Adversity: Our Great Teacher
Photo by alicepopkorn
Sometime back I read a story that went something like this:
“One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally he decided the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and begin to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement he quietened down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every shovel of dirt that fell on his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake the dirt off his back and take a step up. As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off his back and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off!”
In business or in life, there is nothing more dangerous than the false promise of security. Our intelligence is in being open to all possibilities. It is being welcoming to people, situations, and everything in life, including the dirt that gets shoveled on us. Whatever happens to us isn’t nearly as important as how we respond to it.
In the Sanskrit language, if you literally translate the word for destruction, ‘samhara’, it does not mean destruction, it means rejuvenation. Even destruction can be looked from a different dimension of rejuvenating or creating a new space for better things to happen.
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I agree with this post totally. I lost my job 7 months back and has since then launched my small business that I had postponed for years. Losing the security of the job somehow opened me up to the possibilities of life.
All the very best with your new venture!
you r one lucky person. think of millions without a job …yet having rough time. after a while…nothing is more importnat thank paying mortgage and a couple meals a day….words do not go very far…….
This article is about me, I am the donkey. Haaha! I lost my job two months back. It is the best thing that had happened.
With the blessings of an enlightened master, I had set up a new company
consulting on various IT fields including mobile applications development.
Thanks for taking time to regularly post such ‘enlightening’ articles. I have forwarded it all of my friends. They all love reading it. Keep it up, please! In gratitude. Satheesh Kumar, Houston, Texas.
Thanks for sharing Satheesh. All the very best!
A powerful and timely reminder for the times.
loved the story. so apt for the topic.
a welcome reminder. thanks for posting subjects that are simple, to the point, and fun reading.
such a wonderful story. thanks for sharing.
Great story and great sharing
thanks for sharing these beautiful articles that bring much joy and inspiration.
loved this post and especially the story. it nailed the point raised.
This article really got me thinking.
can u share your insights on the economy and what goes through the mind of a CEO as he deals with the haze of economic uncertainty?
Good One! THanks for Sharing
Excellent story! What really clicked for me was that it is our response to any situation that we are in that decides the outcome. If the donkey had a defeatist attitude and had thought it was just going to be buried, it would not have had the presence of mind to climb out of the well using the soil being poured on it as a stepping stone. If we respond positively every situation is a learning experience.
you got it!
i agree with you totally. i lost my job recently and i think i was going through the initial phase of the donkey suffering. now i will choose my response and start again. the blog posts here are indeed inspiring. thanks mr. raj!
wish you the very best in your endeavors
what really clicked for me was your observation on choosing our response to any situation good or bad. i very much agree with this.
a great example, to make everyone understand…….Thank you so much.
I am in a similar boat. New venture, not assured incomes, lot of rejections. Your blog post was a welcome reminder to keep working and also keep adapting to situation without losing the big picture.
such a great story to exactly communicate the point. great example indeed.
This article struck a chord deep within. I am so energized by reading it. Thank You!
A definite call to action. Thanks.
I think this article is so apt for the times – we are all in a donkey kind of situation and it is good to know how to handle the dirt that is getting thrown on us. I am a small business entrepreneur struggling to keep the business afloat now. Is there a way I can talk to you or email you?
u can email me at raj@1800ceoblog.com
World is what u make of it. Great story and an even greater truth.
I agree with being open to possibilities and refraining from stagnation, for only in free thought can the human mind lead to genius.
great story and love the connections you expose with life.