In your life—amidst your career, family, health, friends, and the things you love—what do you consider to be of the utmost importance? I once watched a video in which a professor used an experiment to demonstrate the proper order of priorities in life to his students. At the beginning of the class, the professor took an empty jar out of his bag. He first placed several golf balls inside, followed by a handful of small pebbles, and finally filled the remaining tiny crevices with sand. The professor then asked the students, "Is the jar full?" The students all replied, "Yes, it is full." Finally, with a smile, the professor produced two bottles of water and poured them into the jar until it was completely saturated. The professor then began his lecture. He explained that each of us has only one life to live; the empty jar represents a person's life. The golf balls symbolize the most important things in life—such as family, friends, health, and personal passions. The pebbles represent the trivial matters of daily existence—such as work, cars, and houses. The sand stands for all the other, even smaller details, while the water represents the various forms of recreation and leisure that fill the gaps in our busy, mundane lives. The pebbles, sand, and water are all far less important than the golf balls. If we were to fill the jar with sand first, there would be no room left for the golf balls. If you expend all your time and energy on trivialities, you will have no time left to focus on—and properly attend to—the things that truly matter. Our society today is permeated by a certain set of values—a mindset suggesting that the most important things in life are simply "making money" or "seeking entertainment." It implies that a person of questionable character can still be considered "successful" simply by virtue of being wealthy. People have come to believe that money alone can buy love and happiness, and so they strive desperately to accumulate wealth; yet, the result is often that they gain the money only to lose their love and happiness—and sometimes even their health—in the process. Others spend the majority of their lives bickering with others, allowing negative emotions—such as hatred and resentment—to prolong their own suffering, thereby drifting off their true life path and losing their way. My friend, ask yourself: what truly matters most in this life? Discover the right set of values to guide your path, and focus your attention on those people and pursuits that are eternal, meaningful, and bring you genuine authenticity and joy; only then will your life be truly peaceful and happy.
Text & Illustrations by BILA
Comic Copyright and Rights of Interpretation held by BILA Biotechnology (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd.
