Wise Stories of wisdom

Wise stories from history are timeless tales that offer valuable lessons on wisdom, humility, leadership, and the human spirit. Here are a few profound stories from different cultures and times that continue to inspire and teach valuable lessons:

The Gordian Knot

- Ancient Greece Story: In ancient Phrygia (modern-day Turkey), a knot was tied so intricately that it was believed impossible to untie. According to legend, the oracle prophesied that whoever could untie the knot would become the ruler of Asia. Alexander the Great approached the knot and, instead of struggling to untie it, simply drew his sword and sliced through it.

Lesson: This story teaches the value of creative thinking and finding unconventional solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Sometimes, the most effective solution isn't the one that follows the established path.

The Emperor’s Seeds

- China Story: An emperor in ancient China, growing old without an heir, decided to choose a successor. He distributed seeds to children across the kingdom, telling them to grow the plants and return after a year. When the children returned with their plants, one boy brought an empty pot, admitting his plant hadn’t grown. The emperor revealed that he had given boiled seeds that couldn’t grow and chose the honest boy as his successor.

Lesson: This story demonstrates the power of honesty and integrity. While everyone else tried to deceive the emperor, the boy's courage to tell the truth proved him worthy of leadership.

The Burning Ship

- Spain and the Americas Story: In 1519, Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés landed in Mexico with the intent to conquer the Aztec Empire. To eliminate any chance of retreat, he ordered his men to burn the ships they had arrived on. With no way back, his soldiers had no choice but to commit fully to their mission.

Lesson: This story emphasizes the importance of commitment and focus. By removing the option of retreat, Cortés forced his men to give their all. In life, sometimes removing “escape routes” or alternatives can help focus on achieving a goal.

The King and the Minister’s Advice

Indian Story: An Indian king loved jewels and sought rare treasures. One day, he asked his wise minister how he could gain even more wealth and power. The minister replied, “Your Majesty, the wealthiest kingdom lies in your people’s hearts. If they are happy and prosperous, your kingdom will be the richest.” Realizing the wisdom of this, the king prioritized the welfare of his people, and the kingdom flourished.

Lesson: True wealth and power come from the loyalty and prosperity of those you lead. This story underscores the importance of compassion, benevolence, and prioritizing the well-being of others.

The Tale of Socrates’ Triple Filter Test

- Ancient Greece Story: Socrates was once approached by a man who wanted to share a rumor about Socrates’ friend. Before allowing him to speak, Socrates asked him to pass the story through three filters: truth, goodness, and usefulness. When the man admitted that he wasn’t sure if the story was true, kind, or useful, Socrates declined to listen.

Lesson: The Triple Filter Test encourages us to consider whether what we share is truthful, kind, and useful. It’s a reminder to be mindful of our words and avoid spreading negativity or falsehoods.

The Ring of King Solomon

- Middle Eastern Folklore Story: King Solomon was known for his wisdom, but he was also human and experienced highs and lows. To keep him grounded, a wise man crafted a ring with an inscription that read, “This too shall pass.” Solomon was reminded by this message not to get too elated in good times or too depressed in bad times.

Lesson: This story teaches the importance of humility, patience, and perspective. Whether in success or failure, life is full of changes, and accepting this can help maintain inner peace and resilience.

The Zen Master and the Cup of Tea

Japanies Story: A university professor visited a Zen master to learn about enlightenment. The Zen master served tea and continued pouring even when the cup overflowed. When the professor asked why he kept pouring, the master explained, “You are like this cup, already full. How can I teach you unless you first empty your cup?”

Lesson: This Zen story reminds us to approach learning and growth with an open, humble mindset, free from preconceptions. Real understanding often requires letting go of ego and preconceived notions.

The Broken Pot

- Ancient Indian Tale Story: A water bearer in India carried two pots on a pole over his shoulders. One pot was perfect, while the other had a crack, leaking water along the path. The cracked pot apologized to the bearer, feeling inadequate. The water bearer smiled and showed the path, lined with beautiful flowers that had grown from the water spilled by the cracked pot.

Lesson: This story illustrates that our imperfections can still bring beauty and purpose. What may seem like a flaw can often contribute in unique and unexpected ways.

These stories from history and folklore remind us of timeless virtues: humility, wisdom, integrity, and resilience. They highlight how understanding these values can lead to a fulfilling, meaningful life and positively impact those around us.

