THE WEEPING MAN

Dearest Darling Readers, 

There are selfless people still, they walk among us. They can also be called as the silent heroes who build up civilizations. The faceless soldiers who lay down their lives protecting us, the policemen who drive in to face criminals and take the heat of citizens, the teachers who go out of their way to teach students, our parents who sacrifice their comforts and needs for a wonderful future for us, the servants, the drivers, the watchmen who take care of us with sincerity and complete dedication, there are so many unspoken heroes who make us who we are and what we are. Isn’t that so true?

Some not only do the menial jobs assigned to them, they go much beyond the call of duty. Here is a story of one such person.

Let’s travel to the south of India for the story to begin.

The Pamban Bridge is a cantilever bridge on the Palk Strait. It connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India. It refers to both the road bridge and the cantilever railway bridge, though primarily it means the latter. It was India’s first sea bridge. It is the second longest sea bridge in India (after Bandra-Worli Sea Link) at a length of about 2.3 km.

This is a story that some say is the creation of the internet and same say is true. I have no idea what to believe in. Honestly, I don’t care, for every time I read this story, it shakes me up. Here, I present it for all my dearest readers.

It dates back to the British rule in India.

At the entrance of the bridge, till a few years ago, you could have seen a picture of a weeping man holding some human body parts close to his chest.

This bridge was built during the British rule in India and it was constructed in such a way that the center portion of the bridge could be lifted with the help of huge wheels, so that ships could easily pass under the bridge. On the bridge, roads and rail tracks are laid for trains and other vehicles to pass…

A middle aged man was appointed to roll the wheels up and down when ships arrive. One day he saw a train slowly approaching, while he was pulling back the bridge after a ship quietly passed beneath. He had to pull back quickly or else there would be a fatal accident and thousands would have died.

At that time his 9 year old son came with lunch. When he saw his father struggling with the wheels, he kept the lunch box down and started helping him to roll the wheels to put the bridge back. Suddenly his son’s finger got caught inside the wheel and he started crying out. At this time if the father tries to save his son, the bridge could not be put back on time. He had no other option but to ignore his son’s cry. With all his strength he kept on rolling the wheels to down the bridge. As the wheels rolled on, his son slowly started slipping away into the huge machine.

Tears rolled down his father’s cheeks, but he ignored his son’s cry. If he tried to save him, the train will surely fall into the sea and thousands of people will die. Slowly the boy’s whole body fell into the machine and his father could hear his bones breaking one by one, until with a loud sound, his head cracked.

The train with thousands of passengers slowly rolled on the rails, without knowing what had happened there.

Though this man performed his duty honestly he lost his only loving son. With extreme lamentation, he pulled out his son’s body parts from the machine and held them close to his chest and cried bitterly.

It is said; the British Government honored him greatly. True or not, the story made me speechless and deeply in thought.

I believe it is people like them who make the world go around. They certainly do so to mine…It is stories like these that purify the soul and elevates the spirit…

Thank you much. May it do the same to you.

With loads of love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

http://www.lifeschool.co.in/

The Only Bad Decision Is Indecision

Dearest Darling Readers,

We conclude every training program with a question answer session. One of the most often asked question is…

What if I choose wrong? Or, what is the guarantee that I am making the right choice? Or, how to find out if this is the right choice for me?

The questions do vary a little. The theme is the same.

People are anxious, scared, sometimes petrified about making the wrong choice.

They are traveling down the wrong road.

They carry a doubt if their decision fails. They would have been “wasting” time, money, energy and efforts on the wrong thing. They fear the world will see them as ‘idiots’.

Breaking news!!! Bad decision is indecision, leading to inaction.

Breaking news again!!! There is no such thing as wasted time, money, energy or efforts if….

(1) There is something that has been learnt in the process.

(2) We approached everything with curiosity and openness, being a student.

Most importantly, my philosophy in life had been, work my a__ __ off and make my decisions right.

Coming back from another angle, maybe you took a decision that ended up as the “wrong” decision! So what? Think, what can you LEARN from the experiences there that will help you in times to come?

Think what skills, resources, relationships can you cultivate because of the “wrong” decision that will guide and accelerate your quest to get closer to the “right” path.

What is your “wrong” decision teaching you about what you do want, don’t want, what you are good at, bad at, what you love, what you hate, what you long for or what you resist, who is right for you and who is not?

Therefore, you see, even if it is the “wrong” decision, it isn’t a “wrong decision”. Sorry darlings readers, I might have confused you here. Jokes apart, I am sure you understand what I want to express.

By the way, your wrong decision can be about any aspect of life – job, investment, music systems, customers, education, movies, dining out, friends, holiday, business partners, strategies, love etc. and the answers are the same.

Time, money, effort and energy are wasted when we choose not to understand, recognize and seize upon what we have gained along the way.

In the beginning and in the end, the bad decision is indecision, because it leads to inaction. And without action, there’s no development, there’s no growth, no remarkable experience in life. Without action there is nothing to serve as raw material for evolution, connection, joy, progress, maturity, excitement.

Head into the world! Do what you believe in. You may end up right. You may end up wrong (?). Both ways is ok. For both will help you. You will end up mature. Ensure it is worth it.

Sometimes, where you stumble, lies your treasure.

