Will you laugh again?
Narendra Goidani
Dearest Darling friends,
A few days back I read something very interesting. It made me carry a big smile on my face for a long long time. A wise man went up the dais to speak. He shared a joke..."A man SMSed his wife --- Darling, I will be reaching home in fifteen minutes. In case I don't, please read this SMS again." The audience roared in laughter.
The wise man waited for the laughter to subside. He repeated the same joke with the same intensity. Obviously, no one laughed. He repeated it again as if he is sharing this joke with this audience for the first time. Obviously, once again, no one laughed. In fact there was a feeling of restlessness in the audience. Some people were shuffling in their seats uncomfortably. Some had begun to look at each other. All were puzzled.
The wise man smiled. He let the uneasiness linger for a few more minutes. The moment he heard enough people whispering....he raised his voice just that little and enquired, "How did you feel when I repeated the same joke twice? Did you feel like laughing? No! Questions would have flooded your minds. Has the speaker forgotten he has already shared the joke? A few of you would have gotten irritated too, isn't it?"
The audience did not respond audibly but the wise man had everyone's attention absolutely. Every word that the wise person was saying was so true. In the audience a few faces could be seen that were embarrassed while a few were thoughtful.
The tone of the wise man changed. With a little more forcefulness he asked the audience, "When we do not want to listen to the same joke again and laugh, why do we repeat the same old painful memories and cry again and again? If we do not laugh at the same thing again, should we cry at the same thing again?"
There were a lot of nods in the audience as they heard the wise man. The atmosphere was suddenly charged. A few in the audience who were feeling irritated at the repetition of the joke, were now marveling at the brilliant oration skills / presentation by the wise man.
As I read this episode, my life too changed. In that spot, at that very moment I could feel myself transformed. I promised myself never ever in life will I ever cry about anything the second time. I decided, once and for all, to drop all painful memories . Harboring the pain of the past was stopping me from exploring my own potentials. I was so busy in crying about a few things, unknowingly I had developed a need for sympathy. How foolish of me !
To my surprise, I felt light and cheerful with my decision. To my delight, I was actually feeling happy, having dropped the need to cry seeking sympathy! All in all, it felt wonderful.
I went home and shared the SMS joke with my beautiful wife. She was not amused at all. Her face said, 'How silly of me to be excited with such a joke.' Ahhhh. She had no idea how this SMS had transformed me. Since she was busy with some other work, I decided to share my entire experience with her in the evening. I knew this SMS joke had the power to transform her life too.
I believe, this SMS episode has the power to transform your life too. Am I right?
With love, prayers and best wishes,
naren
As I live...I learn
na...@lifeschool.co.in
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