Afterthoughts - The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Man Alone Measures Time

Why does man measures time? Why, by measuring time is the start of all man's suffering? 

Mich Albom's The Time Keeper has been on the bookshelf for a long time, and recently I had the chance to re-read this classic. True to his usual style, Albom uses personification to humanize a concept, builds up the character and brings across the message through storytelling. In this book, he personified Time and created the character Father Time. Throughout centuries, folklore on Father Time with his long white beard, and possibly holding on one hand a huge hourglass, are common stories among children and adults. This is a story for adults, as Albom preached the key message of treasuring not Time itself, but the time spend with the loved ones as the true value of time. 

Father Time was Dor, a kid who was obsessed with measuring things. An obsession not unlike man's endless pursue of an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. What's the value of knowledge if we don't put them into good use? Dor was this one person obsessed with the pursuit and ignored the value behind his own action. 

Dor's life will at some point cross path with Sarah and Victor, two mortals in today's world, also obsessed with time. Sarah, her life just started and she couldn't wait for time to pass quickly; Victor, his life coming to a close and he wished to stop time and beat death. Albom used these 2 distinct characters to demonstrate regardless which era, what stages of life, they still did not understand the value of time.

In the early chapters, Albom developed these 3 characters and built a story surrounding their lives. Dor married his childhood sweetheart and had children, and he kept his pursue of measuring time even though no one understood why, not even his own mother. Once, the great king Nim wanted him to put his knowledge into good use rather than " putting holes in bowls", he refused. When he invented the world's first clock, his wife was alone, crying for their lives which was about to turn for the worst. He missed the implication of the hardship he was about to inflict on his family by turning Nim down, and also missed the miracle of a beautiful sunrise on the hill with his beloved wife as he focused on "capturing day and night in a bowl". An arrogance no less from Nim's desire to build the tallest tower to reach heaven. When Alli fell ill, Dor wanted to change time, and ran towards the only place he thought could reach heaven, Nim's tower. He didn't reach heaven, he fell into a cave and became Father Time.

Sarah was a young school girl infatuated with this handsome popular guy in school. She wanted to control time by wishing it to go faster while waiting for her date to start and then go slower while on the date. The story of Sarah is of one told and retold. A young girl from not too well-to-do family pinning all hopes on a popular guy and hoping for deliverance out of what she thought was a miserable life. The prince charming turned out to be a regular jerk of a boy wanting to take advantage of her. Sarah, as all young girls go, Sarah thought that in giving the boy a carefully selected watch would win her his heart and love. The irony of the carved message behind the watch, "time flies", made by Dor himself is the crust of the girl's desire, more time with her "boyfriend". Finally, when the "boyfriend" posted a nasty remark on Facebook, Sarah knew her life was over, there was nothing left except to kill herself. "End it now". Sarah did not need anymore time for herself, she wanted to end time in her life.

Victor had a good long life, and it was coming to the close for him with a tumor in his liver. However he wanted more, more time, more life, he wanted immortality. With all the world's resources and money at his disposal, he wanted Research to "go faster" and find out how to beat death. This was what Victor do, "see a problem, find its weak spot, and crack it open". When he finally realized this was one problem he cannot fix, he turned his attention to time, to stop it from running out, another arrogance of man. Cryonics seemed to be the solution, and key to beating death, and he will single-handedly do it without his wife knowing. For a dying man, Victor was not afraid, but impatient for his plan to circumvent death to kick into place earlier. 

There are many parallelism weaving throughout the stories, in particular the perspectives of Grace and Lorraine. Grace, the enduring wife of Victor, who was beside him all his life, quietly waiting for him to pay just a bit more attention to her and cared even a little more about her feelings. She waited all her life and now that Victor's end was near, she no longer see any reason for anything to change. She wanted Victor to "just come home". Lorraine was Sarah's mother. She lamented on how different Sarah was as she grew up, from a mummy's girl who loved to have a manicure together to one that barely communicated with her mum following the split of the parents.  Both wanted the same thing even though under different circumstances, just a little attention from their beloved. On the fateful day where Sarah and Victor decided to take their own lives, both Grace and Lorraine were kept in the dark. Was it out of love for them or was it out of plain selfishness that Sarah and Victor spared Grace and Lorraine of their decisions?

The story line of Father Time was nothing less than an exhilarating fantasy of time freezing, time travel and his acquiring of all the knowledge in the new world. Dor's journey really started after he fell into the cave. He was given the gift (more likely a curse) of not aging for another minute. He gave man the first fruit of desire - the counting of days, then hours, minutes, seconds and finally moments. The consequence is that man will feel the misery of measuring time and lost sight of the many wonders of the world. The desire to control time, faster, slower, more, less; floated up to Dor in his cave and became his slow torture. The irony of it all was apparently, he alone in the world was the only one that can control time and yet wanting none of this power.

