A water bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and 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 master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full 2 years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end 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 2 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.” “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?” “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s 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 water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion, he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the path and this cheered it some. But at the end of tile trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure. The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on YOUR side of your path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them. For 2 years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.”
Just Love Yourself:
Each of us has our own unique flaws. We’re all cracked pots. Some of us don’t age gracefully, some are not so smart, some are tall, large & big, some bald, some physically challenged, but it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together and so very interesting and rewarding. You have to accept each person in your life for what they are and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good in them and in you. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life, including yourself.
Your attitude decides how do you love yourself? To love yourself you have to change attitude. To do that I am prescribing following steps. Stop all the criticism of yourself and others. Accept yourself as you are. When you approve and accept of yourself, your changes become positive, your attitude becomes positive. It is very important to understand that everyone in your world is a reflection of your beliefs. Don’t blame others; change your beliefs and your perception towards the world changes. Be gentle, kind and patient with yourself. Praise yourself as much as you can but avoid boasting. You received the body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire lifespan. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time information school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant or stupid. There are no mistakes, only lessons. The “failed” experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that “works.” A lesson is repeated until learned. It will be presented in various forms until you have learned it. Then you can go on to the next lesson. Learning lessons DO NOT END.
Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects you something that you love or hate in yourself. You can love life and everything around you, the mantra is “Just Love Yourself”. You have all the tools and resources you need. To use them is up to you. The choice is yours. Your answers lie within you. The answers to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is listen, look and trust. Your subconscious always there to help you with your spiritual progress.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant; they too have their story and opinion. Don’t get washed away with their opinion. That is their opinion and not yours and they have right to give their opinion. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are enemies of the soul and the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career. Give a treat to yourself for a big or small success. Failures are not final. Take another look at the problem. Find the mistakes done avoid them or try another way to tackle it. Nurture strength of your spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Enjoy with your family and friends and sometimes in solitude.
Be gentle with yourself. You are great as all other great things in the universe. You are the child of this magnificent universe. Be at peace with God, everybody, yourself and your soul. Just love yourself.
