The clever employee - puzzle

An Out-Of-Body Experience - case referenced by Gill Edwards

A man was involved in a serious car accident on a Swiss mountain pass. He said that he left his body and found himself floating above the road.

The accident was holding up traffic heading for a major football event, and he could hear people cursing and swearing at the delay. Then he heard a woman praying for the victim of the road accident - praying for him. She was praying so fervently, almost frantically, that he decided he would return to his body, with the intention of being able to thank her one day. He moved towards the voice and somehow memorised, in his out-of-body state, the registration of her car. Three doctors had already pronounced him dead, but miraculously he survived.

Several months later, he was able to tell a doctor he trusted about this out-of-body experience, and begged him to find the woman who had prayed. She was traced - and broke down in tears at this confirmation that her prayers had been heard.

When she was 30 years old, she thought her life was so rich in every way that things could not have been more perfect. She was happily married with 2 lovely sons. Then everything changed very quickly when her doctor told her that she had aggressive breast and cervical cancers and that she only had 2 to 5 more years to live. She had to have a breast removed and also a hysterectomy. As if things weren't bad enough, her husband abandoned her. She had no money to pay her bills. Life was grim and hopeless.

One day, she saw smoke coming out of the kitchen. She could smell something was burning. Her young sons were trying to cook some macaroni cheese. They appeared and one of them had the saucepan with him. He comforted her mum and said, "Don't worry mum. Look, only the bottom is burnt, the rest is still good." Her mum was so stunned by his words. It became the defining moment of her life. She realised that parts of her life were bad but the rest is still good! She decided to pull herself together and took care of things. She went out to look for a job. It was tough as she'd been a housewife for a long time. She faced many a rejection but made it in the end. She had a job selling cars. She worked conscientiously and soon became Employee of the Year. Within 5 years, she became a successful career woman. She now owns a $45 million business! The best news is that the cancer in her has been in remission for 15 years! She says her life has never been better.

"Come in," God said. "So, you would like to interview Me?"

"If you have the time," I said. God smiled and said: "My time is eternity and is enough to do everything. What questions do you have in mind to ask me?"

"What surprises you most about mankind?"

God answered, "That they get bored of being children, are in a rush to grow up, and then long to be children again. That they lose their health to make money and then lose their money to restore their health.

That by thinking anxiously about the future, they forget the present, such that they live neither for the present nor the future. That they live as if they will never die, and they die as if they had never lived..."

God's hands took mine and we were silent for a while and then I asked...

"As a parent, what are some of life's lessons you want your children to learn?"

God replied with a smile: "To learn that they cannot make anyone love them.

What they can do is to let themselves be loved.

To learn that what is most valuable is not what they have in their lives, but who they have in their lives.

To learn that it is not good to compare themselves to others. All will be judged individually on their own merits, not as a group on a comparison basis!

To learn that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

To learn that it only takes a few seconds to open profound wounds in persons we love, and that it takes many years to heal them.

To learn to forgive by practicing forgiveness.

To learn that there are persons that love them dearly, but simply do not know how to express or show their feelings.

To learn that money can buy everything but happiness.

To learn that two people can look at the same thing and see it totally different.

To learn that a true friend is someone who knows everything about them...and likes them anyway.

To learn that it is not always enough that they be forgiven by others, but that they have to forgive themselves."

I sat there for a while enjoying the moment. I thanked Him for his time and for all that He has done for me and my family, and He replied, "Any time. I'm here 24 hours a day. All you have to do is ask for me, and I'll answer."

Many years ago when a person who owed money could be thrown into jail, a merchant in London had the misfortune to owe a huge sum to a money- lender. The money-lender, who was old and ugly, fancied the merchant's beautiful teenage daughter. He proposed a bargain. He said he would cancel the merchant's debt if he could have the girl instead.

Both the merchant and his daughter were horrified at the proposal. So the money-lender proposed that they let Providence decide the matter. He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money-bag and then the girl would have to pick out one of the pebbles. If she chose the black pebble she would become his wife and her father's debt would be cancelled. If she chose the white pebble she would stay with her father and the debt would still be cancelled. But if she refused to pick out a pebble her father would be thrown into jail and she would starve.

Reluctantly the merchant agreed. They were standing on a pebble-strewn path in the merchant's garden as they talked and the money-lender stooped down to pick up the two pebbles. As he picked up the pebbles the girl, sharp-eyed with fright, noticed that he picked up two black pebbles and put them into the moneybag. He then asked the girl to pick out the pebble that was to decide her fate and that of her father.

