To a new start...

Long ago, at a small oasis on the edge of the Silk Road, there lived a young cloth seller named Karim. His family was very poor. They lived in a small tent with only a few rolls of rough cloth woven by his father’s hands. Beside the long caravans loaded with spices, silk, and gold that crossed the desert day after day, Karim’s little stall looked like a tiny speck in the sea of sand – something most merchants passed by without even noticing. One day, a large caravan from the West arrived at the oasis. The camels’ backs were bent under chests of precious goods: glittering glass, shining silver, and the rich scent of expensive spices Karim had never even dreamed of. Heart pounding, Karim picked up the finest roll of cloth his father had ever woven and walked toward the caravan leader. “Sir,” he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking, “this is the best fabric my family has. If you buy it, we can live through the whole winter.” The leader took the cloth, glanced at it once, and curled...

He wrote that life is meaningless—then won the Nobel Prize and died three years later with an unused train ticket in his pocket. January 4, 1960. Albert Camus was riding in his publisher's fancy Facel Vega sports car, heading back to Paris after the holidays. In his briefcase was an unused train ticket—he had planned to take the train but accepted a ride at the last moment. The car hit a tree at high speed. Camus died instantly. He was 46 years old. The unused ticket became a symbol of the absurdity he'd spent his life writing about: the universe's complete indifference to our plans, our intentions, our very existence. But before that moment, Camus had lived a life that proved his philosophy: when faced with a meaningless universe, we must create meaning through how we choose to live. He was born in 1913 in Algeria, so poor that his family couldn't afford to bury his father properly. Lucien Camus had died at the Battle of the Marne in 1914, when Albert was barely a year...

“Teacher, I’ve read so many books… but I’ve forgotten most of them. So what’s the point of reading?” That was the question of a curious student to his Master. The teacher didn’t answer. He just looked at him in silence. A few days later, they were sitting by a river, suddenly, the old man said: “I’m thirsty. Bring me some water… but use that old strainer lying there on the ground.” The student looked confused. It was a ridiculous request. How could anyone bring water in a strainer full of holes? But he didn’t dare argue. He picked up the strainer and tried. Once. Twice. Over and over again… He ran faster, angled it differently, even tried covering holes with his fingers. Nothing worked. He couldn’t hold a single drop. Exhausted and frustrated, he dropped the strainer at the teacher’s feet and said: “I’m sorry. I failed. It was impossible.” The teacher looked at him kindly and said: “You didn’t fail. Look at the strainer.” The student glanced down… and noticed something. The old, dark, ...

1. The Empty Chair A man always kept an empty chair at his dinner table. When asked why, he said, "It reminds me to stay humble, there's always someone missing who taught me something." Message: Gratitude keeps you grounded, even when people are gone. 2. The Broken Clock A clock in a poor man's house stopped working, yet he refused to fix it.  "Twice a day, it still shows the truth." he smiled. Message: Even broken things have value if you choose to see it. 3. The Old Tree A child once asked a dying tree, "Are you sad you're falling?"  The tree whispered, "I gave shade, I gave fruit, I gave life- I am complete." Message: Life feels full only when you give, not when you keep. 4. The Sand and Stone Two friends fought. One wrote on sand: "He hurt me." Later, the same friend saved his life and he carved into stone: "He saved me." Message: Write hurts in sand, carve kindness in  stone.

The Secret of Life A father used to tell his kids when they were little: “When each of you turns twelve, I’ll share the secret of life.” One day, when the oldest finally turned twelve, he nervously asked his dad, “So what’s the secret?” His father leaned in and said, “I’ll tell you, but you can’t share it with your brothers yet. Ready?  Here it is: Cows don’t give milk.” “What do you mean?” the boy asked, confused. “You heard me. A cow doesn’t just give you milk—you have to earn it. You have to get up at 4 a.m., walk through the barnyard, step in manure, tie the cow’s tail, secure her legs, sit on the stool, put the bucket underneath… and do the work yourself. That’s the secret: cows don’t give milk. You either milk her—or you go without.” The father paused and continued: “See, there’s a whole generation that thinks cows give milk. That things just come to them automatically, for free. Their mindset is, I want, I ask, I get. They’re used to getting whatever they want the easy way. ...