"You marked the minutes," the old man said. "But did you use them wisely? To be still? To cherish? To be grateful? To lift and be lifted?". 

Welding the one power that every man wanted, Dor could start and stop time as he wished. He taught himself to read and acquired all the knowledge in the world. He spent 100 years observing a single day and completed his education of the modern world. He went to New York and saw the many skyscrapers that reminded him of Nim, and wondered if there was no end to man's ambition. Dor did not forget his mission of finding 2 souls, one who wanted too much time and another who wanted too little, and teach them what he learnt. And he heard "another lifetime" and "make it stop", and met both Victor and Sarah at the clock shop where he worked. What followed next was similar to the Ghost of Christmas Future, Father time put both of them together and showed future to them if their respective plans to end their lives actually took place. Lorraine was devastated by her daughter's choice and Grace hated being robbed the chance to say goodbye.  Just went both Sarah and Victor realized what they needed to do, Dor also learnt the greatest lesson in life - "with endless time, nothing is special. With no loss or sacrifice, we can't appreciate what we have".

Epilogue is a section of tying up loose ends. Dor finally got his wish. He learnt a six thousand year long lesson and returned to his wife on her deathbed in order to say goodbye and join her. Victor utter the one word that aborted the entire Cryonics operations. He never did forget Grace, the one person that mattered to him. Sarah fought for her life and was rescued from her own suicide attempt and grew up to find a cure on what killed Victor, and at the standing ovation of her success, she gave thanks. 

This is a story about Time, but it is actually a story about love. As the saying goes, time waits for no man. Being measured or not, time continue to press on, ruthless, relentless, regardless, all for the sole purpose of limiting our days - "To make each life precious." Be thankful of all things we have in life and treasure every moment we have with our loved ones. Count not the moments we have, but count the blessings that come with every moment of our limited lives. 

Prejudice & Mercy

The Prejudice

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands,
organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same
food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter
and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the
rest, we will resemble you in that.
The Merchant Of Venice Act 3, scene 1, 58–68

The Quality of Mercy

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much
To mitigate the justice of thy plea;
Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentence 'gainst the merchant there.
The Merchant of Venice, Act 4, Scene 1

Interesting Read - 16-Year-Old Malala Yousafzai Leaves Jon Stewart Speechless With Comment About Pacifism

This is an article that came through the email; source quoted below. It is exceptionally amazing the maturity of this young child's thinking, in the correct approach to terrorism and more importantly, the bravery under life-threatening situation.

Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani advocate for womens rights and access to education, appeared on the Daily Show last night, ahead of Friday's announcement for the 2013 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Her answer to one of Jon Stewart's questions left him speechless.
An outspoken critic of the Taliban's tactics in her native Swat Valley from a young age, Malala was the subject of an attempted assassination at the hands of a Taliban gunman because she was unafraid to speak out.
Then, at just 14 years old, a Talib fighter boarded her bus, pointed a pistol at her head, and pulled the trigger. But she survived, made a full recovery in England, and has become and transformative figure in human rights.
She was favored to become the youngest Nobel Peace laureate ever, and has been widely recognized for her work.
In the key moment of the interview, Stewart asked her how she reacted when she learned that the Taliban wanted her dead. Her answer was absolutely remarkable:

I started thinking about that, and I used to think that the Talib would come, and he would just kill me. But then I said, 'If he comes, what would you do Malala?' then I would reply to myself, 'Malala, just take a shoe and hit him.'  But then I said, 'If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there would be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others with cruelty and that much harshly, you must fight others but through peace and through dialogue and through education.' Then I said I will tell him how important education is and that 'I even want education for your children as well.' And I will tell him, 'That's what I want to tell you, now do what you want.'

http://www.businessinsider.com/malala-yousafzai-left-jon-stewart-speechless-2013-10#ixzz2hWPYjJCp

