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Friday, September 30

A Bird in Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush


A bird which one has got in the hand is always more valuable than two or three birds which one aims to get but are in the bush. The reason is that the birds in the bush are away from the person and the possibility of getting them is doubtful. The birds in the bush can always fly away and leave the person with nothing, while the one in his hand cannot escape. The one in the hand can be useful to him. So if the person lets the bird in his hand go free and tries to catch those in the bush, they may also fly away leaving him a complete loser. It is therefore wise on the part of the person to be satisfied with the bird he has got and not to go off looking for those that flew away. It is always wise to utilize whatever opportunity is at hand than to look forward to some other opportunity that may come in future with more advantages. It is best to be satisfied with whatever chance is there and make the most out of it than wait for a better one which may never come. This proverb means that it is better to be in possession of even so small thing than to have hopes or expectations based on something that is bigger or of greater value but is far away and difficult to get. This applies to people also. Those who are near to us and willing to help are more valuable friends than those who are away. Those who are away might not be willing to help at all. So it is foolish to reject whatever help is at hand. Our neighbors who are poor sometimes prove to be more helpful to us than our rich relatives who are far away. The wise man always relies on the present instead of laying his hopes in future.

Thursday, September 29

Better the Devil You Know Than the Devil You Don’t


 The devil is wicked spirit that harms people. It is always dangerous to face him. But once we get familiar with the devil, we can avoid his evil work to a certain extent as we know what to expect from it. In other words, as we get familiar with the devil’s behavior, we can take necessary precautions and reduce the dangers to a good extent. But if we are meeting the devil for the first time, we may not know what sort of dangers and harm will come our way. This is true in the case of difficulties also. If we have experienced the difficulty before, we can always do something to reduce its intensity. In the case of an unknown or unfamiliar danger or problems, we will be more or less helpless. There are people who are difficult and dangerous. But once we know their ways and what to expect from them, we can always take steps to avoid and adjust ourselves to them. So it is advisable to rely on someone whom we have known before despite his faults, than to depend on unfamiliar person who may have less faults but those that we do not know.

Better To Get an Egg Today Than a Hen Tomorrow


Life is always unpredictable. So are its opportunities. An opportunity that we get today may not be available to us tomorrow. If we reject the chance at hand hoping to get bigger chances tomorrow, we are liable to get dejected. So its always wise to accept and utilize whatever is at hand than being over ambitious hoping to get bigger things tomorrow. Today is what counts. Tomorrow may never come. If one is offered an egg with promises to give a hen later, he should accept the egg instead of rejecting it in hope of getting a hen later which on the face is more valuable. If he rejects the egg and waits for the hen, the promised hen may not be available tomorrow. Thus he will lose both the egg and hen. This is very true in life also. We should be prepared to accept whatever good that comes in our way. It is unwise to reject those good things in the hope of getting better ones tomorrow.

Tuesday, September 20

The Best Fish Swim near The Bottom



It is always easy to catch the fish that swims near the surface of the water. But the best kind of fish always sticks to the bottom and hence it is difficult to catch. The pain taken to catch such fish is always worthwhile. Likewise, the rarest gems are usually found at the very bottom of oceans. Those collected corals or groves near the surface of the sea tend to be less valuable. People usually are too lazy or reluctant to take enough pains and thereby achieve good results in life. They are always on the lookout for shortcuts which require less labour and effort. But the best results in life can only be got by true and hard labour. Even if they do not yield good results overnight, they certainly will pay up in the long run. History is full of such examples which emphasize the fact that real success can only be derived by putting in hard and sincere effort. A man must be prepared to work hard if he is to get the real fruits of life. That which is got by shortcuts or little pains tends to be less valuable; less worthwhile compared to the results of hard work. Therefore if we are to exploit life and its success to the maximum, we should be willing to work.

Monday, September 19

Beggars Cannot Be Choosers



Beggars earn their livelihood by begging. By begging, they have to accept whatever is given to them. They cannot hope to choose from the alms given to them. Alms differ from meager things to those that count. But whatever is given, the beggar accepts them without complaining. Likewise if we are living on the kindness of others or hold a job that was secured with much difficulty, we have to bear with patience all difficulties that come with it. Otherwise we may find ourselves with no job. But if we are having enough money to live on, we can consider the worth of the job. If the salary is less, we can demand more. The moral of the proverb is, we should understand our own position before taking daring or risky steps. Hasty and haughty actions will bring calamities and sorrow. Even if we are not in helpless position, it is always good to think twice before we act.