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Posted on : May 12, 2012

The Wisdom in Hot Chocolate

A couple of decades after passing out from college, a group of graduates, all well established in their respective careers, were discussing their lives at the college reunion. They all then decided to go and visit an old professor of theirs, who had retired. He had always been a wonderful inspiration, having taught them not only the subject but also valuable life lessons.

During their visit, the students' conversation slowly steered toward complaints about the stress in their work, personal lives, and relationships. As they kept discussing, the professor went into the kitchen. He returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and a variety of cups. Some were made of porcelain, while others were of glass or crystal. Some were plain looking, others expensive, and one or two were exquisite. The professor invited his guests to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When each had taken a cup of the drink, the professor expressed his thoughts.

“Did you notice that all the nice-looking, expensive cups have been taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones? It is common for people to want only the best for themselves, but that itself becomes the source of worries and stress.”

“The cup you are drinking from does not add anything to the quality of the hot chocolate. In fact, in most cases, it is just very expensive and may even hide the drink.”

“What each of you really wanted was hot chocolate. You did not want the cup. But, you deliberately opted for the best cups. Soon, you began to eye one another's cups. Now, my dear students, please consider this.”

“Life is the hot chocolate. Your job, money, and status in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have neither defines nor changes the quality of life you lead. By focusing only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate that God has given us.”

What a deep lesson from the wise prof! A message for all times to come! Let us always remember this — God brews the hot chocolate; He does not decide the cup.

If we observe carefully in the world around us, we can see that the happiest people do not necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of all they have!

Let us also remind ourselves that the richest person in the world is not one with the most possessions, but one who needs the least.

Bhagawan Baba once affirmed that the root cause of discontentment is envy. He said, “How does envy arise? When one compares himself with those who are better off, or who hold higher offices, and suffers from a consciousness of his own inferiority. Discontent over what one lacks gives birth to envy.”

“To get rid of this evil quality, one has to look at those who are worse off. Likewise, when one views the state of those holding lower jobs, he can feel satisfied with his own position.”

“In due course, one develops a sense of equal-mindedness towards both those who are better off and those who are worse. Such equal-mindedness is a Divine quality. There is nothing wrong in aspiring for higher positions. But, one should not feel envious about those who are in such positions. It is a crime to entertain such feelings.”

Baba also said on another occasion, “Desires arise from the tendency of the mind to compare. It is chiefly the eyes, the vision, which presents to the mind opportunities for comparison.”

We are all actors in the divinely ordained drama, are we not? Is there any drama filled only with star actors? No. Each and every role, no matter how big or small, is unique and important and cannot be skipped. We must therefore strive to remain content with whatever God chooses to give us, for He is the Divine Director of the Drama of Life. We must never compare our life with that of others.

Hence, let us always bear in mind the below lines penned by Bhagawan and learn to take life as it comes and enjoy every moment.

“The play is His, The role is His, The lines are written by Him.

He directs, He designs the dress and decoration,

The gesture and the tone, the entrance and exit.

You have to act well the part and receive His approbation when the curtain falls.”

Courtesy: Adapted from an email forward
Illustrations: Esha Narayanan