The Parable of the Lame Puppy

The Parable of the Lame Puppy
A store owner put up a sign on the door: “Puppies for sale.” Such signs always attract the attention of children, and soon a child appeared and asked:
- How much are the dogs?
The store owner answered:
- From thirty to fifty dollars.
The child put his hand in his pocket and pulled out some coins.
- I only have two dollars and thirty-seven cents, may I look at the puppies?
The man smiled and whistled. A dog came out of the back room, and five puppies were skipping behind her, one of which was lagging behind the others. The child immediately noticed the lagging puppy and asked:
- What’s wrong with this dog?
The owner explained that the puppy was born with a defective hip and would be lame for the rest of its life. The child became emotional and said:
- This is the puppy I want to buy!
And the man answered:
“No, I won’t sell you this puppy. If you really want him, I’ll give him to you.”
The boy was upset and, looking into the man’s eyes, said:
“No, I don’t want you to give him to me. He’s worth the same as the other puppies, and I’ll pay you full price for him. Now I’ll leave you two dollars and thirty-seven cents, and then I’ll pay you fifty cents a month until I’ve paid him off.”
The man said:
“Son, you don’t want to buy this puppy. He’ll never be able to run and jump and play like the others.”
The child bent down and lifted one pant leg to show his left leg, twisted, shriveled, supported by a bulky metal apparatus, looked at the man again and said:
"Okay, I can't run well either, but I can take care of a little dog who needs someone to understand him."
The man bit his lip, his eyes filled with tears:
"Son," he said barely audibly, "I wish each of these puppies had an owner like you.
Each of us wants to be appreciated and accepted for who we are and loved unconditionally.

Be able to believe

A beautiful oasis in the desert began to dry up. The spring that supplied water to people, animals and gardens suddenly dried up. People tried to dig a well, but found no water. The elder of the tribe day and night asked the gods for help. People waited for his decision in fear. Finally, the elder gathered the people and said:
- The gods sent us a test, but did not abandon us. We will find water if we dig a well at the site of the spring.
Joyfully, the people set to work. They dug for a week, then a second - there was no water. More and more people ran away in fear. Soon only the elder of the tribe and his son remained in the dried-up oasis.
- Father, do you really believe that we will find water? - the son asked in despair.
- If a person can believe in what he does not see, as a reward for his faith he will see what he believes in, - the father answered calmly and continued digging.
They dug a well for a hundred days and nights, eating only cacti and dried fruits, and on the hundred and first day a powerful fountain of water shot up. The spring became even cleaner and stronger, and the oasis became larger and richer.
After his father, his son became the elder. When difficulties or illnesses overcame the tribe, he stubbornly fought them and said: "If a person can believe in what he does not see, as a reward for his faith he will see what he believes in!"

Wise stories of wisdom

10 signs that everything is good in your life:

(Even if you don't feel it)
1. You are fortunate to have a roof over your head.
2. You had lunch today.
3. You have a good heart.
4. You do not wish harm to others.
5. You have clean water.
6. There is someone who cares about you.
7. You know how to forgive.
8. You have clean clothes.
9. They trust you.
10. You are breathing!
Be grateful for the little things, as they are very important.

The Shoemaker's Court

One skillful artist created a picture and exhibited it to the audience. Many praised his new work. And only the shoemaker noticed a flaw in the painted sandal.
After listening to his comments, the artist immediately corrected the painting.
After this, the shoemaker became so proud that he began to say that the lower leg was drawn poorly, the knee, and in general the whole leg was drawn incorrectly...
And then the artist said:
- Let the shoemaker not judge above the shoes!
The same can be said to us when we undertake to judge what we understand very approximately.

if the rider had been happy

A beggar stood on the roadside begging. A passing horseman whipped the beggar on the face. The beggar looked at the retreating horseman and said: - Be happy. The horseman who saw these things asked: - Are you really that humble? "No," replied the beggar, "it's just that if the rider had been happy, he wouldn't have hit me in the face."

Paid with a glass of milk

The boy was hungry and tired.
He hasn't eaten for a long time... his head is dizzy...
The boy knocked on the door and asked for water.
But the woman came out with milk...!
And that glass gave him the power to live again!
He believed - there are benevolent people in the world!
The boy became a doctor and started serving people
One day he saw a woman in his hospital,
who once gave him milk,
seriously ill! He already knew this.
He needs surgery immediately!
! Using your full power!
The doctor saved the woman's life
Kindness survives and triumphs!
The doctor held a piece of paper to pay for it
"I will not cry" - he thought again!
But when the woman took the piece of paper, she couldn't believe her eyes!
He cried with joy!
The bill is paid! And with that the doctor added:
"Paid with a glass of milk!

O foolish river

A stream was flowing through the forest, praising itself: able, agile, swift, clear and transparent! He didn't want to merge into another stream, he thought himself strong and wanted to run away into the forest.
Suddenly he ran into the field, and there he became weak, not having enough strength, he spread out and disappeared. Somehow, emerging from some underground passages, full of filth, he reached a river and began to complain:
"If it were not for this dirty field, I myself would have become a river long ago!"
Hearing this, waves broke out in the river: "O foolish river, it is not the fault of the field that you have spread, penetrated into the earth and become so dirty, that pushes others, wants to become a river itself, it has no strength left. Stay."

