A PHILOSOPHY TEACHER

A philosophy teacher stood in front of the classroom having on his desk some objects
When the class started, without saying a word, he took an empty mayonnaise jar and filled it with golf balls. He asked his students whether the jar was full and they agreed it was.
The teacher took then a box with tiny stones and poured it into the jar, shaking it gently. The small stones filled the gaps between the golf balls. He asked again the students whether the jar was full and they agreed it was.
The teacher took after this a box with sand and poured it in the jar. Normally, the sand filled the jar completely.
He asked again his students what they thought about it and they all answered in one voice ‘fuuuuull’.
So he took from under his desk two cups of coffee which he poured in the jar filling it entirely this time. The students laughed.
‘Now’, the teacher said when laughs cooled down, ‘I would like you to understand that this jar is your life. The golf balls are those important things in your life: family, kids, health, friends and passions. Even if you lost everything else except for these things, your life would still be full. Tiny stones are the other things which matter for you: job, house, car, and the sand is the rest of small things. If you will start by pouring the sand, he continued, there will not be much place left for the golf balls and the tiny stones. It goes the same for life, if you waste your time and energy for tiny things, you will not have much time left for those things which are really important for you. Pay attention to those things that are important for your happiness. Play with your children, check your health regularly, take your spouse out for dinner, play golf and don’t worry, there will be enough time for you to clean the house or repair who knows what kind of device.
Take care first of the golf balls, they are the ones that really count.
Set up priorities, the rest is only sand.
One of the students raised his hand and asked what was the meaning of the two cups of coffee. The teacher smiled: ‘I’m glad you asked it, they just mean that, no matter how full your life may seem, there will always be some place left for two cups of coffee to share with a friend.’
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