Put It Down: The Story of the Glass

This story is actually not mine. I got this from an email forwarded by a friend and I felt that it is only appropriate to share it with others.

The story is about a Professor who, on the first day of his class, took an empty glass and filled it with water. In front of his class, he asked his students, "What is this?" Bewildered with the question, the students answered, "a glass filled with water, Sir." "How much do you think does this glass with water weigh?" asked the Professor. Some students shouted, "50 grams!" Others answered, "150 grams?" There seemed to be no consensus. Then the professor held the glass and lifted his hand holding the glass in front of him and asked, "What do you think will happen if I keep on holding this glass for a few minutes?"

One student answered, "Well, probably nothing. Your fingers might hurt though." The rest of the class chuckled. Then the professor continued, "Okay, now what happens if I keep holding this glass for a few more hours?" "Your hand will be hurting, Sir." One student said. "You might even be hurting your arm." Another said. The rest of the class also answered, "Your hand will get numb."

Then the Professor said, "Now what happens if I keep holding this glass for a day?" "Well, you might end up hurting your shoulder Sir," a student replied. "You might even get paralyzed or something." The class laughed in agreement.

The Professor continued, "Will the weight of the glass filled with water change even if I will hold it for a few minutes or a few hours or the entire day?"

"Definitely not, Sir," they all said. "The weight will still be the same regardless."

"So, if that is the case," the Professor said, "what will make my arm or hand or even shoulder hurt or even get paralyzed if the weight of the glass will still not change?"

One student answered, "Because you are holding the glass for too long and that's what is going to make your hand or arm hurt, Sir."

"So," the Professor said, "how will I make my arm or hand or shoulder not hurt?"

"Put the glass down, Sir," the class almost answered in chorus.

The Professor placed the glass back on the table and said, "That is the same with our problems and stresses in life. It is not the weight of our problems that is getting us all stressed out. It is how long we hold these problems in our heads and hearts that is keeping us into trouble with them."

"The weight of our problems don't change, and perhaps they never will, but how long we think and worry about them changes depending on how ready we are to let go of them. Keep worrying about them for a few minutes, they might give you a minor headache. Keep worrying about them for hours, they might drain your energies for the day. Keep worrying about them longer, and you might end up with a life paralyzed, petrified."

"So, the best way to handle your problems is to put them down. Don't let them bother you any longer. When problems come, don't worry too much or too long. Put the glass down."

"The field of consciousness is tiny. It accepts only one problem at a time."~Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Have a stress-free weekend.

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