Dear All,
I would like to share you all a story which you all may like it and could be used in training programmes as deemed fit.
An old man lived alone in Minnesota. 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, 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 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug 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."
Moral:
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.
From India, Madras
14I would like to share you all a story which you all may like it and could be used in training programmes as deemed fit.
An old man lived alone in Minnesota. 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, 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 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug 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."
Moral:
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.
From India, Madras
It is a beautiful example of presence of mind undoubtedly. But how do you propose to incorporate it in training programmes? Can it be generalised? regards, Jogeshwar
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Hi
Very good one. This reminds me a long time old story told by my grandfather. One clever person ( you can assume it as Tenali Rama) wanted to attend a wedding with his wife and children. He saw some thiefs lurking in the bushes nearby. He brought a huge steel box, filled it with stones and dropped in the deep well, telling his wife that after all the best safe keeping method for valuables is indeed the deep well. He ofcourse took the valuableswith him.In the meanwhile the thiefs were very busy draining the well and irrigated the field for 3 full days.
Here the intention was to outwit the thiefs somehow which you can't always be doing.
Cheers
Raghavan
From India, Pune
Very good one. This reminds me a long time old story told by my grandfather. One clever person ( you can assume it as Tenali Rama) wanted to attend a wedding with his wife and children. He saw some thiefs lurking in the bushes nearby. He brought a huge steel box, filled it with stones and dropped in the deep well, telling his wife that after all the best safe keeping method for valuables is indeed the deep well. He ofcourse took the valuableswith him.In the meanwhile the thiefs were very busy draining the well and irrigated the field for 3 full days.
Here the intention was to outwit the thiefs somehow which you can't always be doing.
Cheers
Raghavan
From India, Pune
Dear Raghavan, Do you think HRM is basically story telling, no matter whether or not the theme can be generalised? regards
From India, Delhi
From India, Delhi
Dear Dr. Jogeshwar
I believe when the shift is too far from the central point, whether it is a story or any kind of suggestion, they will trivialise the main idea. When difficult points are related through epigrams, more abstract matters come into proper relationship with the immediate
Best regards
Raghavan
From India, Pune
I believe when the shift is too far from the central point, whether it is a story or any kind of suggestion, they will trivialise the main idea. When difficult points are related through epigrams, more abstract matters come into proper relationship with the immediate
Best regards
Raghavan
From India, Pune
You have put two categories. When I narrate the story of Angulimala and then I sing for Angulimal:
"Ish duniyane hamko diya kya, ham ishki parwa karen kyon?"
i emphasise how emotional decisions turn great assets of the society into dreadful liability of the society. I think it comes in your second category.
So far as opening story of this thread is concerned, I think it falls in your first category. So I have saught clarification, how does the initiating author suggests to incorporate the story in training programmes. No clarification has been posted as yet.
regards
From India, Delhi
"Ish duniyane hamko diya kya, ham ishki parwa karen kyon?"
i emphasise how emotional decisions turn great assets of the society into dreadful liability of the society. I think it comes in your second category.
So far as opening story of this thread is concerned, I think it falls in your first category. So I have saught clarification, how does the initiating author suggests to incorporate the story in training programmes. No clarification has been posted as yet.
regards
From India, Delhi
Dear Dr. Jogeshwar I am glad it was of some use. I gave a reply to you on Yoga. Regards Raghavan
From India, Pune
From India, Pune
Jogeshwar:
This story can be narrated during training to highlight human nature--and how one who understands it well can 'manipulate' it to suit his ends. Human nature is such that everyone thinks that he is cleverer than the other. We could stress on how the prisoner has capitalized on this thinking process by making the FBI agents and the local police feel that they have been smart in unearthing (pun intended) the truth.
This story could be used to caution people not to jump into hasty conclusions. Any cool-headed rational thinker would have been able to see through the prisoner's gambit--someone who was 'clever' enough to pull off a robbery would not be that naive as to think that others (especially the police, considering that he is in a prison) would not be reading his telegram.
This story could be effective for driving home the point that if you are focused on the objective (getting the garden dug, in this case), solutions can be found almost anywhere.
We see that the prisoner, in his telegram has NOT mentioned what it is that is purported to have been buried in the garden. In all these three cases, we can state that the prisoner has not explicitly told a lie, but that it led people astray.
Sanath
From India, Mumbai
This story can be narrated during training to highlight human nature--and how one who understands it well can 'manipulate' it to suit his ends. Human nature is such that everyone thinks that he is cleverer than the other. We could stress on how the prisoner has capitalized on this thinking process by making the FBI agents and the local police feel that they have been smart in unearthing (pun intended) the truth.
This story could be used to caution people not to jump into hasty conclusions. Any cool-headed rational thinker would have been able to see through the prisoner's gambit--someone who was 'clever' enough to pull off a robbery would not be that naive as to think that others (especially the police, considering that he is in a prison) would not be reading his telegram.
This story could be effective for driving home the point that if you are focused on the objective (getting the garden dug, in this case), solutions can be found almost anywhere.
We see that the prisoner, in his telegram has NOT mentioned what it is that is purported to have been buried in the garden. In all these three cases, we can state that the prisoner has not explicitly told a lie, but that it led people astray.
Sanath
From India, Mumbai
Dear Dr. J,
I liked Sanath's reply.
I would like to share another analogy to this story and how it relates to our own imprisonment and that we often build that prison with our "Can Do" and "Cant Do". We will have a million and one excuses for why we cant do it, and why we are unable to achieve. We forget our dreams and fill in the prison we create for ourselves. The son in the story had the love or desire to help the father dig up the garden and although he is in prison, his desire and love lead him to achieve his desire. It is the use of our mind to "focus on the solution and not the problem".
Anthony it is a great story and a reminder to me, that if I can think, I can do.
Love and Peace
From Malaysia, Johor Bahru
I liked Sanath's reply.
I would like to share another analogy to this story and how it relates to our own imprisonment and that we often build that prison with our "Can Do" and "Cant Do". We will have a million and one excuses for why we cant do it, and why we are unable to achieve. We forget our dreams and fill in the prison we create for ourselves. The son in the story had the love or desire to help the father dig up the garden and although he is in prison, his desire and love lead him to achieve his desire. It is the use of our mind to "focus on the solution and not the problem".
Anthony it is a great story and a reminder to me, that if I can think, I can do.
Love and Peace
From Malaysia, Johor Bahru
Dear Noelji,
Thank you for drawing my attention. I have already thanked Sananth Kumar. But i am writng this message to illustrate how unity may not be possible but harmony is possible.
Still I am not sure in what context I can quote this episode. But I am comfortable as many trainers in this thread can use it.
So far as presence of mind is concerned, every day we hear about presence of mind of Birbal, Tanalirama and Gopal Bhand. Virtually Gopal Bhand was illiterate. But propagation of stories on their presence of mind does not produce next. Rare occurences are not replicable.
regards
From India, Delhi
Thank you for drawing my attention. I have already thanked Sananth Kumar. But i am writng this message to illustrate how unity may not be possible but harmony is possible.
Still I am not sure in what context I can quote this episode. But I am comfortable as many trainers in this thread can use it.
So far as presence of mind is concerned, every day we hear about presence of mind of Birbal, Tanalirama and Gopal Bhand. Virtually Gopal Bhand was illiterate. But propagation of stories on their presence of mind does not produce next. Rare occurences are not replicable.
regards
From India, Delhi
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Presence of Mind.pdf
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