A cow was grazing out in the jungle when it suddenly noticed a lion racing towards her. Fearing for her life, she turned and fled as swiftly as she could, only to find a shallow pond ahead of her. Barely evading the lion’s reach, she jumped into the pond, followed by the lion. The pond was extremely shallow yet filled with deep recesses of mud. After toppling over each other, the cow and the lion found themselves a short distance apart, stuck in the mud up to their necks.
Both of them tried to get out but despite all their efforts, they were stuck neck-deep in water. The lion repeatedly snarled at the cow and roared, “I am not going to be here for too long, as soon as I get out, you will crush under my teeth!” Saying so, he thrashed about in fury but soon became fretful as he found no prospect of escape.
The cow laughed, seemingly at the ignorance of the lion and asked, “Do you have a master?”
The lion disdainfully replied, “I am the king of the jungle. Why do you ask me if I have a master? I myself am the master!”
The cow said, “You may be the king of the jungle, but here all your power has failed to save your life.”
“And what about you?” Retorted the lion. “You are going to die here in this mud too!”’
The cow smiled mildly and said, “No, I am not.”
“If even I, the king of the jungle cannot free myself from this mud”, snapped the lion, “then how can you, an ordinary cow?”
The cow gently replied, “I cannot free myself from this mud, but my master can. When the sun sets, and he finds me absent at home, he will come looking for me. Once he finds me, he will raise me up and escort me home.”
The lion fell silent and coldly glared at the cow.
Soon enough, the sunset and the cow’s master arrived. He immediately recognised the plight she was in and lifted her to safety. As they walked home, the cow and the master both felt renewed gratitude for one another.
Research over the years has shown that people who have a strong network of support or strong community bonds show improved focus and performance at academic, professional and personal levels.
A support system is like a safety net: Having the right support system is like having a safety net under you all the times.
Nurture and maintain relations with people whom you trust, can fall back on and embrace you in hours of need.
Surround yourselves with the right people: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Surrounding yourselves with the right people positively influence you to do better and grow in life.
Smile and see the brighter side: Don’t judge people and circumstances too quickly. When in difficult situation, look for the brighter side, never give up and keep pursuing your passion, no matter what.
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Note: The results are not exact but very close to the actual.
