A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite ? Telling them to help themselves with the hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.

Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

Moral - Don't let the cups drive you... Enjoy the coffee instead

Reply to  [Kandisa]: A good moral story. . If all use the tools only for enhancement of life to improve, that is good. But what you think that if choose a good tool, that will not be better?

All want to drink the coffee, and if they choose the good cup, means they want to choose the good tools. What is bad in this? They get their target, means to drink the coffee and they left the small or cheap opportunity behind. What is your thought?

KILOIA

Replying to [Kandisa]: A good story to follow in life.

Replying to [KILOIA]: On your query on "what is bad in choosing the best tool," I would like to say if you permit. I agree with you that there is absolutely nothing wrong in choosing the best tools to lead our lives. But as I could visualize the subtle message of this story is that if we should not always run "madly" after achieving the best tools like best jobs, money and position (as is mentioned in the story) to lead a life. Life comes first, tools of life come second. Running madly after these tools sometimes leads to the frustations and depressions if someone fails to achieve it and that sometime becomes sucidal too.

There should always be a proper balance in our approach towards life. We should be able to distinguish beetween "leading a good life" and "running after the tools of life". The idea is that the tools of life should not be made more important than the life iteself. In this very forum, sometime back, we all have discussed somthing like comfortable beds can be purchased but not "the sleep" etc. etc. I think this story is pointing towards that direction only.

I see this way without knowing how far I am right.

Reply to  [vshanker]: Nice explaination Vijay. I am not against that we can not choose the other also, but as per story if we are getting the chance to get the good tools (cup), then why we not? I am talking about the chance.

There is the other cups also (tools). But those who are first may be get good and those who are late, could not get the best. They may be satishfied with the other one.

Just my thought.

KILOIA

Replying to [KILOIA]:
Well I am not denying the fact that the tools are also important but in this story people were running to pick the best tools (cups) rather then enjoying the coffee. The taste of coffee will remain same, whether you drink it in a normal cup or in a golden cup. So we have to decide what is more important for us, a coffee or a cup.

Reply to  [Kandisa]: Dear in your story the coffee and cup are the symbol of success and the way to get success. So to get success any type of cup can be choose. In your story, how run first get good cup and who stay back could not get the good cup, slthough coffee is the same, but not the satisfaction. There is something in the heart, that if you get the good cup may be taste will be something different from the old or other cup.

KILOIA