Mind At Ease

One day, a teacher was walking from one town to another with a few of his students. While they were traveling, they happened to pass by a lake. They stopped to rest there and the teacher asked one of his students to get him some water from the lake. A student walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed some people were washing clothes in the water and right at that moment, a horse and cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy. The student thought, ““How can I give this muddy water to my teacher to drink!”” So he came back and told his teacher, “The water in the lake is very muddy. I don’’t think it is suitable for you to drink.”” After a while, the teacher again asked the same student to go back to the lake and get him some water. The student obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the mud had settled down and the water was clean so he collected some in a pot and brought it to his teacher. The teacher looked at the water then looked up at the student and said, ““See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be and the mud settled down on its own. It is also the same with your mind. When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time and it will settle down on its own.”

My Reflection:

How many times have you been overwhelmed by things in your life and react in a way you wish you never? The pace of our modern world tends to put our minds in a chaotic state. Sometimes it's easy to escape the ‘madness’ and other times it can be really difficult. How many times have you let your mind go wild, thinking about to-do-lists, what's happening later in the day, tomorrow’s events, reliving an experience which frustrated you the day before, panicking about work…. a tornado is brewing in your mind and you're getting real anxious because you can’t find the off button to the chaos in your mind. The truth is that you don’t need to turn off your mind, you never will be able to, but you can stop listening to the ‘noise’, stop allowing those thoughts orchestrate your feeling towards life and allow your mind to settle. Be patient with yourself. The quicker you can identify the noise in your mind, you will be able to settle it and bounce back to a state of peace. A peaceful mind is essential for our effectiveness in every day life. It keeps us calm no matter what the situation is. As the above story illustrates… when your mind is disturbed, it’s like mud in water, let it settle down and it will become pure once again.


Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"When you've seen beyond yourself, then you may find, peace of mind is waiting there". - George Harrison

Ubuntu

An anthropologist studying the habits and customs of an African tribe found himself surrounded by children most days. So he decided to play a little game with them. He managed to get candy from the nearest town and put it all in a decorated basket at the foot of a tree. Then he called the children and suggested they play the game. When the anthropologist said “now”, the children had to run to the tree and the first one to get there could have all the candy to him/herself. So the children all lined up waiting for the signal. When the anthropologist said “now”, all of the children took each other by the hand and ran together towards the tree. They all arrived at the same time, divided up the candy, sat down and began to happily munch away. The anthropologist went over to them and asked why they had all run together when any one of them could have had the candy all to themselves. The children responded: “Ubuntu. How could any one of us be happy if all the others were sad?”

Reflection

Ubuntu (oo-boon-too) is a philosophy of African tribes that can be summed up as “I am what I am because of who we all are.” Ubuntu can be translated as “human kindness,” but its meaning is much bigger in scope than that - it embodies the ideas of connection, community and mutual caring for all.

We cannot exist in this world without other people. We all share a connection and community; the minute we remove the collectiveness behind this, we have nothing but ourselves and that's a lonely place to live, as we need each other every day. It is impossible to be human on your own, yes you have your own values and ideals towards life, but you have to be able to share it with others, otherwise what's the point. There is so much we can learn from this African ideology. The beauty of Ubuntu is that it’s in action all the time and never ends. People are all around us, you exist in a shared humanity and it is your responsibility to build on it, to expand Ubuntu within your community and then into the wider community and so on…

With the power of Ubuntu - cultures, races, languages and religions will all be honoured as we are all the same, we are all human in this world, we share the same heart beat and the same colour blood. Stop fearing and slating other cultures and other religions because when you get to learn the roots of another, you realise they are just like you. Every breathing human has hopes and dreams for a better, peaceful and enjoyable world as we all live in a shared spirit of one. It’s time to embrace Ubuntu, live it, express it and share it… "You are who you are because of all of us".

May you have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." - Nelson Mandela 

Quiet Time

There once was a farmer who discovered that he had lost his watch in the barn. It was no ordinary watch because it had sentimental value for him. After searching high and low among the hay for a long time; he gave up and enlisted the help of a group of children playing outside the barn. He promised them that the person who found it would be rewarded. Hearing this, the children hurried inside the barn, went through and around the entire stack of hay but still could not find the watch. Just when the farmer was about to give up looking for his watch, a little boy went up to him and asked to be given another chance. The farmer looked at him and thought “Why not? After all, this kid looks sincere enough.” So the farmer sent the little boy back in the barn alone. After a while, the little boy came out with the watch in his hand! The farmer was both happy and surprised and so he asked the boy how he succeeded where the rest had failed. The boy replied “I did nothing but sit on the
ground and listen. Amidst the silence, I heard the ticking of the watch and gently moved it in that direction.”

Reflection

I love this story, as it has such a powerful message to learn. A peaceful mind is essential for our effectiveness in handling life. It keeps us calm no matter what the situation is. It allows us to always stay rational and positive. A peaceful mind can think far better than a worked up mind. It can find solutions much faster and will keep you focused on what is important. We cannot immediately escape from turbulent situations in life, but we are all faced with the same choice; either we can panic and jump to conclusions or we can be calm and logical. It's true that the outcome of every situation all depends on the mindset of the person being challenged. When things get extremely chaotic, when you feel overwhelmed or in a state of panic… Stop, be silent, listen to your intuition and it will lead you in the right direction. This, of course, is a practice and you should exercise your mind regularly. I would suggest a few minutes of silence in your mind every day, and you will see how effectively it can assist you through life with absolute ease and clarity.

Have a peaceful week, where harmony is your minds greatest weapon. - Darren Zwiers

"To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him" - Buddha.

The Price For Patience

A little girl visited a farm one day and asked to buy a large watermelon. That big one you got in your hand costs 3 dollars said the farmer. I’ve only got 30 cents replied the girl. 30 cents will buy you a small watermelon replied the farmer. What about that one asked the farmer pointing to a small watermelon in the field. Okay, I’ll take it smiled the little girl. Here’s your 30 cents but leave it on the vine. I’ll be back for it in a month. Pretty smart little girl. She knew her patience would be rewarded. By waiting one month, she could have a big, ripe watermelon for the price of a little green one.


Reflection:

Patience is hardest to find when you need it the most and we should expect patience to be the hard work we usually find it to be. Patience isn't something that comes naturally or easily, it's something that requires serious effort and as with all things that require effort, the reward is great. Once achieving even the smallest 'slice' of patience, your character will transform into something far greater than you could imagine. Unfortunately most people get patience wrong, they believe that patience and waiting are the same thing. Of course waiting is a part of patience, but its only one element to it. Patience is all about working hard at overcoming the instant desire to react without thinking first.

May you have an awesome week where you adopt the right attitude to practice perfect patience. - Darren Zwiers

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. - ― Joyce Meyer