Why So Serious?

“Why so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face!”

It’s a quote that most people have heard but it’s not exactly something most people would apply in their life. Sometimes, we welcome problems, but most times we try everything we can to avoid them, but still, problems embrace us in this life, and then we run around constantly looking for ways to better face them.

A story that everyone has already heard goes like this, A young woman during a time of trouble sought her mother’s advice. She told her that things were hard for her and how she was unable to cope with problems. Her mother took her to the kitchen and filled three pots with water. In the first, she put carrots, in the second, she put eggs and in the last, she placed coffee beans. She let them boil. Twenty minutes later, she turned off the burners and asked her daughter, “What do you see?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied. The mother drew her closer and told her to feel the carrots. She did and saw that they were soft. She was then asked to take an egg and break it. On shelling, the daughter found a hard-boiled egg. Finally, she was asked to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. Perplexed, she asked, “What’s your point, mother?” Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity that is boiling water, but each had reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but soon turned soft and weak. The egg, when put to the test, had hardened. However, the ground coffee beans were unique. They had changed the texture of the water and filled it with their aroma. “Which are you?” she asked her daughter.

This fable teaches us a lot. Which one are you? What are you made up of? Do you crumble and fall in front of a trouble, do you become hard? Or do you face it, evolve into something else like the coffee bean, which changes the water, the very circumstance that brings the pain, by its fragrance and flavour. When the hours are the darkest and trials are at their greatest, elevate to another level. There lies the secret to solving problems and handling adversity.

Problems are part and parcel of life. And since most problems are man-made, solutions are within our reach.  To evolve and to elevate ourselves and to smile in midst of this troubles makes a lot of difference, A smile has special powers. You can calm fear, insecurity, hurt and anxiety not only in yourself but in those that are experiencing those feelings.

The great rapper 2Pac once said,
“The power of a gun can kill, and the power of fire can burn
The power of wind can chill, and the power of the mind can learn
The power of anger can raise inside until it tears you apart
But the power of a smile can heal a frozen heart

A smile is a contagious thing. Give to the world and wait and watch it give back to you. Smile at the world and the world smiles back at you. You can brighten the days of those around you and make a difference in the lives of others around you… simply by smiling!

Beauty is power; a smile is its sword!