Parabols

there was a woman who died at 25. She had two kids. Her husband used to snap at her whenever she spoke. If anyone asked her a question he’d answer for her. Eventually she learned to not bother talking at all. She forgot what happiness was long ago. Perhaps she never knew. She died at 25, but she’s still there today, living in that house, living in hell. It’s not too late to get out. If you trust a friend, tell them you’re not happy. Don’t spend your life in hell. If you know someone who’s always quiet, or who’s partner always speak for them please try to begin a conversation with them just the two of you. And keep that conversation going. That’s all you have to do. It’s a life line. A line out of hell. You can be that person who saves them.

There was a girl who kept a box of things no one knew about—notes she never sent, songs she never sang, dreams she never dared to say aloud. She feared they’d be laughed at, dismissed, forgotten. So she locked them away and smiled like she was fine.

When she died, her family found the box. They read every word with tears in their eyes, aching for the person they never really knew.

There was a man who spent his life chasing approval. He dressed how others liked, spoke words they wanted to hear, and hid the parts of himself that didn’t fit. People praised him often, but it never felt real. One night, alone in his room, he looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize the face staring back. Then he realized—everyone had loved someone who didn’t exist.

There was a man who made the world laugh. On stages, in films, in interviews—his energy lit up every room he entered. People called him a genius, a gift, a miracle in motion. His voice gave life to characters, and his words brought comfort to millions. But behind the curtain, in quiet moments, he battled a weight no one could see. He gave joy without condition, but left none left for himself. And when the world lost him, they said “He seemed so happy,”, unable to understand how someone who gave so much could carry so much pain. Some of the brightest souls walk through the deepest shadows; check on those who always want to make you smile, for they may be the ones hurting most.

There was a woman who always kept her emotions to herself. She smiled through pain, laughed to hide anxiety, and said “I’m fine” so often that people stopped asking. “I don’t want to be a burden,” she told herself. Over time, even those closest to her began to believe she never needed anything. It’s ok to talk about your problems. And it’s ok to help eachother. Ever be afraid to ask for help. And never be afraid to give it.

One night, overwhelmed and alone, she reached out—but no one picked up. Not out of cruelty, but because they had never known she needed help in the first place.

there was a soldier who was captured. He was kept in a dark concrete room with no bed or toilet. It was hell. He dreamt of the things we barely think about: the sky, the breeze, the laughter of his children. Even the things he used to complain about were now heaven: traffic, the angry people he used to know and silly politicians on TV. However bad your life may seem, to someone somwhere it’s a wonderful dream. In fact its so unimaginably good, we should all be dancing in the streets with the luck we have. Do you want to waste your time in paradise complaining about things you’ll never try to change? Either change the things you complain about, or if you can’t, just be kind. Be kind to everyone. And be grateful for what you have. And go dance in the street. Why not

there was this guy who used to complain about everyone at work. One day he decided to quit and work for himself. He secured a client. It was hard work but he was his own boss. It got to the end of the project and his client called one day. He was angry about how long the project was taking and having to keep tell the guy to fix things he hadn’t checked. Suddenly the guy realised he was doing all the things he used to blame everyone else for. Remember, before you blame other people

There was this really successful CEO. He was the owner of a big company. He was good at motivating his staff. But he knew a lot of people are only motivated to work hard by the fear of losing their jobs. He made sure his employees felt that fear at all times. And although he was the big boss in his business, in the grand scheme of things he was just one of millions of bosses like him–each choosing to use fear because they can’t figure out how to motivate their employees by helping them want to do their best work and work hard together to create incredible new things. Instead he was just another cog in the machine of fear that unnecessarily kills millions every year from heart attacks, strokes and other stress related diseases. But he got what he wanted — riches beyond imagination. And that’s what mattered to him.

When a culture makes women feel they have to cover themselves because the men can’t control their desires, it’s punishing the victim for the weakness of the crime of the aggresors.

There was this man who believed there was a natural order of things. The strong win. The weak lose. One day he was having an argument with his wife. She wouldn’t stop screaming. So he slapped her. He didn’t think much about it. Days later it happened again. She was hysterical. He was becoming furious. He couldn’t bear the noise anymore. So he slapped her harder. And pushed her onto the sofa. And told her to shut up.

there was a man who prided himself on always saying what he thought. “I always say what I think” he used to say. But what he hadn’t considered is that we all think many things. Some of us choose to say the nice things. Some choose to say the nasty things. What he really meant when he said “I always say what I think” is he chooses to say the harshest things because he enjoys making people feel bad.

