AMAZING! I exclaimed at what I was reading on a website, “Two-thirds of the world’s 946 billionaires made their fortunes from scratch, relying on grit and determination, and not good genes.” I read on, “Bill Gates was a dropout, who finally got his honorary degree from Harvard University in June, 30 years after quitting the prestigious school to sell software!” “Other billionaires, such as Oprah Winfrey, made their fortunes against far greater odds!
Farther down the same page were comments from youngsters, on the article and I grimaced at what they had to say: “ Out of ur billions plz give me some…….” was what ninety per cent wrote! Not a single comment was there from anyone wanting to emulate these successful men and women. To all who wrote those comments and others who think likewise; a small story:
In France there was a museum laid with beautiful marble tiles and which had a huge marble statue displayed in the middle of the lobby. Many people came from all over the world just to admire this statue. One night, a marble tile resentment writ all over its shining face started talking to the marble statue.
“Statue,” it said, “it’s just not fair. Why does everybody from all over the world come all the way here just to step on me while admiring you?” Replied the Marble Statue, “My dear friend marble tile, do you remember we were actually from the same cave?” “Yes,” said the tile bitterly, “that’s why it’s even more unfair. We were born from the same cave and yet we both receive different treatments now. Not fair!”
“Then,” continued the Marble Statue, “do you still remember the day a designer tried to work on you but you resisted his tools?” “I hated the guy,” said the tile angrily, “how could he use those tools on me?” “Well he couldn’t work on you, when you resisted,” said the statue, “so he started working on me instead. I bore all the painful tools he used on me! There was the sharp chisel and the heavy hammer and how they went at me! Hammering and chipping! Chipping and hammering! Day after day!”
“I saw those tools and I was scared,” said the tile. “My friend,” whispered the marble statue, “there is a price to everything you want to be in life! I paid the price and here I am, you didn’t and there you are stepped on by all who come to see me..!” You decide what you want to be; a marble statue or a tile, but if you’ve decided to be a tile stop envying the billionaires and millionaires, if you can’t bear getting shaped with the hammer and chisel of suffering and pain..!
