One day a professor entered the classroom and
asked his students to prepare for a surprise test.
They waited anxiously at their desks for the test to
begin. The professor handed out the question paper,
with the text facing down as usual. Once he handed
them all out, he asked his students to turn the page
and begin. To everyone’s surprise, there were no
questions….just a black dot in the center of the
page. The professor seeing the expression on
everyone’s face, told them the following:
“I want you to write what you see there.”
The students confused, got started on the
inexplicable task.
At the end of the class, the professor took all the
answer papers and started reading each one of
them aloud in front of all the students. All of them
with no exceptions, described the black dot, trying
to explain its position in the middle of the sheet,
etc. etc. etc. After all had been read, the classroom
silent, the professor began to explain:
“I am not going to grade on you this, I just wanted
to give you something to think about. No one wrote
about the white part of the paper. Everyone focused
on the black dot – and the same happens in our
lives. We have a white paper to observe and enjoy,
but we always focus on the dark spots. Our life is a
gift given to us by God, with love and care, and we
always have reasons to celebrate – nature renewing
itself everyday, our friends around us, the job that
provides our livelihood, the miracles we see
everyday…….
However we insist on focusing only on the dark
spots – the health issues that bother us, the lack of
money, the complicated relationship with a family
member, the disappointment with a friend etc
The dark spots are very small compared to
everything we have in our lives, but they are the
ones that pollute our minds.
Take your eyes away from the black spots in your
life. Enjoy each one of your blessings, each
moment that life gives you.
Be happy and live a life positively!