Attack the smaller problems first...

The great Maharana Pratap (a King in medieval India) had just been defeated by the Mughals in one of his attempts to capture a key fort. He was forced to wander around the forests in disguise while he attempted to recruit people into his army.

One day, around lunch time, he found a small hut. The hungry King went and knocked on the door. An old woman appeared. She didn't recognize the visitor as Maharana, as he had disguised himself.

Maharana Pratap asked the old lady if she could spare him some food for lunch.

The lady was delighted to have guest and welcomed him in and offered to serve him lunch. She brought out a plate and served him khichdi (An Indian preparation made from rice and lentils). The hungry king plunged his hand in the center of the plate but ended up burning his fingers!

The old lady started laughing.

The king looked up and asked, "You find it amusing that I am in pain?"

To which she replied saying, "Oh no! Please do not mistake me so! I was just thinking to myself that you are no better than the great Maharana Pratap himself!".

To this, Maharana asked, "what have I done that reminds you of that unfortunate King?".

She replied, "He tried to take over a key fort, just like how you tried to pick hot khichdi from the center of the plate. That is why he lost the battle and now you have burnt your fingers. When served with a plate full of hot khichdi, you must tackle your food from the edge of the plate as it would have cooled more there than the center. From the edges, you must work inside if you want to keep your fingers from getting burnt. This applies not just to eating habits. Everywhere in life, you will find this useful.

For example, if the great Maharana, instead of attacking the key fort first, had attacked and taken over the smaller forts in the surrounding region, the key fort would be left defenseless by the time he finally got there. Instead, the great Maharana seems to have made the mistake of plunging his hand in the center of the plate."

The Maharana got more than a filling meal that afternoon in the old lady's hut. He later went on to capture the key fort, of course, after bringing down the smaller ones in the region.

Attacking the smaller problems in life before taking on the bigger challenges doesn't make you any lesser of a person. It will in fact, help you achieve success in everything you do in life.

Ring the bell till its ringing...

A water bearer in China had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the House, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, Perfect for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection. And miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you. I have been able to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house. Because of my Flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said. 

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw. So I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house?


Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. We've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Unless we accept our faults we will most certainly doubt our virtues. Even the best needles are not sharp at both ends, good gardens have some weeds, the best diamonds and perfectly seeming beauties have some flaws. Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than a whole one. Remember to appreciate all the different people in our life.