Several centuries ago, the Emperor of Japan asked a
Japanese artist to paint a picture of a particular species of bird. Many
years later, the Emperor paid a personal visit to the artist’s studio to
ask for an explanation as to why his painting had not yet been delivered.
The artist then set a blank canvas on the easel and
within fifteen minutes had completed a painting of a bird. It was an
absolute masterpiece - far exceeding anything that the Emperor had
expected. The Emperor, while admiring both the painting and the artist’s
skill, asked why there had been such a long delay.
The artist then went from cabinet to cabinet in his
studio, pulling from them dozens of drawings of feathers, tendons, wings,
feet, claws, eyes, and beaks. The drawings contained virtually every
aspect of a bird, as seen from every angle. He placed the drawings
silently before the Emperor, who nodded in understanding.
What the Emperor recognized is that the
magnificence of any ‘whole’ can never be greater than the magnificence
of any singular detail. That sentence deserves repeating. The
magnificence of any ‘whole’ can never be greater than the magnificence
of any singular detail.
Perhaps this is the true secret of life. To have an
excellent life, you must strive for an excellent year. Within that year,
you must strive for an excellent month. Within that month, you must strive
for an excellent day. Within the day, strive for an excellent hour.
Therefore, if we believe the message of the artist, an
excellent life is nothing more than the sum of many excellent moments.
We see the truth behind this secret of life every day.
And because of this, we should never take any moment for granted.
As a parent, there is never any activity too trivial,
nor too important, to lose sight of how that activity will help contribute
to the overall development of a child. I know a person who took his young
pre-school aged children on a cruise to Europe one year. Friends of his
questioned the wisdom of his decision, arguing that the children were so
young they wouldn’t remember anything about the trip when they got
older. His response was that the experiences they gained from the trip
would help them in the year that followed and even if they couldn’t
remember what they did on the cruise, the benefits of the experiences
would stay with them for the rest of their life.
If you strive for an excellent hour, you will have an
excellent day. If you strive for an excellent day, you will have an
excellent month. If you strive for an excellent month, you will have an
excellent year. An excellent life is the sum total of many excellent
moments.
Making the best of every moment of every day must truly
be the secret to a happy and successful life..