So, go ahead. Decide. Act. Stumble. Decide again. Act Again. You cannot be wrong, unless you act without right intention and without an openness to learn.

Remember, the only wrong choice is deciding not to choose.

When you do that, you automatically lose.

What do you say?

As Neitzse says, you cannot fly into flying. You first need to stand and walk and run and dance and then fly. Similarly, you learn with every step, irrespective of the step being right or wrong (?). And one day you too shall fly, fly, fly, fly fly and fly…. It reminds me of a glorious Tracy Chapman song I am leaving to listen to now….”She’s got her ticket………………..think she is going to fly, fly, fly fly, fly fly, fly…. ah it is such an awesome song.

With loads of love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

http://www.lifeschool.co.in/

Cowards do that and that aint you

Dearest Darling Friends,

There are some awesome people around us who are so very inspirational. We think we know them. What we do know is how they look and maybe a few of their achievements. On knowing what they have been through, the kind of hurdles they have overcome, the kind of loneliness they have encountered, it sends deep shivers down our spine. Helplessly, we find ourselves saying, “Wow”.

Here is one such story. I am sure you have heard about him and seen his photographs. I am sure a few of us have made good fun of him too. After reading this “Life School Message” I am sure you will be amazed by his story.

Please allow me to share with you the incredible story of the travails and glory of Sylvester Stallone. I sincerely believe, every person should be told this story.

Have you ever wondered why Stallone has a unique expression on his face? He seems like talking with a drawl right? It seems like he is talking out of one corner of his mouth, right? Right!!! He was born with the lower part of his face, paralyzed. As a result of this, his speech was always slurred. It left him with parts of his tongue, lips and chin, paralyzed.

Can a person like this ‘dare’ to become an actor and that too as a hero? Impossible, isn’t it? Wouldn’t this inability sound the death knell for an acting career? For everyone else, yes! For Stallone, no! Read on…

Just imagine the ridicule he would have been subjected to his entire childhood. It would have been so difficult for him to clearly express his thoughts, his emotions, in words. The sounds he would make wouldn’t come out properly. He was an outcast among the school kids. He often received suspensions, for his squabbles and poor grades.

The first five years of his life, Stallone lived in an area known as Hell’s Kitchen. He moved from one foster home to another as his parents fought miserably and endlessly in a bad marriage.

Stallone wanted to pursue an acting career. He tried out for nearly each and every casting call he could, and contacted as many casting agents as he could find. The result of every effort was a ‘thumbs down’.

One day Stallone was watching on TV, a fight between Weppner and Mohd Ali. Weppner was getting absolutely butchered but kept standing. He was refusing to give up. It was as if Weppner was taunting Mohd Ali to keep hitting him. And he kept on coming back for more. This underdog was really fighting for it despite the negligible chance of winning.

This inspired Stallone to begin writing. He could not sleep the whole weekend and wrote the script for ‘Rocky’ in about three days time.

He began trying to sell the screenplay to many producers with enormous numbers of rejections. This went on for months. Then, he found himself broke. He slept at the New Jersey Bus terminal for three weeks as he had no money to take a room.

In an act of desperation he waited outside of a local liquor store asking people if they would buy his dog; his closest and best friend. In the end someone bought his dog for roughly $50. Stallone was extremely devastated that his life had come to that point. He says, this was the lowest point of his life.

He kept pursuing this story that he had written. Eventually someone liked it and they agreed to buy his script for $ 35,000/-. He wanted to play the part of the hero, Rocky.

They declined and insisted he sell the script to them. Stallone disagreed and told them he was the perfect actor for the hero’s role. He declined their offer despite his current poverty.

A couple of weeks later they contacted him with an even higher offer and Stallone still insisted that he play Rocky. They once again declined. Can you believe this? The man was poor. He barely had money even for food.

The offer kept rising just so he would sell them the film without playing the part. The price eventually got to around $3,00, 000 and still he declined. He was certain that he was the perfect person to play the role of the hero and that was it. There would be no possibility of a compromise.

Eventually they offered Stallone a measly $25000 for the script as well as acting. He accepted. Goodness gracious ! Can you believe this? The first thing Stallone  did was go back to the liquor store to buy back his dog.

He waited 3 days for the guy to come by and finally the guy came. He offered the guy $150 to buy back the dog, the man declined. Stallone was clear what he wanted.

It ended up costing him $15000 and a part in the movie to buy back his dog. The guy and the dog are in Rocky. The dog is credited as Butkus Stallone in the movie. Isn’t that so cute? Imagine giving your pet, your name too. It makes my heart sing.

Rocky made about $200 million. Sequels followed. Till date Rocky has garnered over $1.25 billion.

Stallone lived by his statement in Rocky.

Rocky Balboa: Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place, and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done! Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain’t where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain’t you. You’re better than that.

It won 10 nominations for the academy awards. It famously won the Academy Award for best picture in 1976. At the awards ceremony he read out all the rejection slips from those who said the film fill fail badly and no one would watch it.

How is this for persistence? How is this for believing in your dreams? How is this for winning against odds?

Are you inspired? If yes, please share this story with as many people as possible. Lets touch as many lives as possible.

With loads of love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

http://www.lifeschool.co.in/