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SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
Fri Mar 14, 2014, 01:11 PM Mar 2014

500 balloons [View all]


My son sent me this ...I thought I would share




Once a group of 500 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each person was then asked to write their name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

The people were then let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written on it within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon.
Then, the speaker asked each person to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, "This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life...the pursuit of happiness."
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500 balloons [View all] SoCalDem Mar 2014 OP
k/r 840high Mar 2014 #1
I see what he did there. OnyxCollie Mar 2014 #2
Simple and the same time, profound badtoworse Mar 2014 #3
Pervert! Happiness is a stretchy membrane swollen beyond its normal shape? HereSince1628 Mar 2014 #4
Maybe they were Jackpine Radical Mar 2014 #5
Yes! Ask any kid. n/t hootinholler Mar 2014 #11
Heaven and Hell Brother Buzz Mar 2014 #6
Heaven is socialist FiveGoodMen Mar 2014 #8
Just less than half of this nation, and shrinking Brother Buzz Mar 2014 #9
Probably a good % were accidently popped BumRushDaShow Mar 2014 #7
I would be surprised if some of those people didn't start cooperating on their own because that jtuck004 Mar 2014 #10
... meegbear Mar 2014 #12
Cool story. bigwillq Mar 2014 #13
That's too many balloons. geardaddy Mar 2014 #14
and the wrong color hfojvt Mar 2014 #17
Right! geardaddy Mar 2014 #18
heh... what came to my mind too penultimate Mar 2014 #19
I suddenly have a craving for yuiyoshida Mar 2014 #15
..or caviar... Tikki Mar 2014 #16
Not just giving someone else their happiness and knowing you will get yours... cui bono Mar 2014 #20
Also illustrates how we can only find solutions to common problems by working together. baldguy Mar 2014 #21
Sounds like socialism. . . B Calm Mar 2014 #22
This would be an excellent exercise for young kids marions ghost Mar 2014 #23
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