Eye help: ~ You can’t tell a book by its cover ~ - Help.com

I makes me think of how people will shine most when they are where they are meant to be…when they are in there element.

cool! thanks

Well, the glass from a bottle, it’s rightful place, in terms of it’s purpose for creation, is not in a stream. And I’m sure the river was just as surprised to have a piece of glass in it. So I think the your title for the post was on the money. Hmm, so, two pieces of matter that would never be associated with one another coming together and producing an excellent result is the… substance? To this story, and perhaps the moral is, or could be phrased in a way, sometimes in being out of place, you are in the best place for you. Or, for every unlikely couple there’s an unlikely compliment, hehe, that sounds good more then it makes sense :p I dunno, there’s my 2cents…

I saw it on 3 or 4 levels.

Firstly, as has been said, the glass is out of its element as it were, yet it still shines. So you can’t tell if a situation is right for you until you find yourself in it. Similary a person might find themselves in an un-natural situation, yet it turns out to bring out the best in them. In this case the glass, used to life as a bottle, has found itself in a river, and yet it is doing very well, shining infact.

The second level was sparked by your description of the glass. It was smooth, “polished by years of water running over it”. And now it shines. So what that told me was it takes a lot of refining and improving to become a “shining example” to others; to be the person you want to be, or to live the life you want to live. Its by no means a quick process. But even something as insignificant as a mere glass bottle has the means to acheive. A tale of perseverance, of hope.

But by taking the glass out of the water, it ceased to shine. So there is an undertone of “fate”, even the best laid plans can fail due to the unforeseen actions of others. I see this as a warning: Appreiciate what you have, because you wont have it forever.
*But*, and a big but, hope is not lost. Because when you returned the glass, it shone once more. Nothing is gone forever, you can recover from the bad turns life may take.

Finally, there is the lightness in your heart following the whole thing. You found no treasure; it was mere glass. Yet you saw the good in it, and took happiness from that. To many it would be an insigificant, instantly forgettable experience, yet you allowed the shining glass to touch your heart, and change you for the better.
The moral for me: See the good in life, and take solice in the simple things. Open your heart, and happiness will find you, albeit in forms you may never have considered.

I’ll stop there because I feel I’ve given plenty of food for thought! A very interesting, and once again thought provoking post. Kudos Richard =)

The story seems to me about letting go of things, so that you can deal with them in general. Like stopping to smell the flowers, I think it’s about gaining strength from beauty. At least that’s what I got out of it.

Memories like icons for certain states of mind, that keep me going. I think of when my son was a newborn, this one time he caught my eye from down the hospital corridor, so intensely even though we were not near each other. The ocean and sky is always in the back of my mind, and this one time at a party when eveyone was so uplifted we were almost in a trance. A friend of mine was dancing on the stage, and some great energy was shifting above the crowd. I’m always there in the back of my mind.

that richard like shiny things… see in the old day,,, they would teach with stories, but the story was supposed to convey something specific… if the audience got the wrong message then they missed the point of the story… this, however, seems more like a none teaching story where the meaning is left up to audience. i mean i got that the point was not to judge by appearances,,, but the story didn’t really involve too much of that… there was no weight placed on judgment, you saw something shiny, picked i up, it turned out to be a broken piece of glass, you put it back, and walked away. the details of the story were pretty and nice, but didn’t leave any real messages… the only part that really stuck out was that it was strange that it didn’t reflect in your hand… (water makes glass more reflective) but there was no message in it, more of an open ended, what do you think about the strangeness, posed question. so comparing this to teaching through story isn’t really right… becuase whatever is learned will not have come from the story, but from ones self… its more like asking a question through story… or perhaps it would be best to compare it to a poem, or painting. there isn’t really a lesson to be learned, but it does send a message… this is likely the least offensive and my favorite post by you…. very nice story richard…

Well..

You cant judge a person on how they appear or react with the first contact with you.

A persons apparent personality can be shaped in many ways by the soundings they live in, work in, or socialise in.

What you see on the searface in not always if ever what is underneath.

