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The Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers
davelovesleeds
Posts: 22,637 Forum Member
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A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was... The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was... The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.' The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed... 'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else---the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical check-ups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18... There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.' The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend.
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WHAT!!! You mean it's not real?
I have seen it so often on Facebook. The OP could not even be bothered to add something to try to make a discussion.
I get having priorities but the analogy is flawed.
And if the jar is full of golf balls, pebbles and sand you aren't going to get a full beer in there. Empty you'd be hard pushed. Unless rather than a jar it was a huge catering size tub of mayo.
That is quite an assumption. I can think of three people who I have known that who took cleaning to a point where it becomes uncomfortable.
So, if a friend phoned you up and said "Fancy going for a pint/round of golf/bite to eat?" you'd say "No, sorry, I've got to clean the bathroom". Yes, having a clean house is nice but I'd never cancel plans or put that before doing something fun. I'd do the fun stuff and then clean the bathroom when I'd got time.
I'm not talking about 'OCD' type cleaning - just keeping the place from descending into a stinky health hazard. If you prioritise pleasure & golf over day to day necessities all the time you are going to end up living in squalor.
Depends how bad the bathroom was.
Under normal circumstances I would go for a bite to eat (not golf though!) but if I had done that every evening for a week then certainly I would prioritise the bathroom and re-arrange the friend.
I'v not seen it before and enjoyed it thank you
Offering an alternative view point for discussion is hardly 'hating'.
I happen to think questioning ideas (especially ideas in internet w'nksplat) is worth prioritising. sharing and discussing views is worth prioritising. Mindless acceptance of someone else's philosophy is not my idea of a route to happiness. Though it would leave more time for cleaning and impromptu rounds of golf.
Poor friend! I'd be horrified if any of my mates put me off to do some cleaning, I'd certainly be re-assessing my friendship with them.
"The analogy is flawed" Well most simplistic analogies are, but that's not to say that the point of the OP is lost.
Lighten up man!
EDIT - just seen your name is Stressmonkey so I figure lightening up isn't easy.
And if I'd been out every night that week & a friend didn't understand that I had to catch up on housework - not least so my child had a safe & clean environment - so needed to put them of until the next day, then I'd be re-assessing my friendship with them.
Thankfully my friends are pretty easy-going people who understand that I can't always drop everything for a night out so we usually plan our evenings out.
But I think were now missing the point a little. The w'nksplat suggested blowing off necessary tasks in favour of pleasurable ones. I'm saying that isn't always a good philosophy. It ignores the rewards of completing less pleasurable, necessary tasks like cleaning and the risks of not completing them.
See the Aesop's fable 'The Grasshopper and the Ant' for an alternative viewpoint.
I'm not exactly stressing over this.....
Of course the analogy is flawed! The suggestion that you first have to empty your life of mayonnaise is absolutely ridiculous!
;-)
Life without Mayonnaise
Now that is something to get stressed about
When it gets to the point when you're drinking beer from a mayonnaise jar full of golf balls, pebbles and sand I'm guessing you're not going to be all that fussed about what type of mayo it was.
The main thing I'd take away from that story is that students are gullible.
I mean "Is the jar full?"
Did nobody even think that the correct answer might be "no"?
One of the lecturers at my college did conduct a similar exercise.
He drew a black dot on a sheet of paper, held it up and asked people what they saw.
They all replied "A black dot".
When he asked me I said "You're stood at the front of the class, holding up a sheet of paper with a black dot drawn on it".
Which kinda put a dent in his sermon about how you've got to make sure you never overlook the obvious.
To be honest it does sound like you're a bit obsessive about cleaning. I've got a clean house but if given the option of doing something actually enjoyable I'll choose the enjoyable thing every time. That's why I tend to try to eliminate the chores, for example I have a robot hoover and artificial grass which means I now never have to hoover or mow the lawn. I wipe the kitchen down as I'm cooking which only really leaves cleaning the bathroom. I don't think putting off cleaning that for a few nights is particularly creating a terribly unsafe environment for my family.
I generally think that doing stuff you enjoy is a great philosophy.
It would not bother me actually. I hardly ever eat the stuff.
If they did that nowadays, I reckon at least one student would say "I see dead people!" ;-)