Don't Always Complain

There is this story about an old man that complained that he couldn't buy new shoes for himself, although the shoes he currently wore had been worn-out for quite some time. One afternoon, he saw someone who didn't have any legs, but that person was still cheerful. From that moment on, the old man stopped complaining and started to appreciate his better condition.

The second thing that always makes us not to be appreciative is the tendency to compare ourselves with others. We feel that others have better and luckier condition. Wherever we go, there is always someone who is more clever, more beautiful, more handsome, more self-confidence, and richer than us.

The grass in neighbourhood is always greener.

There is this interesting story about two patients in a mental-hospital. The first patient stared at nowhere while humming , "Agus, Agus". A visitor wondered what kind of problem this patient faced. The doctor answered, "This person becomed insane after her love was rejected by Agus." The visitor nodded his head. However, passing through another cell, he saw another patient kept banging her head to the wall while shouting, "Agus, Agus". "Then, did this person also have problem with Agus?" asked the visitor. The doctor replied, "Yes, she is the one who get married to Agus."

Our life will become happier if we can enjoy what we have. Therefore, appreciating our current situation is the highest quality of our mind.

The last story is about a mother who was floating on the sea because the ship was drowned, yet she still looked cheerful. When she was asked what was the reason, she replied, "I have two sons. The elder son has passed away, while the younger one live in that island while pointing to the island. If I can survive, I will be happy because I can see my younger son. However, If I can't survive, I will still be happy because I will meet my elder son in heaven."

read this article in Indonesian.