Harvard to Stanford Story

A lady in a faded grey dress and her husband dressed in a home made suit walked in timidly without an appointment into the Harvard University President’s outer office.

The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods individuals had no business at Harvard and probably did not even deserve to be in Harvard.

“We want to see the President” the man said softly. “He will be busy all day” the lady secretary snapped. “We will wait” the lady replied.

For hours the secretary ignored them hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and go away. They did not and the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president.

“Maybe if you see them for a few minutes, they will leave” she said to him. The president. stern faced and with dignity strutted towards the couple.

The lady told him “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago he was accidentally killed. My husband & I would like to erect a memorial for him, somewhere on the campus”.

The president was not touched, in fact he was shocked. “Madam” he said gruffly “We cannot put up a statue for every person who attended Harvard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery”.

“Oh No..No..” the lady explained quickly. “We do not want to erect a statue. We thought we would like to give a building to your Harvard in his fond memory”.

The president rolled his eyes. He glanced at the lady’s dress and man’s suit and then exclaimed: “A Building?”
Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard. For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased. Maybe he could get rid of them now.

The lady turned to her husband and said quietly “Is that all it costs to start a University? Why don’t we just start our own?” Her husband nodded. The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment.

Mr. & Mrs. Leland & Jane Stanford got up and walked away, travelling to Paolo Alto, California where they established the University that bears their name: Stanford University – a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.

Most of the time we judge people by their outer appearance which can be misleading. And in the impression, we tend to treat people badly by thinking they can do nothing for us. Thus we tend to lose out potential good friends, employees or customers.

Though, it may not be convenient for you, do your best to always be supportive. Especially to your friends even if you think they can’t offer you anything.

Arrogance is a killer of friendship …. a soft word turns away wrath! Humility is a virtue, so, please continue with it.

83 Noble prize winners till now are from this University !!!

Know Your True Worth

A carpenter and his apprentice were walking through a large forest. They came across an old oak tree. The carpenter asked his apprentice, “Do you know why this tree is so tall, so huge, so gnarled and beautiful?” The apprentice looked at his master and said, “No… Why?” “Because it is useless,” answered the carpenter. “If it had been useful, it would have been cut long ago and made into tables and chairs. But because it is useless, it could grow so tall and beautiful and you can sit in its shade and relax.”

We constantly confuse worth with usefulness. Witness the way we treat the old and the economically unproductive. No longer do we seek to benefit from their wisdom and experience. I wondered about the number of harried, “useful” people who had identified their worth with the numbers, statistics and concrete results they could deliver, the societal praise and adulation, and I realised how much wisdom there was in the elderly.

We talk about a society with a “human face”. Yet, most of the underlying premises of our society, our jobs, environment, our social groups is based on equating worth with “usefulness”.

What we have is the fellowship of the strong and the able. What we need also to develop is the fellowship of the weak and the disabled, who are often more transparent and open and from whom we can learn. Most people defend their “usefulness” for as long as they can.

Instead, if they learnt to share their “uselessness”, they would, like the beautiful oak tree that —though gnarled and old — is beautiful, providing shade and sustenance to others.

by Janina Gomes

Originally at https://blogs.economictimes.indiatimes.com/the-speaking-tree/know-your-true-worth/

Saving Titanic

There were three ships which were nearby when the Titanic sunk.

One of them was known as the Sampson. It was 7 miles away from the Titanic and they saw the white flares signalling danger, but because the crew had been hunting seals illegally and didn’t want to be caught, they turned and went the opposite direction away from the Titanic. This ship represents us and people like us if we are so busy looking inward at our own sin and lives that we can’t recognize when someone else is in need.

The next ship was the Californian. This ship was only 14 miles away from the Titanic, but they were surrounded by ice fields and the captain looked out and saw the white flares, but because the conditions weren’t favourable and it was dark, he decided to go back to bed and wait until morning. The crew tried to convince themselves that nothing was happening. This ship represents those of us who say I can’t do anything now. The conditions aren’t right for it and so we wait until conditions are perfect before going out.

The last ship was the Carpathia. This ship was actually headed in a southern direction 58 miles away from the Titanic when they heard the distress cries over the radio. The captain of this ship knelt down, prayed to God for direction and then turned the ship around and went full steam ahead through the ice fields. This was the ship that saved the 705 survivors of the Titanic.

🌎 🌍 🌏

🎀 ANALOGY –

Obstacles and reasons to avoid responsibility shall always be there, but those who accept it always find a place in the hearts to be remembered for the world of good they do.