“DO THE THING YOU FEAR; DEATH OF FEAR IS CERTAIN”

The title is a quote from Emerson. Anybody can kill the fear if there is deep faith in God and the willingness to dig deep into the sub-conscious and un-conscious mind to bring it to the surface of conscious mind and address it creatively and constructively.

There is a story about a gold mine owner in Africa who killed the evil of fear. He started as a mine worker and due to persistence went up in the ladder to become a mine owner.

One day he was inside the mine when an avalanche occurred. He could not escape from the situation; but did not die because a metal sheet was above his head when the stones and mud came down. Electricity was cut and around him was darkness only. He was so frightened that the fear haunted him even after the rescue. Whenever he wanted to sleep, he could not. When he closed his eyes, the terrifying experience haunted him like a ghost. The restless person went out of the bungalow and found the stars in the sky and felt the serenity of the nature. He tried to assert the faith in God in his conscious mind; but his sub-conscious and un-conscious mind still continued to haunt him. Fear made him restless and the sleeplessness made him miserable.

One day, determined, he went to the mine area. He asked the lift operator to take him down to the underground which is about 150 ft. below the ground level.  The operator was reluctant and discouraged him saying, “Sir, what are you asking me to do? It is dangerous and I cannot do it.” The owner told the person, “I am the owner of this mine. You are employed by me. This is a command. Do as I say.”

The operator reluctantly took him down. The owner went out into the mine area. The operator waited for his master to return. After a while the owner came back and told the operator, “I have killed the evil of fear and buried it under the mine. It is not going to haunt me any longer.” He took off the fear from all states of his mind and symbolically buried it at the very same place it crept into him. He replaced the fear in his mind with the faith in God. The story says that after that the mine owner had peace of mind and could sleep well. 

LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK

This is a message I have seen which I share with my readers.  When you ponder this, you will find it to be very true!

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy could almost ruin your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'Law of the Garbage Truck'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointments. As and when their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, So ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is 10 % what you make it AND 90 % how you take it!

Have a garbage-free Life 

WHAT DO YOU TAKE FROM THIS WORLD?

A rich Muslim, in deathbed, called his son and told, “My son, I shall not live long. When I die, my body should be given a bath and before it is covered in the white cloths, please wear a pair of my old socks on my leg. This is my ‘osyath’ (last wish).”

Soon the man died and the body was given the ritual bath. When it was about to do the kafan (a length of cloth or an enveloping garment in which a dead person is wrapped for burial), the son brought a pair of socks to be worn on his father’s feet.   Those around the body objected to it, saying; “No socks should be worn on a dead body. It is against the Islamic law.”

“But this is my father’s last wish. Kindly permit me to do it,” the son pleaded.  One of the old persons who was standing nearby said, “Son, you are doing something   against shariah (Islamic Law). Your father who was a true Muslim is not going to get a right burial. If you have any doubt, you call the priest and clarify.”

The priest told the boy, “it is not possible since it is against shariah.”

At that time a friend of his father came forward and told, “Your father gave a sealed envelope to me to be handed over to you after his death. I was thinking of giving it to you after the burial. In case, your father has any further instruction on this matter, this may help.” He then handed it over to the son.

“My son, you know everything about my wealth and it was handed over to you to be used as you wish. You see now, I am not permitted even to wear a pair of socks extra. Our religious rule does not permit us to wear more than three pieces of cloth. (According to the shariah, to shroud the body, three large white sheets of inexpensive material should be laid on top of each other. The body should be placed on top of the sheets. The sheets should then be folded over the body, first the right side and then the left side, until all three sheets have wrapped the body. The shrouding should be secured with ropes, one tied above the head, two tied around the body, and one tied below the feet. The body should then be transported to the mosque (“masjid”) for funeral prayers, known as “Salat al-Janazah.”).  Hence prepare yourself for this day. The wealth you are to leave on the inevitable day be used not just for your selfish purposes, but for the good of others as well. On the day you are to go from this world, you will have only the good deeds to be carried with you to be presented before Allah.

LET US PONDER: WHAT DO WE CARRY TO BE PRESENTED BEFORE THE JUDGE ETERNAL ON THE LAST DAY?

SOME STRANGE FACTS OF LIFE

Human mind works in very strange ways:  

Ø When we are requested to give Rs. 1000 to the Church, we consider it a great amount; but when we go for shopping or hospitalized, this amount becomes petty.

Ø When we are to spend two hours for worship, we consider it boring; but when we spend hours together before the TV or in Movie Theatre, we have the ‘patience’.

Ø When we are to pray, we find it difficult to get words; but when talking to a friend we can speak fluently for hours.

Ø When we find it very difficult to finish a chapter of the Bible in one sitting; we have no difficulty in reading a novel in one sitting.

Ø When we look for the front seats to enjoy a musical/mimics/ drama program; we look for the back seat in the Church.

Ø When we cannot speak about the goodness of God Almighty; we have no difficulty to gossip and speak ill of others.

Ø When we believe the news and events that we read in the newspapers and periodicals; we cannot take the Biblical truths as factual.

Ø When we aspire to be in Heaven after death; we are not willing to do anything in this world to achieve it.