The Amazing Camel and Its Creator

This is reproduced in its entirety from a email chain.  So much technical info about this technical animal.  Who can still deny the facts? The Amazing Camel and Its Creator (Moody Press) If you ever doubted that God exists, meet the Very Technical,  Highly Engineered Dromedary Camel.  When I'm hungry, I'll eat almost anything- A leather bridle, a piece of rope, my master's tent, Or a pair of shoes. My mouth is so tough a thorny cactus doesn't bother it. I love to chow down grass and other plants That grow here on the Arabian desert I'm a dromedary camel, the one-hump kind That lives on hot deserts in the Middle East . My hump, all eighty pounds of it, Is filled with fat-my body fuel -- not water as some people believe. My Mighty Maker gave it to me because He knew I wouldn't always be able to find food As I travel across the hot sands. When I don't find any chow, my body automatically Takes fat from the hump, feeds my system, And keeps me going strong. This is my emergency food supply. If I can't find any plants to munch, my body uses up my hump. When the hump gets smaller, it starts to tip to one side. But when I get to a nice oasis and begin to eat again, My hump soon builds back to normal. I've been known to drink twenty-seven gallons of water in ten minutes. My Master Designer made me in such a fantastic way that In a matter of minutes all the water I've swallowed Travels to the billions of microscopic cells that make up my flesh. Naturally, the water I swallow first goes into my stomach. There thirsty blood vessels absorb and carry it to every part of my body. Scientists have tested my stomach and found it empty Ten minutes after I've drunk twenty gallons. In an eight hour day, I can carry a four hundred pound load A hundred miles across a hot, dry desert And not stop once for a drink or something to eat. In fact, I've been known to go eight days without a drink, But then I look like a wreck. I lose 227 pounds, my ribs show through my skin, And I look terribly skinny. But I feel great! I look thin because the billions of cells lose their water. They're no longer fat. They're flat. Normally my blood contains 94 percent water, just like yours. But when I can't find any water to drink, The heat of the sun gradually robs a little water out of my blood. Scientists have found that My blood can lose up to 40 percent of its water, And I'm still healthy. Doctors say human blood has to stay very close to 94 percent water. If you lose 5 percent of it, you can't see anymore; 10 percent, you can't  hear and you go insane; 12 percent, your blood is as thick as molasses And your heart can't pump the thick stuff. It stops, and you're dead. But that's not true with me. Why? Scientists say my blood is different. My red cells are elongated. Yours are round. Maybe that's what makes the difference This proves I'm designed for the desert, Or the desert is designed for me. Did you ever hear of a design without a Designer? After I find a water hole, I'll drink for about ten minutes And my skinny body starts to change almost immediately. In that short time my body fills out nicely, I don't look skinny anymore, And I gain back the 227 pounds I lost. Even though I lose a lot of water on the desert, My body conserves it too. Way in the beginning when my Intelligent Engineer made me, He gave me a specially designed nose that saves water. When I exhale, I don't lose much. My nose traps that warm, moist air from my lungs And absorbs it in my nasal membranes. Tiny blood vessels in those membranes take that back into my blood. How's that for a recycling system? Pretty cool, isn't it. It works because my nose is cool. My cool nose changes that warm moisture in the air From my lungs into water. But how does my nose get cool? I breath in hot dry desert air, And it goes through my wet nasal passages. This produces a cooling effect, and my nose stays as much as 18 degrees cooler than the rest of my body. I love to travel the beautiful sand dunes. It's really quite easy, because My Creator gave me specially engineered sand shoes for feet. My hooves are wide, and they get even wider when I step on them. Each foot has two long, bony toes with tough, leathery skin between my soles, My feet are a little like webbed feet. They won't let me sink into the soft, drifting sand. This is good, because often my master wants me to carry him one hundred miles across the desert in just one day. (I troop about ten miles per hour.) Sometimes a big windstorm comes out of nowhere, bringing flying sand with it. My Master Designer put special muscles in my nostrils that close the openings, keeping sand out of my nose but still allowing me enough air to breathe. My eyelashes arch down over my eyes like screens, keeping the sand and sun out but still letting me see clearly. If a grain of sand slips through and gets in my eye, the Creator took care of that too. He gave me an inner eyelid that automatically wipes the sand off my eyeball just like a windshield wiper. Some people think I'm conceited because I always walk around with my head held high and my nose in the air. But that's just because of the way I'm made. My eyebrows are so thick and bushy I have to hold my head high to peek out from underneath them. I'm glad I have them though. They shade my eyes from the bright sun. Desert people depend on me for many things. Not only am I their best form of transportation, but I'm also their grocery store. Mrs. Camel gives very rich milk that people make into butter and cheese. I shed my thick fur coat once a year, and that can be woven into cloth. A few young camels are used for beef, but I don't like to talk about that. For a long time we camels have been called the "ships of the desert" because of the way we sway from side to side when we trot. Some of our riders get seasick. I sway from side to side because of the way my legs work. Both legs on one side move forward at the same time, elevating that side. My "left, right left, right" motion makes my rider feel like he is in a rocking chair going sideways. When I was six months old, Special knee pads started to grow on my front legs. The Intelligent Creator knew I had to have them. They help me lower my 1000 pounds to the ground. If I didn't have them, My knees would soon become sore and infected, And I could never lie down. I'd die of exhaustion. By the way, I don't get thick knee pads because I fall on my knees. I fall on my knees because I already have these tough pads. Someone very Great thought of me and knew I needed them. He designed them into my genes. It's real difficult for me to understand . . . How some people say I evolved into what I now am. I'm very technical, highly engineered, dromedary camel. Things like me don't just happen!

