You know, sometimes the best lessons in life can be explained with a very simple analogy. The other day I ran across something on Facebook that was posted by a childhood friend I have not seen or had contact with in more than 60 years. Her name is Melba Woodard, and she lives in Star City, Arkansas.
Her analogy, which was shared with her by a friend, was about a man who was holding a cup of coffee. Someone came along and bumped his arm, and coffee went everywhere. He was upset and lamented as to how the mess came about because he had coffee in his cup. A friend who observed this said, “That is not true.” If the cup contained tea, it would have been that the mess came about because he had tea in his cup. The bottom line is that a mess occurs when someone bumps our arm, so long as it’s a liquid, regardless of what’s in the cup.
The analogy here is simple, yet very profound. Much of our success and happiness as a person comes about as a result of what is in our cup. If our cup is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control, we will be a much happier and more successful person than if our cup is filled with bitterness, hate, envy, jealousy and self-seeking ambition. You can always tell what kind of person you are around if you are doing carpenter work and this person hits his or her hand with a hammer. Then it comes out — they either curse a blue streak or say, “boy, that hurt.”
Most people who read this column will say that is a good analogy and let it go at that. But this is a case of where there is much more to it than meets the eye. Much of the story of our life and our success and happiness is determined by the quality of people with whom we spend our time and choose to be around. There is a saying that most people have heard that really gets to the heart of the matter. The saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” This is a topic that I could write a book about, but obviously space will not permit that here. If you have children or grandchildren, it’s one that merits some special consideration.
You may know that I am involved with a project to get character education taught in schools all across America. To be sure, many parents are doing a great job teaching their children how they should act, talk and behave, while many are not teaching these important life skills. We must change that for the sake of future generations, as our children deserve the very best futures we can give them.
Hopefully, what I am saying is not falling on deaf ears, but rather on someone who is a responsible citizen who not only understands what I am saying but one who will re-double efforts and take inventory as to the kind of person your children or siblings will turn out to be. Back in my early days I was privileged to be the commencement speaker for many high schools across our state. This is a special occasion, as parents, grandparents and the community at large celebrate another graduating class that will soon go out into the world to make their mark on our society.
Sadly, along the way, a good number of students who started Kindergarten were not around to march to “Pomp & Circumstances,” and will pay a high price for the rest of their lives. There is no substitute for a good education. What’s in your cup? Love you, Jim.
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(For a personally signed copy of my new book ‘Your Future Begins Today’ send $20 — includes postage & handling — to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)