whatareyouthinking

A carpenter provided each one of his apprentices with a set of tools that would enable them to make the same things they made while they were with him.  Then the carpenter left them with the tools. 

The apprentices responded in different ways.  Some continued to make good things, using the tools they were given in the same manner as the carpenter.  Other groups of apprentices realized the profit potential in using the tools to make things and devoted much time to peddling their goods.  Some decided not to use the tools in a constructive manner but to cause harm to others instead.  A vast number of apprentices refused to use any of the tools until the carpenter himself would return.  Finally, there were those who did not like the things the carpenter made so they refused the tools and the carpenter.  

 
A man told his landlord about how anxious he was feeling.   
 
His landlord said, “I know why you are feeling anxious.  You left the door open to your house some time back.  A dog entered and hid a bad luck charm in your home.  Once you find the bad luck charm and remove it, you will not be anxious anymore.”
 
The man searched the living room and found a piece of a rock.  He asked his landlord, “Could this be the bad luck charm?”
 
“It could be,” the landlord replied.  “You should get rid of it.”  So the man removed the rock and felt better for a while, but his anxiety returned.  Therefore, he inquired of his landlord again. 
 
“He may have dropped off more than one bad luck charm,” his landlord offered.  “Once you find the others and remove them, all will go well for you.”
 
Eventually, the man removed everything from his home that appeared suspect to his landlord.  Yet he still felt anxious.
 
“It must be the items the bad luck charms came in contact with that are still causing your anxiety,” the landlord concluded.

After a stressful day of labor, a man decided to stop at the beer store to purchase some beverages.  He brought them home, drank a few, and felt a little better.  Ecstatic about his new discovery, he produced a series of audio and video media and began hosting lectures around the world concerning his better living through beer.  He was once quoted saying, “I did it—and I’m nobody special.  Therefore, you too can improve the quality of your life by drinking a few beers every day after work.”  Many bought into it, but few had the same experiences that he spoke of.

A middle-aged, graying woman was in the midst of eating her soup when much to her disgust she noticed a thick, course hair in the bowl!  In the middle of this busy restaurant, she screamed, “There is a hair in my soup, I need the manager!”  Someone from the kitchen came running to her aid. 
 
“May I help you?” the gentleman asked as he approached her table.  The remainder of the restaurant staff and patrons became an attentive audience.
 
“There is a hair in my soup!” the woman screamed.  “Now I suggest you teach your staff how to properly run your business.  This is a disgrace!  There is nothing more repulsive than looking at a piece of someone’s filthy, greasy hair in a bowl of soup!  I refuse to pay for this garbage!”
 
The manager said, “I am sorry to see that you are unhappy.  There is no need for you to pay for the soup.”
 
Satisfied with the manager’s decision, the woman indignantly nodded her head with a quick jerk.  As she prepared herself to leave, the staff and patrons watched as yet another one of her course, gray hairs fell from her head, down toward the table, and into her bowl of soup.

A couple went away for the weekend and entrusted their son with watching over their home.  Since their son wanted to impress his friends, he invited them to the house to party in his parent’s absense.  

As the party progressed, the situation became increasingly out of control.  By the time it was over, the property was severely damaged and many of the guests were harmed. 
The young man mused extensively over his predicament.  First, he thought there might be a way for him to cover up the whole event so that his parents would never find out about it.  After a time, he realized this was not possible. Next, he began to ponder a good defense for having such a party while glossing over the damages it caused.  Yet this brought no peace to his mind.  Then, he considered attempting to undo all the harm that was done to the home and compensating his friends for their injuries.  Still the task was too overwhelming.  He also considered making it up to his parents by doing everything he thought they would want him to do all of the time.  Nevertheless, he eventually realized that he was quite incapable of keeping such a commitment.

Finally, the young man thought about the character his father had demonstrated to himself and others in the past.  He knew his father cared for him and would not do anything unreasonable regardless of the magnitude of his error.  Therefore, when his parents came back home, he simply showed his father the condition of the house and admitted to all he was responsible for.  The damage was so extensive that he knew there was no way he could fix any of it on his own.  As a result, the boy depended solely on his father’s kindness to deliver him from the situation.

A concerned parent, overwhelmed by her child’s seemingly lack of interest in everything sensed a feeling of relief when she overheard her child mentioning that he would like to get a particular book on psychology.  She thought to herself, ‘Oh, he’s finally taking an interest in something—and in his own father’s line of work!’
 
Not wanting to disturb the husband’s office bookshelf, the woman went to every new and used bookstore in town, purchasing every unique psychology book that she could find.  She raced home and anxiously knocked on her son’s bedroom door, saying, “Quickly, come outside, and see what I have for you!”  He walked outside the house and glanced toward the driveway.  He was amazed at the sight of a weighed-down SUV packed with psychology books in nearly every space excepting the driver’s seat.
 
“I overheard your conversation earlier, and now, here you are!” His mother proudly exclaimed.
 
Her son returned with, “Thanks for doing this, Mom.  But don’t you think this is a little extravagant for a Father’s Day gift?”

A woman and her husband had four children of various ages.  They made a commitment to treat all four of them both fairly and equally.  They felt it was their duty to ensure that neither [child] felt inferior nor superior to the other.  When the parents went clothes shopping for the kids, they were sure to purchase exactly the same style and size shirts, pants, and undergarments for all of them.  This was so that none of their children would be uncomfortable. 

A congressional hopeful, not affiliated with any political party, went door-to-door campaigning for the upcoming election. He stopped at a woman’s house and had a lengthy discussion with her. The woman was impressed by his answers to her tough questions and awed by his character and integrity. Finally, the woman said, “Sir, I believe that you would make a wonderful congressman, but I’m afraid I cannot give you my vote. You see, I’m a Republican.”

There was a woman entertaining some guests in her home. One [guest] mentioned that she thought it was too cold in the dining room. Soon, the others, along with the hostess zealously agreed that something needed to be done about the temperature. So they set the house on fire.

A woman went to a grocery store and purchased everything on her shopping list for that week.  On her way home, she spotted a flyer where she noticed some of the items that she purchased were on sale at another store.  Many products at the other store were also her preferred brands.  So she pulled over to the nearest dumpster, threw away all of the groceries she had just bought, and did all of her shopping at the other store.