It was World Environment Day and the class of 1999 decided to get their teacher a gift: a document that stated
"Thank you for your contributions in conserving the Amazon Rainforest Reserve! This is a picture of the cocoa tree you rented and in the container is a year's worth of cocoa bean harvests."
She spilled the contents of the tin on the table for everyone to see. They gasped and exclaimed, "Just one, lousy, shriveled cocoa bean?!" They set off on a field trip immediately to find the culprit, the thief -- and there in the rainforest they met Inspector 42. Hm... a potential suspect, but no, he was owner of the patch which bore their teacher's cocoa pod-baren tree.
It was clean, mud-free, boar free and peccary-free, Inspector 42 exclaimed proudly. It had flowers, no problem there. They were in full blossom.. but there were no insects small enough to enter and pollinate the flowers. Where did they all go? They explored the other patches and crossed into cocoa pod-rich zones. It was filthy with mood pools, smelly boars and pesky fly-like peccaries. But the trees were laden with nice fat cocoa pods. They inspected the flowers and alas - it was the tiny peccaries that pollinated the flowers! So Inspector 42 was the culprit after all!
"By getting rid of the mud pools, you have chased the boars and peccaries away and these peccaries are the only insects small enough to pollinate your flowers." "All I wanted was to have a clean patch and less laundry expenses but now I have destroyed the entire cycle, the ecosystem!"
Lucky for him, there was an easy solution. They ripped the filthy fake grass blankets with their bare hands and dug mud pools. Soon the boars and the peccaries were back.
6 months later, the teacher received a tin full of rich cocoa beans and a note that read "Enjoy the harvest from your cocoa tree! Signed, Inspector 22. Ps -- Thanks to you and your investigators, I've been promoted!" The class of 1999 enjoyed their own, freshly made hot cocoa that day.
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You see, the cocoa pod-barren tree is just like an unhappy family, barren of love. The unpollinated flowers are the family members. The peccaries is a simple secret: appreciation. The boars represent a beautiful character that nurtures appreciation. The mud is a righteous heart that would home a beautiful character and the artificial grass carpet is our ego, that envelopes us in falsehood. We're lucky there's a simple solution to fix our disastrous homes. It starts with us.
We only have to step out into the light of awareness and dare to be ourselves. Dare to be honest to our conscience. Dare to show appreciation. Dare to love... dare to give love and receive love. When there is love and harmony in homes, there is order in the nation, represented by the ecosystem... and when there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world.
Don't just have a wedding. Build a marriage. Build a family with values that loves, respects and appreciates one other. A marriage consultant who recently spoke on Oprah announced research finds that most spouses who cheat on their partners are simply looking for more appreciation.
Visit our forum on "Elak Derita Cari Bahagia" (Avoid Pain Search for Peace) for more marriage counseling or to share your tips and have your say on leading happy marriages. If you're coming, see you there at the 1 Malaysia Wedding Fiesta, 1st to 3rd July 2011 at the Putra World Trade Centre, 9 am to 10 pm. If you live too far or can't make it because you're busy, we'll be sure to post the pictures and update you on what you missed so you won't feel so left out!
Warm regards,
Laveena
Inspired by the Magic Schoolbus episode In the Rainforest and by the teachings of spiritual teacher, Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
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