5 virtues

A child sees his grandmother writing a letter and asks:
- Are you writing about me?
The grandmother stops writing, smiles and says to her grandson:
- You guessed it, I'm writing about you. But what is more important is not what I write, but what I write.
I want you to grow up to be like this pencil...
The child looks at the pencil curiously, but does not see anything special.
- It's just like all pencils!
-Everything is dependent on how you look at things . This pencil has five qualities that you need if you want to live your life in harmony with the rest of the world.
First, you may be a genius, but you should never forget the existence of a guiding hand. We call this hand the higher power. Trust this higher power and learn to feel it.
Second: I have to sharpen my pencil to write. This operation is a little painful for him, but the pencil writes more finely afterwards. So, learn to bear the pain, remember that it motivates you.
3rd: If you use a pencil/eraser, you can always erase/delete what you think is not good with an eraser.
Remember that correcting yourself isn't always a bad thing. This is often the only way to stay on track. Fourth: What matters in a pencil is not the wood or its shape, but the graphite inside. So, always think about what is happening inside you.
And finally, fifth: A pencil always leaves a mark. Likewise, you leave traces behind with your actions and therefore you think about every step..

The rich man and his son

One day a very rich man took his son on a trip across the country with the sole purpose of showing the boy what it means to live without money. He spent several days on the farm of a very poor family. On returning home, the father asked his son how the trip was.
"I like it, Father," the boy replied.
Have you seen how poor people can be? - Father asked a question.
- Oh yeah! - came the answer.
- What did you learn from our trip?
- Father asked again. And the son answered:
- I see that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pond that goes right down to the middle of the garden, and they have a stream that never ends. In our garden, the lanterns shine abroad, And beside them, the stars shine at night. We have a terrace that goes to the front yard, and they have space that goes to the horizon. We have a small piece of land that we live on, and they have endless fields that cannot be overlooked. We buy food / vegitables and they grow their own. We have walls to protect our home, but they have friends. The boy's father froze in indifference.
Then the son added: "I realized how poor we really are."

Aquarium fish fell into the river

The aquarium fish fell into the river. The native fish surround her, wonder at her strange attire and ask how she lives at home.
- Fine! - Remembering the warm comfortable aquarium, the fish responded, shivering from the cold and complained: - One thing was bad: they only feed once a day!
- Well, it's easy for us! - The fish calmed him down. - Eat as much as you want! If, of course, you can... And ran everywhere in search of food.
The aquarium fish understood the meaning of his last words in the evening, when he faced half-starvation at night.

how can I forget you

Don't worry - you're with me...
In my thoughts and in my heart...
I consider you my other half...
You took up almost all the space in my destiny,
Now how can I... forget you?
From the pain of these long silent distances...
I will warm your soul with prayers...
Don't get angry... don't erase correspondence and memories...
It has a lot of warm words "I love ..."

the good that is given is returned

All the evils of man remain with him and the good that is given is returned.
A poor woman in India bakes a couple of flat breads every morning. He would leave one for the family, and give the other to a random passerby. The poor woman would leave the baked goods on the windowsill, and anyone could come and pick up the bread. Leaving the bread, the woman began to pray for her son, who had left his father's house in search of a new destination. This process continued for several months.
Soon he noticed that every morning a hunchbacked man came and took bread from the window. And then he would often say to himself:
"All the evil that you do stays with you forever, but the good comes back threefold," and he would go away. The woman did not listen to the kind words. Annoyed by the hunchback, the poor woman decided to teach him a lesson. He poured poison into the second loaf, wishing to get rid of the ungrateful guest forever. But as she began to carry the bread to the window, her hands began to tremble. She could not do so and threw the bread into the fire. She prepared a new roti and took it to the window. As usual, the hunchback came and said his word and went on his way.
Soon there was a knock at the woman's house and her son was standing at the door. The boy was very thin and dirty. He told his mother that he almost made it home, but was so tired that he collapsed from exhaustion. A passing hunchback took pity on him and gave him a flatbread, and this helped the boy reach home. Hearing this, the mother's heart trembled.
This parable is about goodness in which the laws of nature are clearly revealed. Those who do good always get good in return. And those who do evil are surrounded only by evil.

The perfect camel

The perfect camel. Virgo
Many years ago, four scientists traveled through the Kavir desert with a caravan. In the evening they all sat together around a big fire and started sharing their impressions. Everyone admired the camels. The unparalleled endurance, strength and inexplicable patience of camels was truly amazing.
"We all have a pen," said one. "Let's write or draw something in honor of the camel and glorify it." With these words, he took the scroll of parchment and went into the tent where the lamp was burning. A few minutes later he came out and showed his work to his friends. He pulled the camel while getting up after resting. The drawing was so good that the camel looked alive.
The other entered the tent and soon returned with a short business article on the advantages of camel caravans.
The third wrote a charming poem.
Finally the fourth went into the tent and told him not to disturb her. Several hours passed, the fire in the fire was long gone, and the friends were already asleep, and from the dimly lit tent the clatter of pens and monotonous singing were still heard. In vain the friends waited for their companion for three days. The tent hides him safely as the ground closes in behind Aladdin.
Finally, on the fifth day, the most industrious of all the hardworking people came out of the tent. Dark shadows covered his eyes, his cheeks were sunken, and his chin was covered with stubble. With a tired gait and a sour expression on his face, as if he had eaten a green lemon, he walked over to his friends and angrily threw a bunch of parchment scrolls onto the carpet in front of them. On the outside of the first scroll was written in full-width large letters: "The ideal camel, or the camel as it should be..."