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Thursday, October 20

Burn Not Your House to Fright the Mouse Away



The mouse is a pest which infects houses and fields. It nibbles away morsels from homes and fields. In order to get rid of it, method like rat-poisoning and setting mouse traps are used. Cats are also reared to get rid of mice. But if they are in great numbers, it is usually difficult to get rid of them completely and quickly. It can only be done through patience. Instead if we try to burn down the house or field, just to get rid of the mice, we ourselves will be the losers. While it kills the mice, we ourselves will be the losers. While it kills the mice, the fire will also destroy the valuable house and field. So ultimately, even if we get rid of the mice, there will be no house or field to care for. In our day to day life also, it is unwise to bear great losses in order to avoid a small danger or difficult situation. If one of the boughs of a tree happens to rot, we should not try to chop the whole tree of instead of just cutting off the rotten bough. In other words, it is foolish to go through great risks just for the sake of avoiding a minor one. We should try to find an alternative way which, without bringing further dangers or risks will solve the problem completely and effectively.

Sunday, October 16

The Bull Must Be Taken By the Horns


In Spain, bull fights are common. It is an interesting sport in which a man meets a charging bull in an arena. He tries to avoid the danger of being gored by the bull. Usually he grasps the bull by its horns and then by using great strength brings the bull to a dispirited stop. This can only be done by grappling the charging bull by the horns. Trying to avoid the horns and slipping off, brings great danger to the fighter. Such an example can be taken in real life also. Life brings forth many dangers like the charging bull. If we get frightened and try to avoid them we will not be able to overcome the danger. The best way is to find the root cause of the danger and face it boldly. It might be difficult but not impossible. History is full of such men, heroes who have courageously faced life at its worst. They had succeeded in overcoming it. Luck usually smiles on the bold. It is always better to take risk than merely running away from it and getting defeated. Only a coward turns his back on dangers. Calmly and boldly facing those dangers is the best way to fight them. And that usually brings success.

Sunday, October 9

Brevity Is the Soul of Wit


A witty remark need not be an elaborate one. It can be brief and at the same time striking. The most humorous flashes of wit are often the shortest. Just like wit, the ability to express ideas in the briefest manner requires much intelligence. A person can go on speaking or writing without anything meaningful in it. There is no point at all in doing so. What he should do is to condense it to a short but meaningful sentence. Such a sentence can be highly striking. It enters the hearts of people. It creates the intended effect by remaining in their memory. Such a sentence is lasting and have a great effect upon the listeners. Thus, a talented person selects the right words so that the idea is clearly understood by all. It is like a pond that is crystal-clear. We can see what is at the bottom. A long speech or statement will quickly bore the listener or the reader. His mind shuts itself out. This makes the speech or statement useless for its purpose. Therefore, if we want to express our ideas clearly, we must learn to put them in the briefest and apt way.

Monday, October 3

Books and Friends Should Be Few But Good


Friends are said to influence the character of a person. Similarly books too can affect the personality of an individual to a great extent. One is free to choose whatever books and friends he wants. There are good people and bad people. So, one must take care to associate with good people if his character is to be refined. Likewise, good books can instill goodness into a person while bad ones can rout his character. In a way, books act as friends and friends are often as useful as books. If a person tries to read a lot of books without selecting them he will not be able to grasp anything worthwhile from them as he is liable to get confused. In the case of friends also, if he tries to entertain a large number of friends, he will not be able to form true and firm friendship with any of them. There need not be a large number of friends for a person to get the fruits of friendship. Too many books also might not help him to learn anything from them. What matters is the quality. So, good care must be taken to select books that have quality. Likewise, good friends should be selected on the basis of character. Even though they are few in number, they should be of good quality and character.

Sunday, October 2

Blood Is Thicker Than Water


Blood relationship is always found to be stronger and valuable than mere friendship formed through acquaintances. Blood ties are lasting. They have a firmer bond of affection than all other relationships. Friends may be sincere and willing to help. But they have got their limits. They often stop when they find themselves to be in troubled waters. But blood relatives such as father, mother, brother or sister will stand by our side risking even their necks. They in fact are our true allies. There might be exceptions to this rule. But true and sincere friends are often hard to get. Even if they are true and sincere, we cannot expect the greatest sacrifice from them. They give more importance to their own kith and kin. So even if true and sincere friendship is to be regarded with due credit, we should value the blood ties more. The most unselfish service is often got from our kith and kin than from friendship formed through acquaintance. They last longer and are often found to be stronger than the later.

The words blood and water are used figuratively in this proverb. Blood means kinship, whereas water means acquaintanceship or friendship. Blood is thicker and more endurable than water. The mark made by blood cannot be easily erased. But some water poured on a surface does not leave any mark. The connection we have with those who are our relatives can be compared to blood. It is strong and lasting. But we do not have strong and lasting connection as this with those who are our friends or acquaintances. Hence it can be compared to water. Though it may be possible to cite certain exceptions, It cannot be denied that kinship is a strong tie.

Saturday, October 1

Birds of a Feather Flock Together



We often see large groups of birds flocking, or feeding and moving together. Those of the same kind only flock together. A swallow would not be seen to join a goose and vice versa. Some special kinds of birds which cross the seas in search of warm regions go in flocks. This is because a bird can be comfortable only in a flock of its kind. Only birds of a feather, or the same kind gather, feed and travel together. This is the case in human beings also. Those with similar tastes and interests form groups and associate with one another. They might not be feeling comfortable in a different sort of company. In order to form a lasting friendship, people must have tastes and outlooks which they share in common. A person’s character can be assessed by the company which he keeps. If he moves in a circle of drunkards, he will most probably be a drunkard also. Similarly, if he keeps a company of hooligans, the person will certainly turn out to be a rogue. If he moves among a circle of refined men, his civility is also likely to be enhanced. Likewise, bad company can spoil his character to the utmost if he moves among them. A foppish young man has for his companions only fops. The proverb is usually used to refer to people we disapprove of. A similar proverb is, “Men Are Known by the Company They Keep”.