 

A Date with A Woman

This story comes through an email, and touching story that reminds us that we must not take our loved ones for granted. When was the last time you spend time with them?


After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I Love You but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you. The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. 'What's wrong, are you well?' she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

'I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you,' I responded. 'Just the two of us.' She thought about it for a moment, and then said,'I would like that very much.'

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she too seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. 'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed.' She said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting'.

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the first lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Large Print.

Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw mom sitting there staring at me.
A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' She said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation, nothing extra-ordinary, but catching up on recent events of each others life.

We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, She said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.

'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt
from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; But nevertheless, I paid for two plates. One for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. "I Love You, my Son.'

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I LOVE YOU!' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'

Act Now Before You Regret.

Who is the Susie in Your Life?

WET PANTS

A story that came through the email...

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.'

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered.

As the teacher is walking toward him, a class mate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap..

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!'

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!'

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good... And if you happened to be this "boy" at certain parts of your life and met your "Susie", do be thankful with such rich blessings.

The Stranger

A while ago, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind.

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honour them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long-time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?... ... …

We just call him 'TV.'

(Note: This should be required reading for every household!)
He has a wife now....We call her 'Computer.'
Their first child is "Cell Phone".
Second child "I Pod"

This came to me via an email. It is funny, yet ironic. I think the third child is "ipad"!

Cheese - Red Leicester

An English Cheese - Red Leicester

I have always been a cheese lover, cheddar was my first love, for it was the most common cheese available. My colleague, many moon's back, introduced me to varieties other than cheddar after I started working. Red leicester was something that I kinda liked, since it is so similar to cheddar, only slightly more orange in colour. Annatto, aparently a very common food colouring extracted from the seed of the achiote tree, found in the Caribbeans, added to the typical cheddar taste, a peppery nutmeg edge. It made in more interesting that the more cheddar.

I came across this McLelland's at the supermarket today, and decided to pick it up. I was particularly surprised at how smooth the taste came out to be, especially if it is parted with a medium bodied red, which I conveniently have a bottle on hand. I find this cheese best at room temperature rather than when it is harder, coming out straight from the fridge. Certainly it is a perfect accompaniment to a late night cap before bedtime.

What Woman Wants

This joke was circulated to me just for laughs, but it triggered quite a lot of discussion on why it is difficult to understand what woman wants. Honestly, the situation applies to man as well. In essence do we know for sure what anyone really want? Sometimes we don't even know what we ourselves want, let alone expecting others to know what we want. If we really want to know, start by knowing ourselves better first...

Young King Arthur

was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.The question was: 'What do women really want?' 

Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man. And to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princes, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer.

Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but first he would have to agree to her price.The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table, and Arthur's closest friend!

Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden.

But Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?' She said, 'A woman wants to be in charge of her own life.' 

Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth, and that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was.

The neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was sitting by the bed.

The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened. The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth become her horrible and deformed self only half the time, and be the beautiful maiden the other half.

'Which would you prefer?' She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day .... or at night?'
Lancelot pondered the predicament.

During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends,
but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!
Or,
Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day?
But by night a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous moments with?

And Lancelot's choice is given below...
BUT... please make YOUR choice first before you scroll down below... ?

Knowing the answer the witch gave to Arthur for his question,
Sir Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself.

 Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time..
Because, he hadrespected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now... what is themoral to this story?
The moral is...
1) There is 'witch' in every woman, no matter how beautiful she is!
2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly! 

So, be careful how you treat a woman and always remember:

IT IS EITHER ' HER WAY ' OR  ' NO WAY ' !!

Richard III - CLARENCE sleeps

Sorrow breaks seasons and reposing hours,
Makes the night morning, and the noon-tide night.
Princes have but their tides for their glories,
An outward honour for an inward toil;
And, for unfelt imagination,
They often feel a world of restless cares:
So that, betwixt their tides and low names,
There's nothing differs but the outward fame.

After Clarence falls asleep, Brakenbury, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, enters and observes that between the titles of princes and the low names of commoners there is nothing different but the "outward fame", meaning that they both have "inward toil" whether rich or poor.

Thought: Are princes very different from paupers? We are all but made of dust; we make do with what life gives us. So who are we to get puffed up and put ourselves higher than others?