Imagine that you are standing on that path in the merchant's garden. What would you have done if you had been the unfortunate girl? If you had had to advise her what would you have advised her to do?

What type of thinking would you use to solve the problem? You may believe that careful logical analysis must solve the problem if there is a solution. This type of thinking is straight forward vertical thinking. The other type of thinking is lateral thinking. Vertical thinkers are not usually of much help to a girl in this situation. The way they analyse it, there are three possibilities:

1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble. 2. The girl should show that there are two black pebbles in the bag and expose the money-lender as a cheat. 3. The girl should take a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from prison.

None of the suggestions is very helpful, for if the girl does not take a pebble her father goes to prison, and if she does take a pebble, then she has to marry the money-lender

The story shows the difference between vertical thinking and lateral thinking. Vertical thinkers are concerned with the fact that the girl has to take a pebble. Lateral thinkers become concerned with the pebble that is left behind. Vertical thinkers take the most reasonable view of a situation and then proceed logically and carefully to work it out. Lateral thinkers tend to explore all the different ways of looking at something, rather than accepting the most promising and proceeding from that.

The girl in the pebble story put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it she fumbled and let it fall to the path where it was immediately lost among all the others.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," she said, "but never mind - if you look into the bag you will be able to tell which pebble I took by the colour of the one that is left.'"

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left. He was hungry and decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"

"You don't owe me anything," she replied, "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for kindness."

He said, "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor's gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for his approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all.

Once upon a time, there was a man who was terribly unhappy. Someone suggested that he should see this wise man outside the village for advice. So off he went.

The wise man asked him what his problem was. He made a long list and rambled on about his job being too unpleasant; his house too small; his wife not pretty enough etc. When he finished, the wise man asked him to buy a goat and take it home. He didn't understand why but did it anyway.

A week later, he went to see the wise man again and told him it didn't work. The goat was making his life hell and how it made a mess in the house and in the garden. He had to spend day and night taking care of it. The wise man just sent him away and asked him to come back to see him in a month or so.

A month later, the man returned looking exhausted. He said he couldn't take it anymore, it'd gotten from bad to worse. He said, "The goat is destroying my life." The wise man then told him, "Now go and sell the goat and return to me in a week".

A week later, the man returned neat, fresh and smiling. "How are things?" inquired the wise man.

Vester Manor 1906- Original Author Unknown

A little bird is flying around looking for food on a cold winter day. There is barely anything to eat. After a long while the exhausted creature collapses on the cold damp grass. It is about to freeze to death.

A cow happens to be nearby and does not even notice the bird's predicament. The larger creature goes about doing its everyday business. All of a sudden, the feeble body is covered with the cow's dung. The bird is furious with the cow, but the repugnant substance has practically saved its life by keeping it warm. It's not so bad after all. The bird even starts singing.

A cat walks past and hears the lovely voice. It carefully picks up the soiled bird and cleans it. The bird is delighted. In a moment or two, something is about to happen. To the bird's horror, the anatomy of the cat's mouth is at its face. Gulp !! The poor thing has just become the cat's latest dinner.

However, the soul of the little bird lives on to let us know the moral of the story: Sometimes in life, the person who does things you don't like is not necessarily your enemy; and the person who seems to be nice to you is not necessarily your friend. And also, don't be too boastful when doing well or you might find yourself attracting unfavourable attention.

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A cat is wandering around the streets of a town, wounded and hungry. He sees a young woman, Carol, out walking, and begins to follow her. She takes an instant liking to the seemingly strayed cat and starts talking to him. She then tries to trace his owner by phoning the number on his collar. She gets the answering machine of a man called Rex and leaves a message. The message is never returned.

Carol decides to name the cat Rex. She is pleased to have him as company. She confides in Rex about her loneliness after her boyfriend deserted her for another woman. One night, when Carol is asleep, someone wakes her up but no one seems to be around. She is not sure whether that was a dream. On the following day, Carol goes into the kitchen and sees Rex. She is very puzzled. That night, the same person wakes her up again. She manages to get some explanation out of this man who claims that his name is Rex.

Rex is a cat, but between sunset and sunrise, he turns into a man. Carol soon realises that these are not dreams. After that, Rex and Carol start up a relationship. They get on very well together. Carol has never been happier. One evening, Angela, Carol's best friend, comes to see her unexpectedly. Angela has not seen Carol for a while and was wondering how she was. Carol asks Angela in for coffee. Rex and Angela flirt with each other. Carol notices. She is stunned and disturbed by Rex's disloyalty. It hurts her like an open wound.