There was a man with a big ego. He used to hate losing. He used to get angry when people drove slowly in front of him. One day he was at an intersection. The SUV in front that was taking ages. He was getting furious. He thought they must be stupid or doing it on purpose to annoy him. He sped around them in a rage. There was a woman with a pram in front of the SUV. She was helping her 3 year old pick up his glove. But the man hadn’t considered that. His ego was making his decisions. I guess now he knows there are things more important than winning. But sadly, sometimes lessons are learned too late.

There was a woman who always meant to apologize to an old friend. They had an argument one day and stopped bothering to see each other. She always me One day, she saw their name in an obituary. She wrote the perfect apology in her head, word for word. But now, there was nowhere to send it.

Moral: Some doors close forever; the weight of unspoken words is heavier than the courage it takes to speak them.

There was a man who always put off calling his father. “Tomorrow,” he’d say, scrolling through his phone, too busy with work, too distracted by life. One evening, he finally dialed the number, ready to catch up. A stranger answered. “I’m sorry,” the voice said. “He passed last week.” The man sat in silence, staring at the name on his screen, realizing the last call he’d ignored had been his father’s.

Moral: The time to reach out is never tomorrow; regret is the only thing that always answers.

There was a man who always shouted at his kids. They grew quiet over time, avoiding his gaze, doing only what was required to escape his anger. One day, he realized they never came to him with their joys, their struggles, or their dreams. He had silenced not just their mistakes but their trust.

Moral: Patience is a vital virtue; harshness may enforce obedience, but it destroys the bonds that make love and trust possible.

there was a man. His kids were the most important thing in his life. He wanted to make his house perfect. But he ended up with no money or time to spend on his kids. One day an opportunity to buy a cheaper house came up. He could pay off his debts and spend time with his kids. But he didn’t take it. The house was too important. To know what someone really cares about don’t listen to what they say, look at what they do.

There was a woman who often judged others harshly. She’d see someone struggling and think, “They must not be trying hard enough.” One day, her life took an unexpected turn, and she found herself needing help. A stranger offered kindness without question, saying, “We all face hard times. Compassion matters.” Touched, she realized how wrong she’d been and vowed to show others the grace she had been given.

There was a man who always spoke over others, eager to share his own ideas. It wasn’t his fault, he’d just become used to it from his job as a teacher. At first, he didn’t notice how people grew quiet around him as he took over conversations. One day, his daughter said, “Dad, I love talking to you, but you never really hear me.” Her words struck him deeply. From that moment, he made a choice: to listen first and speak later. Over time, his relationships grew stronger, and people opened up to him like never before. His world was changed by a few simple words. This is the power words can have when we use them constructively. How could you change your world?

There was a walrus named Freya. She liked to sunbath on the boats. The tourists gathered each day to see her. She became an attraction. The children loved her. But the local government decided Freya was too dangerous. They couldn’t risk the lives of the tourists. And they couldn’t risk their reputation for safety. So they killed her. They thought about the safety of everyone. Except the safety of one. The only one who was completely inocent: Freya.

There was a man who drove down the same road every day. One day he noticed a stray dog limping on the roadside. “Someone else will help,” he thought, and carried on with his busy life. Weeks later, he saw the dog lying lifeless in a ditch, its wounds untreated. The man stopped and stared. But it was too late. Though he didn’t know, the small kindness he withheld was the the dog’s last chance. For the man it was just another day. For the dog it was it’s last. On that day he vowed he would never again withold his kindness.

There was this boy who looked like a bad apple. People stayed clear of him. As he grew up he learned that people were unkind. He began to hate them. Time passed. People around him began to see his perspective. The hate grew. And the world became darker. Not just for the boy, but for the people who shunned him. They had chosen to ignore the boy. In doing so they were choosing to ignore the part of the community that needed kindness most. Kindness is a choice. It’s not always an easy choice. And the choices we make determine the outcome of our world. Choose wisely.

There was this manager who always blamed his staff when they made mistakes. He couldn’t understand why they kept making simple mistakes. Why were they so bad? Why couldn’t he find good staff? Years went by. He stayed in the same position. One day one of his staff found the courage to ask him “have you ever considered that your instructions aren’t very good?” The manager ignored the arrogent staff member. After all he was just a lowly worker. The manager never received a promotion.

There was a woman who always bought nice objects for her house. It made her feel good. At first it was fine. But time ran on and she continued. Eventually space to display the objects ran out so she began to fill boxes. And then whole rooms were filled. Years went by. She lived with her boxes and dust. Her children were not brave enough to explain she had a problem. Or they simply did not care. So they let it carry on. She lived out her life in the tiny spaces between the boxes. A prisoner. If you care about someone, help them.

there was a young woman who didn’t know what she wanted in life. One day a man came along. She wasn’t sure about him but she thought, it’s better than being single. Years later nothing better came along and she felt she was getting old so she married him. They had children, who grew up and moved away. Years later she died, never knowing what it felt like to be in love.

there was a man who always lied. He would tell people whatever they wanted to hear so they’d do what he wanted them to do. He became successful—the boss of a small business. He always dreamed of being richer and more successful but he could never keep his best staff for long. They always moved on. Years passed.