That is one reason why lust is confused for love.

In time your worst emay can be your best friend.

It is up to you to be open minded and be willing to see the person below.

That is what I have seen in this parable…is that the right word.

Still that’s me.

Nice story Richard.

That there is always hope. The light is always shining, somewhere. There is beauty in all things natural:) and sometimes manmade. Soul:)

Well first let me say that it was a nice bedtime story for me and it made me relax. Thank you for that.
Now you’re asking me to think… ok…

If you had known that what you saw there shining in the water was nothing but a simple piece of broken glass, you never would have stopped by, sat there and enjoyed that peaceful moment in time.

What it makes me think of is that you should never underestimate the importance and value of another human being. You never know who could end up saving your life or shining the light on your darkest moment.

Yep! That’s what I’m getting out of it. Maybe your meaning is exactly the opposite. I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.
It was a really nice relaxing moment for me before going to bed and I want to thank you for that, Richard.

:) :)

In the parable of the good Samaritan, the listeners are left with a question, “Which of these was his neighbor?” It begs the answer.. the one who had mercy on him. When a woman who had been caught cheating on her husband was brought before Jesus, he scribbled in the dirt, then told whoever was without sin to cast the first stone. And they tucked their tails between their legs and slunk away like the hypocrites they were.

Many of you know I’m not big on taking the Bible literally, but these were powerful lessons that spiritual souls of all religions get.. care for the needy, don’t judge others. Sometimes a teacher conveys their lesson more emphatically and eloquently by asking a question that requires the student to actually THINK, instead of just memorizing, parroting or agreeing.

Richard asked, “What did you learn? What part touched your heart?” Two lessons in one, an intellectual and an ethical. Then, as in those gimmick commercials, “But wait, if you order now, you’ll also get..” You’ll also get to be the teacher, because Richard did not align the sun’s rays, the water’s depth, the reflectivity of the glass or the angle of his approach, God did, or the Universe did, if you will. And we, little cosmic variables that we are, get to interact like the rest of nature.

Anyone in need of a direct lesson can take this away.. be careful when wading in a stream; you could cut your foot on an old piece of glass.

I for one have never been offended by any of your posts, Richard.

I didn’t know there was a quiz at the end of this…

I suppose my level of understanding was that originally a bit of greed overtook the man as he thought he was going to find treasure… But disappointment came over him when he realized it wasn’t treasure. I think after he saw it shining back he realized it was indeed treasure, but treasure that could only be seen from a distance. Much like the lives of men specifically in today’s world. Now please don’t be offended I am only using the following as an example.

Many people want to immigrate to the US especially hispanics. This reminds me of the story, they see the treasure from afar and it is amazing, but once they come to get it they see that it is disappointing. Not all that they had hoped or expected. If they were to leave the US however they would once again see its splendor.

Thank you Richard.

Loved this Richard.

I think it teaches us an important lesson that, as your title says. You cant tell a book by its cover.

It could be worth so much more. Yet the man put it back and judged it based on what he could see.

I feel it is our true selves that are only there to be judged. Not our initial first appearances.

Isn’t it incredible how everyone can look at the same thing and see it totally differently from the next person? It makes me wonder how we manage to communicate on this website or anywhere else, for that matter.
It can also explain all of the misunderstandings that occur between well intentioned individuals.

Wow! Life is amazing!
We’ll never be able to grasp it all!

the fact that we all interpreted this post differently and got to read all the interpretations may of been Richards objective…

If so, I like his approach…

If not, I still like the post…..

Always a pleasure Richard and I do owe you an email. Thanks for caring about so many. What I got was the beauty of personal truth and experience. Hey, at least he found something that gave him joy, even though it was not what he expected. Sometimes what we think we want/need isn’t always the best thing for us.

I think the fact that you put it back says a lot about who you are. My mother would have taken it with her to examplify the story, I would have thrown it in the glass bin, but you left it there - why? For others to find or so you would know it was there?

…well maybe the glass in my situation is my love, glimmering as it may be..maybe i should let it go and my own heart will be lighter..