Category

Wisdom

Dec 24

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

By Wisdom
Santa's Reward from http://www.scottgustafson.com

Santa's Reward by http://www.scottgustafson.com

“DEAR EDITOR: I am 8 years old.
“Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.
“Papa says, ‘If you see it in THE SUN it’s so.’
“Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?

“VIRGINIA O’HANLON.
“115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET.”

Eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon wrote a letter to the editor of New York’s Sun, and the quick response was printed as an unsigned editorial Sept. 21, 1897. The work of veteran newsman Francis Pharcellus Church has since become history’s most reprinted newspaper editorial, appearing in part or whole in dozens of languages in books, movies, and other editorials, and on posters and stamps.

Newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote The Sun's response to Virginia.

Newsman Francis Pharcellus Church wrote The Sun's response to Virginia.

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

[source: Newseum http://www.newseum.org/yesvirginia/]
Dec 23

Does evil exist?

By Drawing and artwork, Juesatta art, Wisdom

doesevilexist

The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. “Did God create everything that exists?” A student answered bravely, “Yes, he did”.

The professor then asked, “If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil. The student couldn’t respond to that statement causing the professor to conclude that he had “proved” that “belief in God” was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless.

Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, “May I pose a question? ” “Of course” answered the professor.

The young student stood up and asked : “Professor does Cold exists?”

The professor answered, “What kind of question is that? …Of course the cold exists… haven’t you ever been cold?”

The young student answered, “In fact sir, Cold does not exist. According to the laws of Physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don’t have body heat or we are not hot.”

“And, does Dark exist?”, he continued. The professor answered “Of course”. This time the student responded, “Again you’re wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there’s lack of light.”

Finally, the student asked the professor, “Sir, does evil exist?” The professor replied, “Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil.”

The student responded, “Sir, Evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, Evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God’s presence in the hearts of man.”

After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn’t answer back.

 [source: http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/religion/a/einstein_god.htm]

Dec 18

关怀的心.笑容

By Wisdom

有一位有钱的单身女子刚搬了家，她发现隔壁住了一户穷人家， 一个寡妇与两个小孩子。

有天晚上，那一带忽然停了电，那位女子只好自己点起了蜡烛。没一会儿，忽然听到有人敲门。原来是隔壁邻居的小孩子，只见他紧张地问：「阿姨，请问你家有蜡烛吗？」女子心想：「他们家竟穷到连蜡烛都没有吗？千万别借他们，免得被他们依赖了！ 」

於是对孩子吼了一声说：「没有！」

正当她准备关上门时，那穷小孩展开关爱的笑容说：「我就知道你家一定没有！」 说完，竟从怀里拿出两根蜡烛，说：「妈妈和我怕你一个人住又没有蜡烛，所以我带两根来送你。」

此刻女子自责、感动得热泪盈眶，将那小孩子紧紧地拥在怀里。

••我们不一定因为赚很多的钱而富有，但我们可以因付出的善念而使心中富有••

关怀的爱

摘自《三则感人的小故事》

Dec 16

秤的秘密

By Drawing and artwork, Juesatta art, Wisdom
秤的秘密 by CJ

秤的秘密 by CJ

　　明朝时候，扬州有一富翁是开南货店发财的，他有一子两孙，家庭之间非常快乐。后来他病在床上，将要死的时候，将一秤杆郑重地交付他的儿子．并嘱咐他道：这秤是我起家的宝物，是用乌木合成的，秤杆中空，灌有水银，称出时秤稍向上，水银注纽，别人见了以为重，而不知反轻，称进时秤稍下倾，水银注尾，别人见了以为轻。而不知反重。我因此占了不少便宜，所以能致这样的财富呀．”

　　他儿子听了，心中暗暗惊讶，父亲何以这样不道德。但因他正当病重，只好唯唯随顺，不便明言。后来他父亲死了，他就将这杆秤用火烧毁，并力行各种善事，扶危济困，养残恤老，孜孜如恐不及。他这样做是要想替亡父忏除罪恶。但由于真诚为善，不到三年家产己耗去了一半。虽然这样，倒是他所情愿的，心中并没有什么不快。不料膝下二个爱子。竟相继死亡，这实在是大凄惨了。行善得祸，他因此常叹天道无知，因果颠倒，心中不免怨恨。

　　一夜，梦至一处状如宫殿，见一官员坐在殿上，当面告诉他道：“你父之富，是彼宿世所修布施功德，命中应有，并不是依靠那杆水银秤；即使他不用那秤，也能致富．但是他用了那秤，徒然自坏心术，加了一身罪业，至死不悟，自受苦报，这正是他的愚痴。那时天帝因其用心贪恶，所以为了破耗二星投作你子，以败你的家产。家败之后，还要继以火烧。而你呢，正当受你父的余殃，非但衣食不给，而且寿算亦短。你父生前以为有这许多家产遗给子孙，一定可以世代享受，舒适不尽。他哪里知道好儿子不能长寿，好孙子是来败家的呢。现在幸得你存心善良，能盖父过。天帝察你三年以来，真诚为善，始终无倦，这是很难得的，所以特命所司收回两星，不久将另降贤子，以光大你的后代，并增加你本身的寿算了，你应当勤修善果，勿存怨恨才是呀。”他醒来之后，恍然大悟，因此，为善更坚定，后来果然连生二子，皆成进士。

摘自《真快乐》

Dec 12

A human being is part of a whole – by Albert Einstein

By Wisdom

einstein_bobblehead

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘Universe’ —a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts, and feelings, as something separated from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”

– Albert Einstein