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The wise teacher and the jar
Worth reading
There was once a very wise teacher, whose words of wisdom students would
come from far and wide to hear. One day as usual, many students began to
gather in the teaching room. They came in and sat down very quietly,
looking to the front with keen anticipation, ready to hear what the teacher
had to say.
Eventually the teacher came in and sat down in front of the students. The
room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. On one side of the teacher was
a large glass jar. On the other side was a pile of dark grey rocks. Without
saying a word, the teacher began to pick up the rocks one by one and place
them very carefully in the glass jar (Plonk. Plonk.) When all the rocks
were in the jar, the teacher turned to the students and asked, 'Is the jar
full?' 'Yes,' said the students. 'Yes, teacher, the jar is full'.
Without saying a word, the teacher began to drop small round pink pebbles
carefully into the large glass jar so that they fell down between the
rocks. (Clickety click. Clickety click.) When all the pebbles were in the
jar, the teacher turned to the students and asked, 'Is the jar now full?'
The students looked at one another and then some of them started nodding
and saying, 'Yes. Yes, teacher, the jar is now full. Yes'.
Without saying a word, the teacher took some fine silver sand and let it
trickle with a gentle sighing sound into the large glass jar (whoosh) where
it settled around the pink pebbles and the dark grey rocks. When all the
sand was in the jar, the teacher turned to the students and asked, 'Is the
jar now full?'
The students were not so confident this time, but the sand had clearly
filled all the space in the jar so a few still nodded and said, 'Yes,
teacher, the jar is now full. Now it's full'.
Without saving a word, the teacher took a jug of water and poured it
carefully, without splashing a drop, into the large glass jar. (Gloog. Gloog.)
When the water reached the brim, the teacher turned to the students and
asked, 'Is the jar now full?' Most of the students were silent, but two or
three ventured to answer, 'Yes, teacher, the jar is now full. Now it is'.
Without saying a word, the teacher took a handful of salt and sprinkled it
slowly over the top of the water with a very quiet whishing sound. (Whish.)
When all the salt had dissolved into the water, the teacher turned to the
students and asked once more, 'Is the jar now full?' The students were
totally silent. Eventually one brave student said, 'Yes, teacher. The jar
is now full'. 'Yes,' said the teacher 'The jar is now full'.
The teacher then said: 'A story always has many meanings and you will each
have understood many things from this demonstration. Discuss quietly
amongst yourselves what meanings the story has for you. How many different
messages can you find in it and take from it?'
The students looked at the wise teacher and at the beautiful glass jar
filled with grey rocks, pink pebbles, silver sand, water and salt. Then
they quietly discussed with one another the meanings the story had for
them. After a few minutes, the wise teacher raised one hand and the room
fell silent. The teacher said: 'Remember that there is never just one
interpretation of anything. You have all taken away many meanings and
messages from the story, and each meaning is as important and as valid as
any other'.
And without saying another word, the teacher got up and left the room.
And another version of the same story ...
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front
of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and
empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the
students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor
then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured them into the jar. He
shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the
golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They
agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of
course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar
was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes." The professor then
produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire
contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the
sand. The students laughed.
"Now", said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to
recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the
important things - your family, your children, your health, your friends,
your favorite passions - things that, if everything else was lost and only
they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other
things that matter like your job, your house, your car.
The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the
jar first" he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf
balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the
small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to
you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner
out to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the
rubbish. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand".
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.
The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that,
no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of
beers".
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