Cheese Moves.. Move On

     Being in an engineering college, I have regular assignments, vivas & tests apart from fever and headache. My new assignment is to write a ‘Book Review’ on something inspirational. Someone recommended me a book called ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ by Spencer Johnson, and I need to thank him for that. I’ve never been much into reading, so reading a book and writing a review didn’t really excite me. Books like ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ and ‘You can Win’ occupy some part of my book shelf, but I’ve always preferred to read a ‘Five Point Someone’.

     But this book was an exception. ‘Cheese’ in this story is like a metaphor for something which we possess, or something which we desire for. It’s a story about Sniff and Scurry, the two mice, and two little men, Hem and Haw. Finding cheese is their only goal in life. But nothing is permanent. Life puts before us a number of twists, and it depends on us, whether to consider these twists to be like obstacles or like opportunities. Sniff and Scurry were the ones who’d be the first one to try anything new. They were optimists who would accept changes gracefully. Like the opposite side of the same coin were the two little-people, who would not allow themselves to go beyond their familiar zone. One fine day, they found what they were looking for. Every morning they would race towards the place where the cheese was located and enjoy the benefits. This went on for quite some time. What the little people couldn’t see was that the quantity of cheese decreased with every passing day. Rather, as they symbolized a ‘human being’ they saw only what they wanted to see. It’s just human nature to stay away from changes and live in comfortable and ‘used to’ conditions. But, Sniff and Scurry were alert enough to notice this change.

     The cheese disappeared one day, which left Hem and Haw shocked and depressed. Reality, which they could never see, dawned upon them. The inevitable happened. But Sniff and Scurry were cool about this sudden disappearance, as they knew this was not something they could have avoided. They resumed their journey, the journey of life. It took some time for Haw to realize that sitting idle with a hope for the ‘cheese’ to come back would do no good. He laughed at himself and on his attitude towards Life. So, like the two mice, he over powered his fears and entered the ‘maze’ of life again, but with optimism this time, and with a hope that Hem would some day follow his path.

     Living with pessimism and anxiety is as good as being a coward. The ability to laugh at our actions does act like a pain-killer. As humans we have some thing called brain, and we tend to use it a bit too much. Think less, Live more and explore the world of happiness. Don’t be fatalistic, Be an Optimist. Cheese Moves.. Move On.