The kindness inside

During Nelson Mandela ’s 19 years
imprisoned on Robben Island, one
particular commanding officer was the
most brutal of them all:
“ A few days before Badenhorst’s
departure , I was called to the main
office . General Steyn was visiting the
island and wanted to know if we had
any complaints. Badenhorst was there
as I went through a list of demands.
When I had finished, Badenhorst
spoke to me directly .
He told me he would be leaving the
island and added : ‘I just want to wish
you people good luck’. I do not know
if I looked dumbfounded , but I was
amazed. He spoke these words like a
human being and showed a side of
himself we had never seen before . I
thanked him for his good wishes and
wished him luck in his endeavours .
I thought about this moment for a
long time afterwards. Badenhorst had
perhaps been the most callous and
barbaric commanding officer we had
had on Robben Island. But that day in
the office , he had revealed that that
there was another side to his nature ,
a side that had been obscured but still
existed .
It was a useful reminder that all men,
even the most seemingly cold-
blooded , have a core of decency and
that, if their hearts are touched, they
are capable of changing . Ultimately,
Badenhorst was not evil ; his
inhumanity had been foisted upon
him by an inhuman system . He
behaved like a brute because he was
rewarded for brutish behaviour. ”
( Nelson Mandela, “ Long Walk ")

Dodging death

              Dodging death
         

There is a story about a person who was afraid of death. He spent a long period in prayer and penance to please god. Then god appeared. Before him in a dream and asked his wish. He prayed to deliver him from death. God answered that death was inevitable for man anf so this prayer could not be granted. He then requested god to give him a clear warning beford his death. God agreed and vanished. Overjoyed, he started to lead a life of leisure and sinful pleasures, hoping to turn to god as soon as god issues a warning about impending death. In course of time his hair became grey, skin got wrinkled, health deteriorated and his teeth were lost. Still he continued his sinful ways.
Finally at the moment of death, he had a vision of god,  ready to declare his death and judge his deeds. The man complained, "why didn't you warn me earlier? You have not kept youe word !". God replied,  "i gave you a series of warnings -your greying hair, wrinkling skin,failing health and falling teeth were the warning signals of an imminent end. But you ignored the warnings. Now you have to meet your fate." 

The Clever Boy

The Clever Boy

A man with his donkey carrying two sacks of wheat was on his way to the market. after a little while he was tired and they rested under a tree. when he woke up from his nap he could not see the donkey and started searching for the donkey everywhere.

On the way he met a boy, he asked the boy," have you seen my donkey?" the boy aksed , "is the donkey's left eye blind, his right foot lame and is he carrying load of wheat?" The man was happy and said , "yes exactly ! where have you seen it?" the boy answered " i haven't seen it"!
This made the man very angry and he took the boy to the village chief for punishment. the judge asked , "dear boy, if you had not seen the donkey, how could you describe it? " the boy answered , "i saw the tracks of a donkey and the right and left tracks were different from each other. i understood that the donkey that passed there was a limping. and the grass on the right side of the road was eaten but the grass on the left was not.
from that i understood that his left eye was blind. there were wheat seeds scattered on the ground and i understood that he must have been carrying a load of wheat. the judge understood the boy's cleverness and told the man to forgive the boy.

God Plans For you

God Plans For you

A king had an earnest and honest minister. The king trusted him but disliked his frequent statement, " god does everything for for our own good." once they went together hunting while making a way through the forest by cutting the bushes with his sword, the king cut off the tip of his middle finger.

they treated the wound and bandaged it to stop it bleeding. as they finished, the minister made his usual remark, "god does everything for our own good." the king was furious. " you are really cruel, i am in great pain and you say it is good." filled with rage, he flung the minister into a dirty pit and raced off alone. in the dense forest, the king was caught by a group of savages. they tied him up and carried him to their chieftain. they wanted to offer the king as a human sacrifice before their deity. the chief priest examined the 'offering' in detail and found out that the tip of his middle finger was missing.

he declared that only perfect bodies without ant defect would be acceptable as sacrifice before the deity. hence the king was released. the king realized that the minister's statement was correct. so he return to the pit and rescued the minister. the king apologized and narrated the events. the minister said, "god does everything for our own good". the king asked him to explain. that minister said, "if you had not put me in the pit , i would have been with you and the savages would have sacrificed me instead of you!".