Value every individual’s contribution however small

|| Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  

When Lord Rama started constructing  the bridge between India and lanka, thousands of vanars worked night and day. They pulled out rocks and heavy stones from the mountains, and carried them to the sea. They cut them into shape and began to build the bridge.Lord Rama felt happy. “How hard they work! Their love for me makes them work like this,” thought Rama.

One day Rama saw a small brown squirrel, who wanted to pitch-in with his part. But being a tiny little animal, he could not do much like the vanars and the bears who were carrying large boulders on their shoulders.

The squirrel wet itself in the water and rolled in the sands. He then walked across to the bridge and shook the sand off, so that when Rama walked, he would walk upon the softest sand.

Suddenly, a great vanar was carrying a large heavy stone on his back and the squirrel came in his way. The vanar jumped back.“Here, you little thing,” shouted the vanar in a voice like thunder, “you’re in my way, I stepped back and you’re alive now. But I nearly fell. And what are you doing here?” The little squirrel looked up at the great vanar. “I’m sorry you nearly fell, Brother Vanar,” he said in his small voice, “but please always look where you are going. I’m helping Rama build the bridge. And I want to work hard for him.” “You, what?” shouted the vanar and laughed aloud. “Did you hear that!” he said to the other vanars

The squirrel did not think this funny at all. He said, “Look, I can’t carry mountains or rocks. God gave me only a little strength. I can only carry sand. My heart cries out for Rama and I’ll do all I can for him.”The vanars said, “Don’t be foolish. Do you think you can help Rama? Do you think we can build a bridge with sand? He has a big army to help him. Go home and don’t get in our way.”

“But I want to help, too,” said the squirrel and would not go.

He carried the sand again from the shore to the sea. The vanars were angry and one of them picked up the squirrel by his tail and threw him far away. The squirrel, crying out the name of Rama, fell into his hands. Then Rama held the squirrel close to him. He said to the vanars, “Do not make fun of the weak and the small. Your strength or what you do is not important. What matters is your love. This little squirrel has love in his heart.”

He then held the squirrel closer to him and said, “Little one, your love touches my heart.” He said these words and passed his fingers gently over the little squirrel’s back. 

Since then, there were three white stripes on his back. These were the marks of Lord Rama’s fingers.

Learnings from this:

• The importance of feelings in participating in team work, and that even the smallest contribution is important in some way.
• Use reasoning to form an opinion.
• Value every individual’s contribution however small.
• Accept people and respect individual differences.

      
  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||  || Jai Sri Ram ||