When Rex turns back into a cat the next day, Carol bundles him into a box and takes him to the nearest vet's. When she reaches the head of the queue, the receptionist greets her. Carol responds in a cold and flat voice, "I'd like to have my cat neutered."

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This is a true story which can only happen in America.

Years ago, a couple fell in love with each other. Their first years together were good. After that, the marriage deteriorated. The husband didn't work anymore and put on a lot of weight. He let himself go and couldn't care less about his wife. She was very unhappy and was planning to leave him when she was more financially secure.

She bought a lottery ticket and hoping that she might win and all her problems would be solved. It was as if by magic, she won and became a millionairess over night. Knowing what her husband was like, she carefully planned her exit. He accepted the divorce. She then moved elsewhere and started a new life.

The husband continued to live in the old house. A few years later, a letter that was addressed to his ex-wife came through the door. He opened it. It was from a charity organisation asking for donation from a lottery winner - his ex-wife. The man contacted his lawyer and decided that he should have half of her money.

The woman was distressed and didn't feel that she should share it with the greedy man. She refused to pay up. Her ex-husband took her to court and demanded that she should cough up half of her money.

The judge felt that the whole thing was so unfair that the victim of this case should be properly compensated. He therefore ordered the "deceitful" woman to give up all her fortune to this man and not half of it.

When this man was interviewed on television, he said to the world, "There is a God up there. At last, there is some justice."

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There was an old man in Hong Kong who lived a very modest life relying on some kind of Government benefit.

He'd enjoyed visiting a stockbroking firm regularly since 1969. Ten years ago, he met a woman of similar background there. They talked about the stock market and shared the same interests. They got on so well that they decided to live together.

Sadly, the old man passed away in year 2000. His partner started preparing his funeral using her own money. Before he died he'd arranged a will so that she'd receive everything he owned. She didn't think very much of it as he was so poor anyway. But, to her amazement, she later found out that this poor man had a deposit box in the bank that contained shares which were worth over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars!!

Meanwhile, his long lost brother in Mainland China heard about this and decided that he should inherit his brother's fortune instead. He is currently trying to invalidate this old man's will. The court case continues.

People around them are now awaiting the verdict with bated breath ....

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It was Halloween and my bag was almost full with candy. I had brought my dog with me trick'r'treating. Just as we reached the part of town where I can't go, my dog's bone blew away! I ran after my dog. Then I saw a bat. I did not have time to look at it. Finally I saw my dog. Then I looked around. I was lost. Then I looked up and I saw the bat! The bat flew down. Then it said "Make three wishes."

"Why?" I asked?

"Because you found my special rock," said the bat.

"Well, I said, "I want my dog's bone back." There lying on the street was the bone. "I want everyday to be Halloween," I said.

"O.K," said the bat.

"I'm lost. Will you help me get home?"

"Sure," said the bat, "follow me." When I went to bed I was happy because it was Halloween everyday. When I woke up, I went outside and the beach was swarming with bats. Candy wrappers were on the sidewalk. The stores were getting more and more Halloween candy. Then, one night Katelyn and I were playing outside and the ball disappeared. We went inside and Katelyn said, "I wonder what happened?" Then I told her the whole story. I had an idea. I still had one more wish. "I want it to be Halloween only once a year." But nothing happened. So we ran to find a bat, but all we saw was a nest of baby bats. We asked, "Where is your mom?" "Getting food for us," said the smallest bat. All of a sudden, the bats swooped down.

"My wish didn't work."

"Your third wish will not work without saying the magic poem."

"How does it go?" I asked.

"April, June, Spring and Summer there is only one holiday that is not a bummer. It's Halloween."

"Thanks," we said running off. When we got back I said the chant. Then something felt different. It was November 6, 1999. I knew it would be Halloween only once a year.

Rebecca Robbins Second Grade Class - October 1999

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In his book A Deep Breath of Life, author and teacher Alan Cohen refers to an experiment some psychologists did on children's attitudes. They filled a room with new toys and then placed a child who was considered negative and ungrateful in the room. He went from one toy to the next very quickly, playing with each for a few moments, then turned to the researcher and complained that he was bored and needed something else to do.

Now it was time for the experiment with the second child. He had been described as very positive and optimistic about everything. So the scientists placed him in a room with a big pile of manure. As they watched for his reaction, they were amazed to see a big smile appear on his face.

"Why are you so happy?" the researcher asked the boy.

"Because there must be a pony somewhere!" he responded happily.

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