One day, a girl came home really upset. She sat down and said to her dad, “I’m tired of everything. Life feels too hard right now. It’s like, as soon as I solve one problem, another one shows up. I don’t know how much more I can take.” ⠀ Her dad, who worked as a cook, didn’t say anything. Instead, he walked into the kitchen and filled three pots with water. Then he put all three on the stove. ⠀ The girl sat there watching, confused. ⠀ Once the water started boiling, he placed some potatoes in the first pot, eggs in the second, and coffee beans in the third. Then he just let them boil. Still no explanation. ⠀ After a while, he turned off the stove. He scooped out the potatoes into a bowl, placed the boiled eggs in another, and poured the freshly brewed coffee into a cup. ⠀ Then he looked at his daughter and said, “What do you see?” ⠀ She rolled her eyes a little. “Potatoes, eggs, and coffee.” ⠀ “Okay,” he said. “Now touch the potato.” ⠀ She did. It was soft. ⠀ “Now crack the egg.” ⠀ She...

One day, a frog decided to climb a tall tree. As soon as he started, all the other frogs at the bottom began shouting: “Stop!” “It’s too high!” “You’ll never make it!” But the little frog kept going. Higher and higher, step by step, until he reached the top. Everyone was stunned. How did he do it? Turns out... He was deaf. He couldn’t hear a word they were saying. He thought they were cheering for him. Moral: Be deaf to negativity when you’re chasing something important. People will doubt you, discourage you, or project their fears on you. Don’t let that stop you. Keep climbing. Your belief in yourself matters more than their noise.

A young girl asked an elderly woman:  "Do I really need friends in life?" The elderly woman responded: "Yes. Life is truly very rough. There should be someone by your side with whom you talk for hours without feeling that they would judge you; on whose shoulders you can cry, one who will give you emotional support. When no one will be there for you, they should be there. One who should help you share the good times and overcome the difficult ones." The young girl asked: "Is it true that a fake friend is more dangerous than an enemy?" The elderly woman responded: "Yes. It's because you know who your enemy is and you're not going to let them get close to you. But a false friend is pretending while getting your trust. They find out your vulnerabilities, your secrets and your dreams. They know which button to press and how to stab you in the back." The young girl asked:  "How do I avoid being surrounded by fake friends?" The elderly...

One day, a snake slithered into a cozy rabbit burrow. The rabbits pressed themselves fearfully against the walls — never before had such a guest entered their home. But the snake spoke in a soft, gentle voice: "Don't be afraid of me... I'm terribly lonely. I have no friends, and I long for warmth. I carry ancient wisdom I wish to share with you." The rabbits exchanged wary glances but decided to give her a chance. They listened to her stories and legends, enchanted by her quiet, mesmerizing whisper. She spoke like a philosopher... Until she bit one of them — and disappeared. The next evening, she returned. "Please don’t turn me away," she pleaded. "You know I’m a snake. It’s hard for me not to bite. But I'm trying. Friends should accept each other’s flaws, shouldn’t they?" The rabbits hesitated, but once again allowed her in. Once again — gentle conversations, tales, soft words... And once again — a sudden, sharp bite. On the third day, the bur...

If you spend everything you earn on food, drinks, and parties — you are not living free. You are trapped in a cycle, surviving one day at a time. People often say, “You die tomorrow, you take nothing with you.” But ask yourself: Is that a reason to waste the life you have been given? Or a reason to honor it? There is an old story. The ant worked hard all summer, carrying one tiny grain at a time back to her nest. The grasshopper danced and sang, laughed at the ant, and said, “Why are you working so hard? The sun is shining, life is good!” The ant smiled but kept working. Then winter came. The trees were bare. The ground froze. The music stopped. The grasshopper shivered in the cold, hungry, alone. He knocked at the ant’s door. Begged for help. But the ant quietly closed the door. Not out of cruelty — but because preparation has a price, and some lessons come late. This isn’t just a story about an insect. It’s about us. Today, you’re strong. You are earning. But will you always be? Will...

I immersed myself in the sacred Sangam and asked the Triveni waters, "Did you collect my sins?" The river replied, "Yes." I asked, "What will you do with them?" Triveni River chuckled, "Am I crazy to keep them? I'll deposit them in the sea." Curious, I approached the sea and asked, "Did you receive my sins from Triveni?" The sea replied, "Yes." I asked, "What will you do with them?" Sea smiled, "Am I crazy to keep them? I'll deposit them in the clouds." I rose to the clouds and asked, "Did you receive my sins from the sea?" Clouds replied, "Yes." I asked, "What will you do with them?" Clouds whispered, "Are we crazy to keep them? We'll shower them down as rain." I asked, "On whom?" Clouds smiled mischievously, "On YOU, of course." A profound realization struck me: no matter where we go, karma follows. The universe reminds us to be good ...