Life Lessons from the Dead Sea – Share, Give and experience Life’s Magic

When there is a couple of days’ rain in the desert, it’s enough to transform the landscape. Almost overnight, it seems, the desert springs to life. The seeds that lie dormant suddenly are triggered to action. Flowers of different colors and kind suddenly bloom out of nowhere.

This is nature’s beautiful process of recirculation and rejuvenation. Something like this is true for us too.

Just as the amazing difference a few rain drops can do to a dry desert, as good intentioned, aware people, we can make an amazing difference to what is around us; to the people who surround us, the environment, the organisations we work with or to the society at large.

As fortunate people, who have gained knowledge, wealth, love and respect, we are best positioned to use these to do something for others; by sharing our knowledge and helping others grow; and by contributing our mite for good causes around us.

Those who do, get tremendous satisfaction and continue to learn and grow; those who don’t, slowly stagnate and become like the Dead Sea.

Do you know the story of the Dead Sea? It’s one of my best learnings…

The story of the Dead Sea

Amongst all the geography lessons I have read and heard in my school days, the Dead sea was the most fascinating one. The first thing that attracted me to Dead Sea subject was when my teacher told me that it’s not actually a sea; that it’s really a lake.

The second fascination of the Dead sea was that it had such high salt content that it can enable a human body to easily float. They say you can actually lie down on your back and read a book in the waters!

But the most shocking information about the Dead Sea is that the high salt content also means that there is no life at all in this sea. No fish. No vegetation. No sea animals. Nothing lives in it and hence the name the Dead Sea.

While the Dead Sea has remained etched in my memory, I don’t recall learning about the Sea of Galilee in my school geography lesson. So when one day, I heard about the Sea of Galilee along with the Dead Sea – I was intrigued.

I learnt that the Sea of Galilee is just north of the Dead Sea. Both the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea receive their water from the river Jordan. And yet, they are very, very different. Unlike the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee is pretty, resplendent with rich, colourful marine life. There are lots of plants.  And fish too. In fact, the sea of Galilee is home to over twenty different types of fish.

Same region, same source of water; and yet, while one sea is full of life, the other is dead!

How come?  

Here’s the reason.The River Jordan flows into the Sea of Galilee and then flows out. The water simply passes through the Sea of Galilee -just in and out – and that keeps the Sea healthy and vibrant, teeming with marine life.

But the Dead Sea is so far below the mean sea level, that it has no outlet. Here, the water flows in from the river Jordan, but does not flow out.  There are no outlet streams. The water continuously evaporates from the dead sea all day, just leaving it with high salt content; and this makes it unfit for any marine life.

Life Lessons from the Dead Sea

So here’s my learning – The Dead Sea takes the same water from river Jordan as the Sea of Galilee; and just holds it. It does not give; and hence, there is no life there at all.

The moral… Life is not just about receiving. It is about receiving and giving.

I am sure, in our lives, we have all come across people of both types – those who resemble the Sea of Galilee and those who are like the Dead Sea. There are people who share and there are people who are totally indifferent.

If we observe closely, those who learn from others and share learning further, are the ones who evolve and grow. Those who don’t, tend to stagnate; at workplaces and in life.

So let’s look within. Make sure we don’t just receive, we give too. Open the taps to open the floodgates to happiness.

Share, Give, Experience Life’s magic!

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