a shark or a gold fish

I was introduced to The Shark and the Goldfish by my boss. He tacked a post-it to its cover that said “I think this will change your perspective on things” and left it on my desk. My first impression wasn’t positive. The story is illustrated, so it reminded me of a children’s book. The opening […]

eye for an eye

  Fran the Frog was the best chef in the whole swamp, and all the toads and frogs of the region enjoyed coming to her very select restaurant. Her ‘Flies in spicy bug sauce’ and her ‘Caramelised dragon flies wings with honey of bee’ were the kind of delicacies that every self-respecting frog should try; […]

Pavlov’s Dog

Who was Pavlov’s Dog? Well, it is an experiment in behavioral psychology. The idea is that if we associate one thing with another (in this case, associate a bell with food), that eventually the same things will happen when the associated thing happens as when the original impetus happens. The dogs would start salivating when they […]

the web and the cocoon

One day, a spider and a silkworm crossed paths and struck up a conversation. The spider said to the silkworm, “I admit your silk is better than the silk from the spider. It is yellow and white, dazzling and bright. You use the silk that you spin yourself to make a beautiful comfortable cocoon, which […]

an owl, a seagull and a turkey

  An owl and a Seagull went into business together. The owl did not have any money so he borrowed some. The seagull owned a precious jewel and he put that into the venture as well. The two of them went to board a ship, having decided to start their business in a far off […]

satisfied

Once upon a time there lived a cloth merchant in a village with his wife and two children. They were indeed quite well-off. They had a beautiful hen which laid an egg everyday. It was not an ordinary egg, rather, a golden egg. But the man was not satisfied with what he used to get […]

why turtles have no ears

Why Turtles have no ears  by Art~ 2012 Once upon a time, a long time ago, a turtle was making its way through the sea, swimming. It heard the sorrowful moans of the whales bellowing in the distance. The turtle said, “I can’t stand to hear the whales cry.” So, the turtle headed for the […]

suicide squirrels

Any one who has driven has felt the heart wrenching feeling when the car strikes an animal on the road. Lately there has been a number (higher than normal) of dead squirrels on the road where I live. My wife and I were talking about how we both have missed a few ourselves. Calling them […]

one minute, a priceless gem

A lord asked Takuan, a Zen teacher, to suggest how he might pass the time. He felt his days very long attending his office and sitting stiffly to receive the homage of others. Takuan wrote eight Chinese characters and gave them to the man: Not twice this day Inch time foot gem. This day will […]

a rose within~

  A certain man planted a rose and watered it faithfully and before it blossomed, he examined it. He saw the bud that would soon blossom, but noticed thorns upon the stem and he thought, “How can any beautiful flower come from a plant burdened with so many sharp thorns?” Saddened by this thought, he […]