Inspirational Stories #177 - The Dark Candle

The Dark Candle

A man had a little daughter, an only and much beloved child. He lived only for her, she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health. 

His best efforts proved fruitless, however, and the child died. The father was totally irreconcilable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends, refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self.

Then one night he had a dream. He was in heaven and witnessing a grand pageant of all the little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white-robed, angelic tot carried a candle. He noticed, however, that one child’s candle was not lit. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing towards her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and asked, “How is that your candle is the only one not lit?” “Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out again,” she said.

Just then he awoke from from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and it’s effects were immediate. From that hour on he was no longer a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his little darling’s candle be extinguished by his useless tears.

Author Unknown

The Most Toxic Places on Earth - Amazing Fact

Along with the ten places mentioned in the video, here are other toxic places in the world that deserve an (dis)honorable mention.

Linfen, China: Los Angeles smog would be considered a ‘good day’ compared to the air pollution in Linfen and it’s considered the “most polluted city in the world.” The reason behind the pollution is credited to industrial manufacturing and automobile pollution. The air here is apparently so bad that leaving your clothes out to air dry can turn them black!

Want six-pack abs? Here are some diet tips you should follow

You may have heard the saying, abs are made in the kitchen, and not in the gym. Well, it’s true and without a healthy diet, no amount of exercise can help you lose weight. Ekta Tandon, who is a nutritionist at Fitness First chain of restaurants, lists out a few things you should know about eating for six-pack abs.

First things first – we all have abs but they are hidden due to the coverage of fat. In order to define and flaunt them, one must eat right and exercise.

Here’s how you can do it:

Eat small meals: The rule is to eat small meals at equal intervals. So if you are eating often and eating good food, you would not have cravings for any kind of junk food. It will also help regulate your body’s blood sugar, which stabilises the release of insulin. This helps promote the use of fat as fuel and helps prevent it from being stored in the body. When excess fat isn’t stored, the abs are more prominent.

How to do it: Eat three standard meals and three smaller snacks. For example:

Early morning: 1-2 glass water

8-9 am:  Breakfast

11-12 pm: Snack

1-2 pm: Lunch

4-5pm: Snack

7-8 pm: Dinner

9-10 pm (if hungry): Milk  

Why you should stop drinking bottled water

Why you should stop drinking bottled water

Do you tend to consume too many bottles of packaged drinking water? Here’s a good reason to stop doing so. A study performed at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) reveals that you are exposed to a host of harmful chemicals when you drink packaged water. 

How was the study conducted?

The study was carried out at 18 different bottled water companies in Mumbai, where 5 samples  of 1 litre bottles were analysed.

Which harmful chemicals were found in the samples?

The study revealed the presence of harmful chemicals like bromate in samples where 1 litre of packaged water contained 27% bromate. (Read:Warning: Avoid reusing plastic mineral water bottles!)

How does packaged water harm your health?

Drinking of packaged water with high amount of bromate could cause diseases like cancer, stomach infection and hair fall.

What is the limit of exposure?

Ideally, only 10% bromate is supposed to be present in bottled water and, according to WHO, only 4 mg of bromate is needed for packaged water. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that they will go through the report and will take necessary steps to make packaged water safer for consumption.

where the mistake lies

Since childhood we were made to believe that if we do well in academics, we can get a job with a good salary and we will eventually be happy there after. So the entire purpose of education is just to get a job? And, Is happiness related to money? Can't we just do what we love? Where is the mistake? Is it the educational system or the society? Is it our teachers or parents or us? Whom should we please and why? Who will measure our success and why? Where are we running and why? Should we change or the system? And how?