Home › Forums › Inspiration / Mussar › Glass Half Full?
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August 31, 2009 6:22 pm at 6:22 pm #590292Be HappyParticipant
I just received this and felt it had an amazing lesson in life: Is our glass half full or half empty? How do you look at life, and anything that may be happening at this time?
How Poor We Really Are
— Author Unknown
One day a wealthy family man took his son on a trip to the country so he could have his son see how poor country people were.
They stayed one day and one night in the farmhouse of a very humble farm. On the way back home at the end of the trip the father asked the son, “What did you think of the trip?”
The son replied, “Very nice, Dad.”
The father then asked, “Did you notice how poor they were?”
The son replied, “Yes, I guess so.”
The father then added, “And what did you learn?”
To this question, the son thought for a moment and answered slowly, “I learned that we have one dog in the house and they have four. We have a fountain in the garden and they have a stream that has no end.
“We have fancy lanterns in our garden, while they have the stars. Our garden goes to the edge of our yard, but for their back yard they have the entire horizon!”
At the end of the son’s reply, the rich father was speechless. His son then added: “Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we really are.”
August 31, 2009 11:05 pm at 11:05 pm #661918theObviousMembervery nice. we should all learn from this!
August 31, 2009 11:46 pm at 11:46 pm #661919mi keamcha yisroelMemberwe should learn that money doesn’t make you rich!!
September 2, 2009 8:58 pm at 8:58 pm #661920Be HappyParticipantUnfortunately in todays day and age money speaks loads. Why do we look up to those who have money?
September 2, 2009 9:53 pm at 9:53 pm #661921AnonymousInactivebecause they pay the bills…
September 2, 2009 11:32 pm at 11:32 pm #661922mom12Participantnot mine,they don’t…
and the reason u have to look up to them is because they look DOWN at you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
September 3, 2009 3:07 pm at 3:07 pm #661923SJSinNYCMemberames, I agree. I think its kind of like when minorities can heap complaints about non-minorities non-stop (including calling them derogatory names like…), but if a non-minority called a minority person a name, there would be … to pay.
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September 3, 2009 4:18 pm at 4:18 pm #661924A600KiloBearParticipantBS”D
If the glass is at half level with mashke, it is half full and needs to be refilled.
If the glass is at half level with “ekonomika” (chlorine), it is half empty and needs to be emptied.
If the glass is at half level with milk, it depends if you are fleishig.
September 3, 2009 7:46 pm at 7:46 pm #661925A600KiloBearParticipantBS”D
really? I never hear rich people complain about poor people
I knew of someone, an otherwise decent askan and baal tzedoko, who would refer to poor people as “schneider” (tailor) for some reason, unless he meant the insult for someone who had assets and was hiding them so as not to give tzedoko.
September 4, 2009 1:29 am at 1:29 am #661926plonisalmonisMemberkilobear – i thought ekonomika is bleach
September 4, 2009 10:57 am at 10:57 am #661927A600KiloBearParticipantBS”D
Yes lol was writing that with one foot out the door and meant to write chlorine bleach. The Admou”r meCreedmoor gave me a psak not to post jokes here within 5 mins of having to leave home for Mincha.
September 4, 2009 4:47 pm at 4:47 pm #661928Be HappyParticipantDo rich/poor people have different understanding, laws, and charachters?
September 4, 2009 5:12 pm at 5:12 pm #661929theprof1ParticipantNice story but hardly likely that a rich son would be that insightful. Too bad though because the story is so true. Exactly what Chazal say, who is rich, one who is satisfied with his circumstances in life. Another well known story. This very rich guy goes for a vacation and notices that a young man sits fishing every day. He walks over and asks him what he’s doing. Young man answers, I come here at 8 AM and catch several fish. I have breakfast for my family plus lunch. I do some chores for some money for anything else we need. The rich man says, you’re so good at fishing, why don’t you fish more. Your wife can sell the fish. You’ll make more money, hire some guys to help and sell more. Until at some point you’ll be wealthy. Young man asks, and then what. You can go on vacation like me once a year. I see. But I already am doing that all year.
October 13, 2009 7:16 pm at 7:16 pm #661930haifagirlParticipant“Do rich/poor people have different understanding, laws, and charachters? “
In a particular town there’s a particular neighborhood where there happen to be a lot of wealthy people. One day I was very frustrated and said to my rabbi, “I wish I had money and lived in [that neighborhood] so I could do whatever I wanted.”
Perhaps my rabbi is too cynical, or maybe he just sees how people are treated by the rest of the community, but he answered, “You don’t have to live there. All you need is money and you can do whatever you want.”
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