As stated on this page at another time in the past, your columnist, like many others, gets a lot of unsolicited e-information sent by people who want to make a difference by passing on something that had made a difference to them. One cannot comprehend the amount of e-information flying around in cyberspace, and sent out every day by millions to other millions. Most of it may just be trash, fit only for the trashcan. We hardly read most junk e-mail, and just throw them into our e-dustbin. Many of them save us the trouble - they land in the junk mail folder in the first place.
However, sometimes there are some good ones you can’t resist reading and re-reading, and passing on to a friend or two. In fact, many may not even be true, and are just the creative outpourings of creatively-fertile minds, but they end up striking a chord somewhere: reinforcing a feeling or confirming a fear. Some mails may actually inspire, while some may make one shed a tear. Therefore, after a period of time, your columnist delves into the e-trashcan to fish for and salvage some jewels inadvertently trashed.
This week we also rummaged and found some really thought-provoking gems of such high quality, in our reckoning, that we consider them worth sharing. They may actually be so simplistic that any simpleton could create multiples of them themselves but, in the end, they do have, and convey, some meanings and messages.
FIRST THIS ONE ABOUT THE VALUE IN UTILITY: A tailor was at work. He took a piece of cloth and with a pair of shining, costly, scissors he cut the cloth into various bits. Then he put the pair of scissors at his feet. Then he took a small needle and thread and started to sew the bits of cloth, into a fine shirt. When the spell of sewing was over, he stuck the needle on to his turban. The tailor’s son who was watching it asked him: “Father, the scissors are costly and look so beautiful. But you throw them down at your feet. This needle is worth almost nothing; you can get a dozen for a penny. Yet, you place it carefully on your head itself. Is there any reason for this seeming illogicality?”
The tailor replied: “Yes, my son. The scissors have their function, no doubt; but they only cut the cloth into bits. The needle, on the contrary, unites the bits and enhances the value of the cloth. Therefore, the needle to me is more precious and valuable. The value of a thing depends on its utility, son, not on its cost-price or appearance.”
THE SECOND IS ABOUT THE VALUE OF ALL KNOWLEDGE (ALSO RE-TOLD BY THE LATE MALLAM AMINU KANO IN ONE OF HIS WRITINGS): A Professor, while travelling, had to go across big river. So he asked one of the boatpeople on the riverside if he would take him. The boatman agreed and a fare was set. The professor paid and asked for a receipt, to which the boatman replied he had no idea what a receipt was, or have one to issue. The Professor said to the boatman: “You are 20% a fool.” The boatman said nothing.
Soon after, the Professor again said to the boatman: “Do you know that the sun is approximately 93,000,000miles away, and yet it has provided heat and light throughout the universe since time immemorial; barring that, if it was to shift even a fraction of an inch out of its orbit, there would be total devastation?” The boatman replied; “My dear Sir, I am just a simple man who has had no education; there is no way I could know such information.” The Professor said: “Then you are 40% fool.”
Some time passed, and as they were coming to the half-way mark, thunder began to rumble. “Did you know notice the lightening,” the Professor asked the boatman, “just before the rumbling sound? Do you know how that phenomenon occurs?” “No sir,” replied the boatman. “Its occurrence is due to the expansion of rapidly-heated air,” said the scholar, and exclaimed, “You are 60% fool!”
About three-quarters of the way across the river, the weather completely changed. It became dark and started to rain heavily. The little boat started filling up with water, clearly making it difficult for the boatman to steer. But the wise one insisted in continuing his questioning. “Do you know how we get rain?” “No sir,” was the reply.” “The sun evaporates water from the sea; this gets stored in the clouds which then travel by the wind power; then when they become full, they let all the water go; over the land. That’s how we get rain. And you are 80% fool,” concluded the now smug scholar.
Just then, the scholar was suddenly interrupted by a loud cry from the boatman, “Oh no! I have lost my oar! And now the water is about to capsize the boat! We have no alternative but to swim the remainder of the way. Luckily for us, the riverbank is not very far.”
“But I can’t swim,” cried the Professor, now seeing his own imminent death. “Then my dear sir, you are 100% fool,” said the boatman.
THE THIRD IS ABOUT HELPING FROM WHEREVER: An old man lived alone. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation.
“Dear Son, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren’t in prison. Love, Dad.”
Shortly after, the old man received this telegram: “For Heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!”
At 4am the next morning, a dozen secret service agents and local police officers showed up at the old man’s house and proceeded to dig up the entire garden, without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.
His son’s reply was: “Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It’s the best I could do for you from here.”
THE FOURTH SAYS LIFE IS A DIY (DO-IT-YOURSELF) EXPERIMENT: An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife and his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. The employer was sorry to see his good worker go, and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favour.
The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career. When the carpenter finished his work, the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.” The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently!
AND FINALLY, THIS ABOUT OUR NEED FOR WASHING: A little girl had been shopping with her Mum. She must have been 6 years old; this beautiful, red-haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the supermarket. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day.
The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. “Mom! Let’s run through the rain,” she said. “What?” Mom asked. “‘Let’s run through the rain!’ The little girl repeated. “No, honey, we’ll wait until it slows down a bit,” Mom replied. The young thing waited about another minute then repeated: “Mom, let’s run through the rain.” “We’ll get soaked if we do,” the exasperated Mom said. “No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm. “This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”
“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said: ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!” The entire crowd stopped dead silent. You couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now, some would have laughed it off and scolded the girl for being silly. Some might even ignore what she said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
“Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, well, maybe we just needed washing,” Mom said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. And then dramatically, in unison, they were followed by all of us, screaming and laughing like children, all the way to our cars. And yes, we all got wet. But of course, we needed washing!
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