. Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will multiply when it returns to you.

9. All persons make mistakes. And all mistakes can be forgiven.

10. Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind, body and spirit. Practice optimism.

11. Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us. They are part of your worldly family.

12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom and life's lessons. When they are grown, give them space to grow.

13. Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.

14. Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will within this universe.

15. Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual self, Emotional self, and Physical self - all need to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

16. Make conscious decisions as to who you will be and how you will react. Be responsible for your own actions.

17. Respect the privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personal property of others - especially sacred and religious objects. This is forbidden.

18. Be true to yourself first. You cannot nurture and help others if you cannot nurture and help yourself first.

19. Respect others religious beliefs. Do not force your belief on others.

20. Share your good fortune with others. Participate in charity.

The Native American Code Of Ethics

Set Yourself Free



Set yourself free from anything that might hinder you in becoming the person you want to be. Free yourself from the uncertainties about your abilities or the worth of your dreams, from the fears that you may not be able to achieve them or that they won't be what you wanted.

Set yourself free from the past. The good things from yesterday are still yours in memory; the things you want to forget you will, for tomorrow is only a sunrise away. Free yourself from regret or guilt, and promise to live this day as fully as you can.

Set yourself free from the expectations of others, and never feel guilty or embarrassed if you do not live up to their standards. You are most important to yourself; live by what you feel is best and right for you. Others will come to respect your integrity and honesty.

Set yourself free to simply be yourself, and you will soar higher than you've ever dreamed.

Author:  Edmund O'Neill

To Earn Honor is Better Than Earning Honors



Tension hung in the air.  Rosalie Elliott had spelled her way to the fourth round of a national spelling bee in Washington, D.C.  The eleven year old from South Carolina now faced the task of spelling the word "avowal."  In her soft southern drawl, she began to recite the letters.

However, when she reached the next to last letter, the judges couldn't discern whether she said "a" or "e."  They debated among themselves for several minutes, listening to a tape of Rosalie's effort.  The crucial letter, though, was simply too accent-distorted to decipher.  Finally, the lead judge sought input from the only person who could provide the answer.

"Was that second to last letter an'a' or an 'e?" he asked Rosalie.  By this time, thanks to the whispering of her near-by competitors Rosalie knew the correct spelling.  Still, without hesitating, she replied that she had misspelled the word and walked from the stage.

The entire audience--including some fifty newspaper reporters--stood and applauded.  The moment was especially proud for her parents.  Out of defeat, Rosalie had emerged a victor.  And much more was written about her than the child who ultimately won the spelling bee.

Being a person of truth, even when the truth hurts, brings the greatest and most lasting rewards.

Them that honor me, I will honor.

1 Samuel 2:30



Honesty Is the First Chapter of the Book of Wisdom



The editor of the "weddings and engagement" section of a small-town newspaper grew tired of hearing from the town's citizens that she always embellished her reports of parties and celebrations.  She decided that in the next issue she was going to tell the truth and see if she had greater favor with the citizenry.  She wrote the following item:

"Married--Miss Sylvan Rhodes and James Collins, last Saturday at the Baptist parsonage, by the Rev. J. Gordon.  The bride is a very ordinary town girl, who doesn't know any more about cooking than a jackrabbit and never helped her mother three days in her life.  She is not a beauty by any means and has a gait like a duck.  The groom is an up-to-date loafer.  He has been living off the old folks at home all his life and is now worth shucks.  It will be a hard life."

We may not always need to be so brutally "honest" in telling the truth!  Truth, after all, is ultimately known only by God--who alone has the ability to see into the hearts of men and women and know everything involved in any situation or relationship.  Rather, we should be honest in expressing our hopes for another person's best welfare and success.  That is a truth everybody loves to hear.

Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

Romans 12:17

Top 10 Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Earlier

~ We've had bad luck with children; they've all grown up ~
Christopher Morley

As those of you who have been following me know, I have a nineteen year old son.  I am constantly amazed by how certain he is of EVERYTHING.  I had forgotten what it was like to be that age and so totally adept at deciding how the world should be and do.  As I was contemplating all of this the other night, it occurred to me that I wish someone had told me some things when I was that age. Not that I  would have listened, but...  Maybe it would have a changed some things for me....or maybe not.

Here's my top ten list:

1. Decide today to make as many mistakes as you can. - Don't become so afraid to make the wrong choice that you make no choice.  Every choice has an outcome and every outcome is a lesson learned.  Remember, Thomas Edison said he didn't fail 10,000 times.  He knew 10,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb.  No failures; only lessons learned.
2. Invest in yourself every day. - When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time     you will change the trajectory of your life. You are simply the product of what you know. The more time, energy and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have over your life. 
3. Explore new ideas and opportunities often. – Your natural human fears of failure and embarrassment will sometimes stop you from trying new things. But you must rise above these fears, for your life’s story is simply the culmination many small, unique experiences. And the more unique experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets. So seek as many new life experiences as possible.
4. People are not mind readers. -  People will never know how you feel unless you tell them.    That cute girl you haven’t talked to because you’re too shy?  Why would she talk to you if you act like you don't have the time of day for her?   In life, you have to communicate with others. And often, you have to open your vocal cords and speak the first words. You have to tell people what you’re thinking. It’s as simple as that.
5. Make quick decisions and take measurable action. – Either you’re going to take action and seize opportunities, or someone else will first. You can’t change anything or make any sort of progress by sitting back and thinking about it. Remember, there’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Knowledge is basically useless without action.
6. Accept and embrace change. – However good or bad a situation is now, it will change. That’s the one thing you can count on. So embrace change, and realize that change happens for a reason.  It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but in the end it will be worth it.
7. Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you. – For the most part, what other people think and say about you really doesn't matter.  When I was 18, I let the opinions of my high school and early college peers influence my decisions. And, at times, they steered me away from ideas and goals I strongly believed in. I realize now, many years later, that this was a foolish way to live, especially when I consider that nearly all of these people whose opinions I cared so much about are no longer a part of my life. Unless you’re trying to make a great first impression (job interview, first date, etc.), don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way. What they think and say about you isn’t important. What is important is how you feel about yourself.
8. Ask lots of questions. – The greatest ‘adventure’ is the ability to inquire, to ask questions. Sometimes in the process of inquiry, the search is more significant than the answers. Answers come from other people, from the universe of knowledge and history, and from the intuition and deep wisdom inside yourself. These answers will never surface if you never ask the right questions. Thus, the simple act of asking the right questions is the answer.
9. Always be honest with yourself and others. – Living a life of honesty creates peace of mind, and peace of mind is priceless. Period.   And lastly...
10. Be who you were born to be. – You must follow your heart, and be who you were born to be.    Some of us were born to be musicians – to communicate intricate thoughts and rousing feelings   with  the strings of a guitar. Some of us were born to be poets – to touch people’s hearts with exquisite prose. Some of us were born to be entrepreneurs – to create growth and opportunity where others saw rubbish. And still, some of us were born to be or do whatever it is, specifically, that moves you. Regardless of what you decide to do in your lifetime, you better feel it in every fiber of your being. You better be born to do it! Don’t waste your life fulfilling someone else’s dreams and desires.

But above all, laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change. Life is short, yet amazing. Enjoy the ride!