Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw a mud, one saw stars - Pasang Sherpa

Life is strange, and so are the humans. We have very different perspectives and ways of doing things. Some people get up and continue their journey even after knowing their chosen path is difficult. But some people seem to be hopeless. Likewise, this quote emphasises the different perspectives of two people for one thing. As it is said, "Two men looked out the prison bars: one saw mud, one saw stars". The first person who saw mud was hopeless and thought whatever he was doing was futile, while the other had an optimistic feeling that one day, like stars, he would attain glory and freedom.

Name-Pasang Sherpa

Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

Image Courtesy- Flickr

Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw mud, one saw stars - Nishan Karki

The image is for representation only.

The man who saw the mud was sad and angry. He never remained happy and was very aggressive. He never practised happiness; in fact, he did not know it. He could not control his emotions and actions. He often fought with the other prisoners. This made the other prisoners hate him. They never wanted to be with him except for the prisoners who resembled him in nature.

What about the man who saw stars?   Well, he was a man with a joyful and happy nature. He laughed a lot and made other prisoners laugh, too. The other prisoners always enjoyed his company. They preferred him rather than the first prisoner. Although he was a prisoner, he was soft-hearted.

Everyone has different perspectives, perceptions, ideas, views, opinions and experiences. They usually differ from each other. People's behaviour and actions define who they are. 

To be like the second prisoner, one must have a healthy (pure and soft) heart. He must know how to control his emotions and actions. He must know how to behave with others and enjoy their company. He must be happy. Remember, "the one who gets angry for a minute loses 60 seconds of happiness."

A positive attitude and mindset can also make a person happy and joyful, like the second man. To get happiness, one must have a burning desire for it, which must be mixed with faith to gain it.

"To change ourselves effectively, we first had to change our perceptions." – Stephen R. Covey. 

Nishan Karki

Class 10, Pestalozzi Children's Village India

Image Courtesy- iStock

The Moon - Saikiran Sahu

Mond-Wo kann ich dich finden?

Oh! Mein lieber Mond, wo kann ich dich finden?

Die langen schlaflosen Nächte, in denen ich nach dir gesucht habe,

Die dichte Decke aus schwarzem Nebel, die mich verfolgte, als ich mit dir sprechen wollte 

Weder kann ich den großen Bären sehen, noch kann ich dich sehen 

Oh! Mein lieber Mond, wo finde ich dich?

Oh, mein lieber Mond, wo kann ich dich finden?

Ich kann die strahlende Schönheit und die bezaubernden Züge, die dich beschreiben, nicht übersehen,

Der Hoffnungsschimmer in der dunklen Nacht, der von dir ausgeht,

Du stehst allein in der Dunkelheit wie ein tapferer Soldat und der

"Ein-Mann-Armee", die dich treffend beschreibt. 

Aber mit Traurigkeit sage ich 

Oh, mein lieber Mond, wo kann ich dich finden?

                          

Moon-Where Can I Find You?

Oh! My dear moon, where can I find you?

The long sleepless nights I spent searching for you,

The thick cover of dark and black mist spooked me when I wanted to talk to you 

Neither can I see the great bear nor can I see you 

Oh! My dear moon, where can I find you?

Oh! My dear moon, where can I find you?

Can never unsee the radiant beauty and the enchanting features that describe you,

The ray of hope in the dark night that is showered by you,

Standing alone in the dark like a brave soldier and the

the phrase"One man army" that rightly describes you 

But with sadness, I say 

Oh! My dear moon, where can I find you?

Saikiran Sahu
IX-C Gyanshree School 

Image source: https://www.instyle.com/lifestyle/astrology/how-to-make-moon-water

Two men looked out the prison bars; one saw mud, one saw stars - Sakshi Singh

This age-old saying beautifully encapsulates the power of perspective. It reminds us that even in seemingly bleak situations, there exists an opportunity to find hope and positivity. It's a poignant reminder that our outlook on life dramatically influences our experiences, and sometimes, shifting our focus can reveal unexpected beauty and potential amidst adversity.

Sakshi Singh  

Grade 9 Gyanshree School

Image Source https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Children-reading-a-book-together-4017898

My Sunday School - Manisha Khanna

Today, on World Mental Health Day, I would like to share my reason for joining "The Sunday School". 

IKIGAI, for me, is Sunday School. "Ikigai" is a Japanese word that signifies "life purpose" or "raison d'être." I don't engage in a lot of activities on Sunday. I work six days a week and take Sundays off, but when I learned about SUNDAY SCHOOL, I saw that this was precisely what I had wanted to do all these years as an avid reader. I resonated with the idea of Sunday School right away. We all have a ton to do on Sunday, but after two weeks, I learned that this time is my IKIGAI. This is how my relationship with the Sunday School began.

"Reading without reflection is like eating without digestion." —Edward Burke.

I'm looking forward to receiving everyone's reflections for this week.

Manisha Khanna

Your Sunday School host

The Koala on the tree - Rishona Chopra

There sat a cute koala on the tree, 

Eating all the fruits, he could see. 

There I came and cuddled him, 

We could hear the sound of hymns. 

He sat there lazily, 

Waiting to be petted by me. 

He was missing his family, 

Dreaming of a fantasy. 

Why do we enclose him in these bars?

It simply shows our ugly scars. 

Though we hurt him, 

He never shows he is grim. 

But loves us like anything, 

Waiting for his happy spring. 

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII

Gyanshree School

Looking for happiness - Rishona Chopra

Happiness. 

It is something we all try to look for in everything. Everything temporary. We look for happiness in a cup of ice cream, but when that ice cream finishes, so does our happiness. Why isn't our happiness long-lasting and in our control? If we look for happiness in a pen, once the pen is broken, our happiness will be broken, too. We are the authors of our books. We are the hand that controls the pen. But in this case, isn't the pen controlling the hand? Aren't our feelings going in control of someone else?

When someone does something not to our satisfaction, we lose our happiness. In that way, can't that external person take control of when we are happy and when we are sad?

Another instance is when we see one of our family members or friends sad, we often tell them, "If you are sad, I will also be sad," but that is not the way. Again, someone else is controlling our feelings. Why not cheer them up instead?

The journey of looking for happiness is quite an interesting one. At every moment, we realise that we are giving control to someone else or something else. Even though I always hear this, I have not fully found happiness in myself. I have not found happiness being alone with nothing, but we all learn at every step of life, and so am I. 

There are a few lines I remember from a book I read, they were:
"Never search for your happiness in others; it will make you feel alone. Search it yourself, and you will feel happy even if you are left alone."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School