Some Stories

I have found Jewish and Buddhist parables to have powerful messages of perspective, empathy and kindness. These stories help me find perspective in a chaotic modern world. I have read these stories in books, heard them in synagogue or had peers relay them to me.

I hope you enjoy.

Two Traveling Men

A rabbi and a man traveled through the desert. One night, they stopped at the home of an old man. The old man had very little besides a small shack with his wife and a cow that gave them her daily milk. The old man and his wife were kind, they fed the two strangers and offered up their own bed for the two men to sleep on that night.

As the two men moved on the next morning, they were surprised to see that the old man’s cow had been stricken dead the night before.

The next night the two men came upon the home of a wealthy merchant. After asking him to stay the night, the merchant coolly offered them to sleep in the barn with his beasts of burden instead of in his guest house.

The next morning when the two men awoke they found a commotion in the house of the merchant. During the night a miracle had occurred; a hole in the wall of the merchant’s mansion had been repaired.

As the men continued onward, the man turned to the Rabbi and asked him why the couple who had shown them such kindness had been punished by G-d, while the selfish merchant had been rewarded.

The Rabbi responded “Things do not always appear as they seem. The first night, the wife had been destined to die, but after seeing kindness from the man and his wife, G-d took the cow instead. The second night, G-d knew of a treasure chest full of gold that the merchant was destined to find in his wall. Instead, G-d miraculously sealed the hole, so that the merchant may never find the vast wealth.”

Sometimes, life does not go as planned. However, sometimes, what may seem like a curse, is actually a blessing. Our perspective on what could have been or what has happened is as important as the event itself. Our lives outcomes are inexplicable and chaotic, instead of wallowing in self pity, find a reason to live.

“Remember, that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” — Dalai Lama

Allegory of the Long Spoons

A man died and was taken to hell by an angel.

Hell was a great hall with mosaics weaving along the marble floor and great tapestries hanging from the walls. The man observed a great vaulted ceiling that rose above a magnificent table filled with a feast.

Along each side of the table stretched thousands of chairs. In each chair sat an emaciated man or woman. Both arms of each person were splinted with wooden slats so he or she could not bend either elbow to bring the food to their mouth. No matter how they struggled against their own rigid elbows, they could not take a bite of a morsel of food. The more they struggled to feed themselves, the more in pain they appeared.

The angel then whisked the man to heaven.

As the man arrived he was shocked to find the same hall and the same enormous, food-laden table as he had seen in hell.

In stark contrast, however, the long line of individuals on either side of the table were plastered with smiling faces.

The people in heaven had their arms locked, in the same manner as hell, with utensils strapped to the end of their outstretched arms. Instead of struggling to feed themselves, they had begun feeding one another. Each person was conversing with his or her neighbor, receiving whatever was desired on the table.

The man turned to the angel and exclaimed “The difference between heaven and hell is neither the qualities of the place, nor of the abundance of resources, but the way people treat each other.”

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius