A Tale of Two Seas

Sitting in the Geography class in school, I remember how fascinated I was when we were being taught all about the Dead Sea. As you probably recall, the Dead Sea is really a Lake, not a sea (and as my Geography teacher pointed out, if you understood that, it would guarantee 4 marks in the term paper!) It is so high in salt content that the human body can float easily. You can almost lie down and read a book!The salt in the Dead Sea is as high as 35% - almost 10 times the normal ocean water. And all that saltiness has meant that there is no life at all in the Dead Sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in the Dead sea.

And hence the name: Dead Sea. The Dead Sea- White crystals of salt covering everything While the Dead Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don't seem to recall learning about the Sea of Galilee in my school Geography lesson. So when I heard about the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea and the tale of the two seas - I was intrigued. Turns out that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from River Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different.

Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colorful marine life. There are lots of plants. And lots of fish too. In fact, the sea of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fishes. Sea of Galilee- Sunset Sea of Galilee in Spring

Same region, same source of water, and yet while one sea is full of life, the other is dead. How come?

Here apparently is why.

The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee in and then out - and that keeps the Sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.

But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. The water flows in from the River Jordan, but does not flow out. There are no outlet streams. It is estimated that over a million tons of water evaporate from the Dead Sea every day. Leaving it salty. Too full of minerals. And unfit for any marine life.

The Dead Sea takes water from the River Jordan, and holds it. It does not give. Result? No life at all.

Think about it.

Life is not just about getting. It is about giving. We all need to be a bit like the Sea of Galilee.

We are fortunate to get wealth, knowledge, love and respect. But if we don't learn to give, we could all end up like the Dead Sea. The love and the respect, the wealth and the knowledge could all evaporate. Like the water in the Dead Sea.

If we get the Dead Sea mentality of merely taking in more water, more money, more everything, the results can be disastrous. Good idea to make sure that in the sea of your own life, you have outlets. Many outlets. For love and wealth - and everything else that you get in your life. Make sure you don't just get, you give too. Open the taps. And you'll open the floodgates to happiness.

Make that a habit. To share. To give.

And experience life. Experience the magic!

(Courtesy of a forwarded mail from P Tan)
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Feedback from Dr JB Lim:
Wednesday, 27 April, 2011 7:36 PM

I fully agree. We are blessed with all the provisions in life God gives us. It is more blessed to give than to receive as the Sea of Galilee tells us. It is a beautiful illustration whoever wrote that! Thank you. A lesson learnt in illustration.

lim ju boo
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小蚂蚁和大鸟的故事启示

一只小蚂蚁在河边喝水，不小心掉了下去。它用尽全身力气想靠近岸边，但没一会儿就游不动了，在原地打转，小蚂蚁近乎绝望地挣扎着。这时，正在河边觅食的一只大鸟看见了这一幕，它同情地看着这只可怜的小蚂蚁，然后衔起一根小树枝扔到它旁边，小蚂蚁挣扎上树枝，终于脱险回到岸上。

当小蚂蚁在河边草地上晒身上的水时，它听到了一个人的脚步声。一个猎人轻轻地走过来，手里端着枪，准备射杀那只大鸟。小蚂蚁迅速地爬上猎人的脚趾，钻进他的裤管，就在猎人扣动板机的瞬间，小蚂蚁咬了他一口。猎人一分神，子弹打偏了。枪声把大鸟惊起，振翅飞远了。尽管蚂蚁是比大鸟弱小许多的小动物，但它却用自己的力量帮助大鸟躲过—次杀身之祸。

一件微不足道的小事或许可以改变你的一生，生活中有许多普通人或许会帮上你的大忙。施比受更有福，要全心地赋予，无条件地舍弃自己以后，你才会得到比你舍弃的更多的回报。无心的充满友善的举止行为，将获得不可预想的喜悦。

(Extract from: http://wce3126.blog.tcedu.com.cn/21884.html)