Adversity
A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked. "Darling, what do you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.
She humbly asked. "What does it mean, Father ? " He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? "
Why am I telling you this story at this function today?
In the past 2 years, our economy has not done well. Some companies have closed down; some have relocated their operations in lower cost countries; others have restructured. Many workers lost their jobs. This cast a cloud of despondency among many others.
At the same time, some high profile losses of business to competitors amplified this mood.
So we should ask ourselves: Are we carrots, eggs or coffee beans? It is up to each one of us.
Certainly, for those who are unemployed, and in financial difficulties, the problems may seem too difficult to overcome.
But we should remember that it is the spirit that matters most. We have seen how the tennis great Bjorn Borg, turn the tables around by saving match point in the third set, to win the set, and the next two sets to win a match. In other words, even if one is on the brink of defeat, if one has the fighting spirit, and self-belief, then one can rise, and succeed.
Today we are far from staring in the face of defeat. Therefore, we can overcome. We only need to look at water, to renew our self-belief. We applied our minds to it, and now have found a cost-effective way of producing clean water faster than nature can! In the process, we have developed the technology that will be in demand world-wide as many countries face a shortage of potable water.
Now the economy is turning around. It may not be the sharp rebound we wish for, but it can be a steady recovery.
What all workers need to remember is that refreshing our skills continuously is the way forward. Then we will be able to earn a living.
