Prayer and Belief

Today so far has been a typically busy day with customers kicking my butt all over my company (not allowing me to have a good afternoon siesta with my head monotonously banging on my keyboard). But only so far. In comes a forward from J that made my day much better. This one is cool! So, read on...

In a small town in America , a person decided to open up his bar business, which was right opposite to a church. The church & its congregation started a campaign to block the bar from opening with petitions and prayed daily against his business.

Work progressed. However, when it was almost complete and was about to open a few days later, a strong lightning struck the bar and it was burnt to the ground. The church folk were rather smug in their outlook after that, till the bar owner sued the church authorities for $2million on the grounds that the church through its congregation & prayers was ultimately responsible for the demise of his bar shop, either through direct or indirect actions or means.

In its reply to the court, the church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection that their prayers were reasons to the bar shop's demise. In support of their claim they referred to the Benson study at Harvard that inter-cessionary prayer had no impact !

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork and at the hearing and commented:

'I don't know how I am going to decide this case, but it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and we have an entire church and its devotees that doesn't.'

Any doubts?

Our company's community relations team recently conducted a science exhibition in which eighth grade students from a school nearby demonstrated their science projects. One girl stood out with the her crisp explanation of her project demonstrating the working of a hovercraft. The confidence with which she started out with her introduction, her project and the way it worked she looked more like a teacher than like a student. No less than four senior management staff members stopped by to watch her demonstration and all of them came away impressed and laughing. When she ended explaining Newton's third law and how hovercraft uses it, they all expected that to be the end of her demonstration and said "Well done". The puny 4 ft 8th grade kid universally, ignored the appreciation of 6 ft. MBAs and PhDs with double-digit work experience, looked all of them in the eye and jolted them to reality with an authoritative question, "Any doubts?".

Our company's COO, still recovering from the question half-an-hour later, while giving away the team awards told her in front of the crowd, "I am glad I got to learn a few science concepts today." Then he turned, smiled at her "I have no doubts. It is very clear!"

Busted!

I have two problems in my DNA. When I work, I take too many things up at the same time and smother myself. When I don't, I vegetate (and watch TV). Currently, I work. My to do list includes, but isn't limited to...

1. Conduct science exhibition at office
2. Print certificates for the participating students who used this as an excuse for not studying for their tests, not turning in home works and bunking schools.
3. Send out mails, stick posters, announcing people to get their empty heads out of their computers and show up for the exhibition!
4. Practice dance for the upcoming event where we are supposed to grab the attention who are actually more interested in the booze! :)
5. Oh! (almost slipped my mind)...and the numerous customers who believe that I am actually working on their problems, awaiting an answer from me

Being the great time management guru I am, I spent my time dancing when I was supposed to be sleeping and working when I was supposed to be printing out certificates. So far its alright, but going by this sequence all of a sudden meant, that I am forced to sleep while I am supposed to be working, and sleepy I was nodding every other minute. Not that I haven't done that before, but its a couple of days before the visit of a company big shot and the entire site is buzzing like a beehive to impress him and I could sense passers-by thinking "probably the guy who helps the company best when he is sleeping!"

You know that kind of embarrasses me. So, I thought I would go to RVD's cube who does a lot of good work behind the scene including designing my certificates. RVD also sits against a wall along with an empty cube. So after pretending to discuss something with RVD, I ensconced myself in the chair in the empty cube convinced that I can sleep without being judged by anyone else (except RVD, but well its still a good deal).

Not a minute after I passed out and I was shaken out of my sleep by a thunderous laughter that came down from 6 feet, 8 inches above me. As my eyes were still trying to refocus his image, he said "Wake up man! Its work time". Then he promptly turned to RVD, clarified something and then whizzed away, while I was still trying to form a clear image of his in my brains. RVD laughed heartily and said, "Now that you are busted by our site director, you have nothing to lose anymore! At least enjoy a good sleep"!