For someone looking for motivation, insight, or a solution to their problem, reading or watching stories with moral lessons about life is ideal. I've had some problems in my life too, and I typically look for answers from other people's stories or from some random famous. You know what, I am prone to stress, and I continue to be so which I believe this is a never-ending fight for me. To be frank, this is common, and I'm sure most of us are on the same roof.

This is why I've come here today: to share some positive stories and how I used this as an armour and a weapon to completely transform myself and my perspectives.

The Farmer Story

I remember watching Prince Ea's "The Farmer Story" a month after he published it on YouTube. I recall having an issue with my classmates at the time, who blamed me for a poor grade we received in one of our subjects. Then they started saying things about me that were completely unrelated to the case. And so I found myself browsing YouTube.

Before I tell you how it changed me, let me give you a brief overview of what the story is all about.

The is about a farmer who relies on a horse to assist him in the fields. Then the horse flew one day, and when the farmer's neighbors sympathized with his misfortune, the farmer replied, "Maybe?"

The horse reappeared a week later, accompanied by other wild horses. This time, the farmer's neighbors congratulated him on his good fortune. But the farmer said, "Maybe?"

Then the farmer's son attempted to tame one of the wild horses, but it fell down and broke his leg. Everyone felt it was just bad luck. The farmer's response: "Maybe?"

The army marched into the village a few weeks later and conscripted any able-bodied youth they could find. They let the farmer's son off when they saw his broken leg. The farmers' neighbors told him that he was fortunate that his son had not been taken. "Maybe?" said the farmer.

Actually, after hearing this story, I was so taken aback by the farmer's reaction to his neighbors that I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then I discovered that you don't always have to identify your circumstances because a label is only a label. We can never truly know whether anything is good or bad in our life since there is always a continuation or an event caused by our current fortune or misfortune, and this will continue indefinitely.

"Ang buhay ay parang gulong, paikot-ikot lang," as we say in the Philippines, means "Life is like a wheel that keeps turning."

When I first started practicing this lesson in my life, I had some difficulties because it was difficult for me to tell someone "maybe" every time they complimented me or at the very least labeled my circumstance. It seemed to me that if I did it all of the time, I would appear to be an idiot. But I figured out a method to do it without having to mention "maybe." I've learned to accept praises on my accomplishments or tragedies and respond appropriately, but I don't process and keep their remarks in my thoughts. I don't want to give my predicament a label or even think about it. Think, yes that's it! One benefit I've noticed after practicing this is that I don't have to ponder or think about my life situations.

That gives me peace...

However, as I grew older, the challenges I faced in life were more difficult, and I would sometimes spend time thinking about them before becoming stressed. I had forgotten how to not absorb them in my thoughts, and I had forgotten how to think "maybe."

You know, life is like that. As we become older, our problems become more and more complex. How I wanted I could stay at that age where I could still deal with my difficulties without even thinking about them. But, I suppose, this is where the struggle begins, and I'm aware that I must rise to this occasion. I'm writing this to tell you that I just did it; I re-learned how to think "maybe," but not always.

Three Laughing Monks

Summary of the story:

There were three laughing monks in China who would simply laugh and laugh wherever they went. They enter a village, linger in the market, and then start laughing until everyone's attention is drawn to them. When people gather around them, their laughter spreads like a virus. Then the entire town begins to laugh, so these three laughing monks will travel to another village and repeat the process. It is widely believed in China that all they teach is to "laugh."

One day, one of the monks died while they were staying in a village. The townspeople, on the other hand, were eager to watch how the two monks would react, so they entered the monks' house. But they were so surprised that the other monks couldn't stop laughing. It was because they had bet who would die first before, and this monk won, defeating them, and the best way to send their best friend off is to laugh. The villagers, on the other hand, were heartbroken over the monk's deaths.

In China, it is customary to wash the dead's body and change his clothes before burial, but the monk requested that they not do so because he had never been filthy in his life and that no impurities had ever formed in him as a result of his laughter.

It's just been a month since I saw this, but I was practically awestruck after viewing it. The monk's final words completely hit the mark. It had a profound impact on my heart, and I felt like it was something that would alter me, and it was a beautiful pairing with "The Farmer Story."

Last week, I was heartbroken for a variety of reasons, but I was grateful that I had the opportunity to watch this story beforehand. My solution was to LAUGH. To get rid of these problems, I go to YouTube and hunt for amusing auditions from shows like AGT and BGT, X Factor, and video clips of Vice Ganda's epic moments.

I never get tired of viewing their videos since I still find the gags humorous even after seeing them multiple times. Laughing has helped me forget about my problems and every time I laugh, I feel like I'm getting better. Something unusual seemed to be going on all over my body when I was laughing, like if something was interacting. After that, I felt as though my body had regained its vitality.

So, I guess the saying "Laughter is the best medicine" was true, and this is yet more incentive for us to promote laughter within our lives. The only way to combat negativity is to create positivity, which begins with laughter. I discovered that in order to attract positivity, I must first laugh.

After breakfast, I would immediately grab my phone and start looking for or watching some dumb jokes to laugh at. When I started comparing my previous life to my current life, I saw a number of differences. Laughter, for example, has made me become friendly. I used to be the type of person who would make friends with someone face to face than on social media. In the last two weeks, I've found myself in noise.cash conversing with people from all walks of life. I have a lot of pals there that shared jokes and goofy things, which is really making me want to get addicted to social media like noise.cash.

Aside from the fact that I can gain BCH just by interacting, I also get to laugh. Hmmm, I think I've hit two birds with one stone.

Hahaha 🤣

Conclusion

Remember the stories I've shared with you no matter where you are in life. Remember to laugh and say "maybe." Problems, as I previously stated, will never leave our side and will continue to bother us. And since life is too short to spend it stressed up, perhaps we could push ourselves to simply enjoy life without labels and with laughter.

Reference(s):

Lead image on Pixabay

The Farmer Story

Three Laughing Monks Story