Life Lessons from a Pencil: How Simple Tools Teach Us About Character and Growth

Dear all,

A beautiful wording from a great publication by Paulo Coelho.

Story of a Pencil.

A pencil teaches a good lesson as follows:

1. We purchase a pencil for its quality of the lead inside rather than the quality of the exterior wood. As the lead is more important than the wood. Similarly, we must see the character of a person rather than mere outer appearance.

2. Whatever the quality of the pencil might be, the art purely depends on the hand or writing. Whoever you are, whatever you do, whichever religion you follow... Pray to God at least once a day, as it is the hand of art.

3. At a certain point, we should stop writing with the pencil and sharpen it with a sharpener, which makes the pencil undergo pain. However, afterward, it works better than before. Similarly, when we face any problem, we should confront it and learn from it so that we can work better than before.

4. When the art is wrong or not good, we can use an eraser to correct it. Likewise, mistakes are common in life, and taking corrective and preventive actions on the mistakes we make is not a wrong decision.

Perhaps we can add more based on our own experiences as well.

Regards,
Shiv

Well expressed Shiva and here is a story from my end too.....

A boy was watching his grandmother writes a letter. At one point, he asked:
'Are you writing a story about what we've done? Is it a story about me?'

His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said to her grandson: 'I'm writing about you, actually, but more important than the words is the pencil I'm using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up.'

Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn't seem very special.

'But it's just like any other pencil I've ever seen!'

'That depends on how you look at things. It has five qualities which, if you manage to hang on to team, will make you a person who is always at peace with the world.

'First quality: you are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a hand guiding your steps. We call that hand God, and he always guides us according to his will.

'Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards, he's much shaper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows, because they will make you a better person.

'Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.

'Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So, always pay attention to what is happening inside you.

‘Fifth quality: it always leaves a mark. In just the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be conscious of that in your every action.'

Another Story: 2nd one

The Pencil Maker took the pencil aside just before putting him into the box.

"There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "Before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be."

"One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand."

"Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

"Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

"Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

"And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replacing the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand and allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

Allow this parable on the pencil to encourage you to know that you are a special person and only you can fulfill the purpose to which you were born to accomplish.

Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot make a change.

Yes, Malini,

This is the story from "Like A Flowing River" by Paulo Coelho. Really awesome one.

Regards,
Shiv