"Das Leben gehört den Lebenden an, und wer lebt, muss auf Wechsel gefasst sein"
There’s a big
difference between forming rules and following rules. My mind has been going
through a lot of different thoughts. Some are depressive, some are thoughtful
and some, positive.
There’s an interesting
story, which I recollect reading as a kid, which I still narrate to friends.
Let me try to put this in simple words.
There
was a nice king, who ruled a big kingdom. One day, a priest approached him,
asking for some help. It was his daughter’s wedding, for which he needed some
money. The king, astonished by the Priest’s knowledge and character, offered to
share even half the worth of his kingdom, to make the wedding a grand success. The
priest refused it gently, wished from the king for some money, earned out of
his own hard word and his hands; which he would collect the next morning. The
king, in turn was surprised and yet, agreed to it. That night, he set out in disguise
along the streets and found a blacksmith, working hard near the fire. He
offered the disguised king some work and the next morning, with the arrival of
the priest, the king offered the few coins which he earned from the last night.
Everybody was surprised, the priest took the coins and walked towards his home.
His wife felt ashamed that the priest didn’t accept the kingdom’s wealth,
instead took the few coins and walked back happily; went outside their home and
threw the coins outside into their lawn. The next morning, the wife was astounded
to find new plants grown, with money all over them. It had money, even more
than the kingdom’s wealth. With a grand success at the wedding, the priest made
a visit to the King and thanked him with a whole heart. The King couldn’t
understand what was happening and asked the priest, how this could happen. The
priest’s humble reply – “The kingdom’s wealth belongs to the people and the kingdom,
the coins which the king offered to the priest – were offered out of hard work
and toiled effort”.
I keep thinking of
this story often, which lets me to understand how valuable money is; be it even
a few coins.
We always come across
these lines from people “Try to stand in someone’s shoes / Try doing it yourself
to know what it feels like “ – Be it while leaving empty plates after eating on
the table (sometimes with food not eaten fully) or ordering someone to do
things. I’ve always thought about what it would feel like, to stand in someone’s
shoes and see the perspective. While some souls cry for a single meal, how would it be to waste food! Maybe this narrative below could try to convey
the thoughts I came across, while I sat to write this.
I got a chance to work
in a restaurant, although the fact that I was wanting to find some Internship,
which could give me good experience and put my vacations to good use. With the
results not turning up positive, I took up a small job which came reaching me,
in fact; as a kitchen help.
Two philosophies,
which I always believe and try to follow.
- Every job is worth it. Just because one doesn’t like it or feels one can’t earn so much money; doesn’t mean it has to be a bad one. There is still a hard-working candidate, who is ready to take up this job.
- Respect money; appreciate even if it is a small value. Sometimes, a large volume of money is more difficult to handle.
I had to wash a lot of
plates, mop the floor, carry bags of potatoes and sometimes, help in preparing
food, if I turned up early that morning. Some days, I worked 10-12 hours;
remember, hard tedious work. I was the only one, who couldn’t speak the local
language; yet I found it nice to work there, it would help me learn the
language much easier. The colleagues were friendly, sharing what they had to
eat, although be it even small portions.
The first day after
work, I got back home in the evening. It was a nice cross-fit training, I would say. In the
olden days, people who worked in the kitchen, were always healthy and didn’t
complain of any back or leg problems. I liked it, for it was much better than
wasting time, doing nothing. After cooking and having my meal, as I stood in
front of the wash basin at home, to wash the vessels back, my mind went through
different thoughts, which I’ve never come across in my lifetime.
A look at the vessels, with the mirror in front and watching myself;
feeling my ears on both sides, with voices saying, “Hey could you clean these
plates too?”; which in fact took me deep down into an endless road inside the
mind. After a while, I went to sleep and when I woke up the next morning, I was
surprised to understand how things change within a small span of time.
Even though one boasts
of high education, even the simplest of things could look challenging and hard.
It is an interesting lesson for one to come across in life.
When I had my friends
here in the dormitory, we had this interesting way of having food together.
When one cooks, one takes part in preparing all the necessary things, one helps
to wash the vessels after eating – both the plates and the cooking vessels, one
gives a final wash. This kind of team work is an interesting chapter, which one
can experience only whilst being a student; for it helps later in life. It puts
one into an accepting thought process, making it simple, yet striking.
I could still sit and
regret about not making it successful in what I always wanted to do. But, these
small chapters add a strong value. It brings the confidence, that even small
amount of hard earned money has so much value; which I conclude by comparing it
with the story mentioned above.
It is making me more
open& calmer. I hope to be a good listener, nothing more! Open to thoughts,
if you would like to share (Private or as a comment below, any thing is fine 😊)
"Die besten Gedanken kommen allzeit hinterdrein"
Proverbs from : http://ceoworld.biz/2016/02/08/30-famous-inspirational-quotes-sayings-and-proverbs-in-german-with-translations/
