00:00In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
00:05An emperor in the far east was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor.
00:12Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different.
00:18He called young people in the kingdom together one day.
00:21He said it is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor.
00:26I have decided to choose one of you.
00:28The kids were shocked but the emperor continued,
00:31I am going to give each one of you a seed today, one very special seed.
00:37I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today
00:43with what you have grown from this one seed.
00:47I will then join the plants that you bring and the one I choose will be the next emperor.
00:54One boy named Ling was there that day and he like the others received a seed.
01:00He went home and excitedly told his mother the story.
01:05She helped him get a pot and planting soil and he planted the seed and watered it carefully.
01:12Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.
01:17After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds
01:22and the plants that were beginning to grow.
01:25Ling kept checking his seed but nothing ever grew.
01:29Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.
01:33While now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant
01:40and he felt like a failure.
01:42Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot.
01:46He just knew he had killed his seed.
01:48Everyone else had trees and tall plants but he had nothing.
01:53Ling didn't say anything to his friends.
01:56However, he just kept waiting for his seed to grow.
02:00A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection.
02:08Ling told his mother that he was not going to take an empty pot.
02:13But who knows about what happened.
02:15Ling felt sick to his stomach but he knew his mother was right.
02:20He took his empty pot to the palace.
02:22When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths.
02:29They were beautiful in all shapes and size.
02:32Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him.
02:39A few felt very sorry for him and just said, hey nice try.
02:43When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people Ling just tried to hide in the bag.
02:51What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown, said the emperor.
02:56Today one of you will be appointed the next emperor.
02:59All of a sudden the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot.
03:07He ordered his guard to bring him to the front.
03:10Ling was terrified. The emperor knew I am a failure.
03:14Maybe he will have me killed.
03:16When Ling got to the front, the emperor asked his name.
03:20My name is Ling.
03:21He replied.
03:23All the kids were laughing and making fun of him.
03:26The emperor asked everyone to quiet down.
03:29He looked at Ling and then announced to the crowd.
03:33Behold your new emperor.
03:35His name is Ling.
03:36Ling couldn't believe it.
03:38Ling couldn't even grow his seed.
03:40He could be the new emperor.
03:43Then the emperor said, one year ago today I gave everyone here a seed.
03:48I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it and bring it back to me today.
03:55But I gave you all wild seed which would not grow.
03:59All of you except Ling have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
04:04When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you.
04:11Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it.
04:20Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor.
04:24If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
04:28If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
04:31If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
04:35If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
04:39If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
04:42If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
04:46If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
04:50If you plant patience, you will reap improvement.
04:54If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
04:58But if you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
05:03If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
05:07If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
05:11If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
05:15If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
05:19If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
05:23If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
05:26If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
05:29If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
05:32If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.
05:35So be careful what you plant now.
05:38It will determine what you will reap tomorrow.
05:42The seeds you know scatter will make life worse or better.
05:47Your life are the ones who will come after.
05:51Yes, someday you will enjoy the fruits or you will pay for the choices you plant today.
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