Thursday, July 31, 2008 @ 5:13 PM
Another article that caught my attention. It is taken from page A8 of today's My Paper newspaper. The writer is a senior vice-president of the SPH marketing division and the GM of SPH NewMedia for Zapcode. I'm not going to post the whole article because it's too long. Just the important parts only.
Have you ever wondered why we tend to be more polite with total strangers then we are with our own family?
Think back the last time you accidentally bumped into a passer-by. I wouldn't be surprise if you had said something like, "I'm sorry, please excuse me."
Now think back to the time when you accidentally collided into your child/parent at home. I wouldn't be surprise at all if you had sternly retorted with "Cant you see where you're going?"
If you're saying ti yourself. "Yeah, it's true", you're not alone.
It would seem at first that these reaction are totally normal, but when you need only look a silver below the surface to realise that if we can be so polite to people we don't even know, how much more we should be considerate and show courtesy to the people who are closest to us.
But why do we react the way we do? Is it familiarity that breeds contempt? Is it an ingrained unconscious habit to take thing too much for granted at home? Or is it just something that's intrinsic in our culture?
Then there is a story heard by the writer some years ago.
A professor stood before his philosophy class with some items in front of him.
When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that is was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the student again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box sand and poured it into the jar Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The student responded with a unanimous "yes".
The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling into the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor. "I want you to recognise that this jar represent your life. The golf balls represent the important things - your family, your health, your children, your friends, your passion - the kind of stuff that if all else was lost and only these remained, your life would be still be full.
"These pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, your car.
"The sand is everything else - the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first, there will be no room for the pebbles or the golf balls."
You know, the same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small things, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.
Pay attention to the elements that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Set aside time for your medical check-ups. Help out at a charitable institution. Take your spouse out to dinner.
Don't worry. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the hinge on that cupboard door.
Take care of the golf balls first; the rest is just sand.
