It was a sunny Saturday in Oklahoma City. A proud father Bobby Lewis was taking his two little boys to visit a museum. He walked up to the person at the ticket office and said, “How much is it to get in?”

The person replied, “$3.00 for you and $3.00 for any kid who is older than six. We will let them in free if they are six or younger. How old are they?”

Bobby replied, “One is three and the other is seven, so I guess I owe(应给)you $6.00.”

The person at the ticket office said, “Hey, sir, did you just win the lottery(彩票)or something? You could have saved yourself $3.00. I wouldn’t have known the difference.” Bobby replied, “Yes, that maybe true, but the kids would have known the difference.”

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying.” In challenging times when ethics(伦理)are more important than ever before, make sure you set a good example for everyone you work and live with.

I used to think the whole purpose of life was looking for happiness. What truly makes people happy? What I discovered changed my life. Looking for happiness may make people stressed and unhappy. Even though life is getting better, more people feel hopeless, sad and alone. According to the research, what causes this is not a lack (缺乏) of happiness but a lack of having meaning in life.

Many psychologists (心理学家) think of happiness as feeling comfortable or good in the moment. Meaning, though, is deeper. The famous psychologist Martin Seligman says meaning comes from belonging, achieving something beyond yourself and developing from the best inside you. Belonging, purpose, transcendence (超越), telling stories—these are the four parts of meaning. We need to build them inside our families and organizations to help people make an excellent person.

I remember a powerful experience. I had with my father. Several months after I graduated from college, my dad had a serious heart attack (心脏病). He survived (活下来), and when I asked him his feelings as he faced death, he said all he could think about was needing to live, so he could be there for my brother and me, and this gave him the courage to fight for life. When doctors were giving him an operation (手术), he didn’t feel afraid. Instead, he repeated our names. He wanted our names to be the last words he spoke on earth if he died.

My dad lives a common, but a good life. Lying there facing death, he had a reason to live: love. His sense of belonging inside his family, his purpose as a dad, his unusual thinking, repeating our names-these are why he survived. That’s the power of meaning. Happiness comes and goes. But whether life is good or bad, having meaning gives you something to hold on to.

An elephant and a crocodile were once standing beside a river. They were disputing who the better animal was.

"Look at my strength," said the elephant.“I can pull up a tree, roots and all, with my trunk."

“Ah! But your skin is not nearly so thick as mine," replied the crocodile.“No knife or tooth can cut through it."

A lion happened to pass.

"My dear friends!" said the king of all animals, going up to them,“Let me know the cause of your disagreement."

"Will you kindly tell us who the better animal is?" cried both at once.

"Certainly," said the lion, pointing across the river. "Do you see the metal hat on that wall?"

"Yes", replied the beasts.

"Well, then," continued the lion,“go and get it, and bring it to me, and I shall be able then to decide between you."

Upon hearing this, off they started. The crocodile, being used to the water, reached the opposite side of the river first, and was soon standing beside the wall.

Here he waited till the elephant came up. The elephant, seeing that the crocodile had no way of reaching the hat, raised his long trunk, and took down the hat quite easily.

They then made their way together back again across the river. The elephant was trying to keep up with the fast-moving crocodile in the water and became careless. The elephant dropped the hat and it fell to the river bottom. The crocodile noticed the accident, so down he dived, and brought it up in his huge mouth. They then returned, and the crocodile laid the metal hat at the lion's feet. The king took it up, and turning to the elephant, said:

"You, because of your size and trunk, were able to reach the hat on the wall. But having lost in, you were unable to get it back. And you," said the lion to the crocodile, "although unable to reach the hat, were able to dive for it and save it. You are both wise and able in your own ways. One is no better than the other."