There was a manager who always lied. He manipulated his team to get his way. He promised promotions that didn’t exist. He blamed them for his own mistakes. He took credit for others good work. And he stole ideas. For a while, the team worked harder, worried about the threats he made. But over time, they realized he was a liar. One by one, they either left or stopped listening to him. When a major crisis hit the company, the manager stood alone, with no one left to trust or support him.

There was a man who always blamed others for his failures—his boss, his parents, ’the system’. He never took responsibility for his choices. One day, he realized he was old and had achieved nothing, and everyone he once knew had moved on. Alone, he thought, “I blamed the world, but it was me who stood still.”

There was a man who prided himself on his honesty. One day, a friend asked for help in a serious matter. But the man did not want to help so he lied and said he was busy. After all it wasn’t important.

There was a boy who was a gifted artist. But his parents told him “art is a hobby, not a career.” The boy followed their advice and quit art school to persue a career. Years later, he found himself consumed by the dull, miserable corporate world in which he spent his time. One day he was out for lunch when he saw an artist painting on the street. The artist was absorbed. He was living his passion. The man realised then he had chosen the safe road over the life he wanted. All the days of his life could be condensed into one that he would not care to remember. That was the day he decided to change his life.

there was a man who bought a house. He wanted it to be perfect. He spent all his time making it the way he wanted. The cost kept increasing. He continued, determined to complete it. He ended up getting more and more loans to pay the workers. The work was finally finished but now he was penniless and all he could do was stay at home. One day he went to see his ill father. He told him what he had done. His father said, “when you are old like me do you think you’ll remember the times you’ve spent at home on your couch? Or will you remember the times you were out living a life in the world?” The man realized then he had made a huge mistake. He vowed he would work to pay off his debts and from now on he would use his time and money wisely: only on the things he loved.

A man spent years photographing sunsets always trying to get the perfect shot. One evening, his camera broke, and for the first time, he simply watched as the sky turned golden and faded into night. He realized then the joy of the sunset is not in what you see when you look at a picture, it is what you feel when you’re there.

A woman spent years chasing wealth, working endlessly, and missing family time. One evening, her young daughter handed her a crumpled drawing of the two of them under a tree. “This is my favorite memory,” the girl said. The woman realized she couldn’t recall the moment because she’d been too preoccupied with work to be fully present with her daughter.

She calls out to the man on the street “Sir, can you help me? It’s cold and I’ve nowhere to sleep. Is there somewhere you can tell me?” He walks on, doesn’t look back. He pretends he can’t hear her. Starts to whistle as he crosses the street. Seems embarrassed to be there. Think twice. ‘Cause it’s another day
for you and me in paradise.

There was a stray dog that had been out in the snow for days. One day a man saw it and decided to let it in for a meal by the fire. The dog was starving. Now it had food and warmth. It was like the dog had gone to heaven. It was the greatest day of its life. And yet for the man, it was just a normal day. The man thought to himself, these simple things are just another normal day for me. But for the dog this is the greatest happiness. From now on I will be thankful. And I will try make dreams real for those I can.

There was a man who hated everyone. When he drove his car the other drivers cut in and shouted at him. He hated them. When he went to the restaurant the waitress was rude so he didn’t leave her a tip.

there was a lonely old man who thought he hated life. One night he heard the faint cry of a kitten under his trailer. For a second he thought about going back to sleep, but something made him investigate. He found the tiny cat alone in the dark, shivering and close to death. He took it inside, dried and fed it. He diligently kept the kitten alive. As the days went by the old man realised something. He had forgotten the bitterness that once consumed him. Every day was now bright. That night, his choice, his decision to act didn’t only save the kitten, it saved the old man too.

there was a man who had a bird. He kept it in a cage. A woman saw the bird and asked, “is the bird happy here?” The man said, “ yes, she has everything she wants. Food, water and safety”. The lady asked, “why not open the cage door then?” The man replied, “no no, if I open the door she’ll fly away and I’ll never see her again”. To that the lady said “the bird has everything she needs, but she would trade it all for freedom”

There was a man who had a dog. He rescued it from a cruel, abusive owner. But between working and looking after his kids the man didn’t have much time to spend with the dog. One day the dog became ill. The man was very sad. He decided he would give the dog the life she always wished for: all her favorite foods and all her favorite walks. He decided he would give her the paradise she deserved but never had. But then, that night, the dog died enexpectedly. The man was filled with regret for what he knew he could have done but didn’t. The moral of the story is this: you have the power to create paradise now for the people and animals around you. Don’t wait. Do it now.