According to the ancients, selfishness creates a poison in the body that ultimately shortens a person's life. Well, whether this is true or not, the mind can be a receptacle for a lot of toxic wastes that don't necessarily pass through the mouth. It's high time to detoxify!
There was this teacher who, as an assignment, had each child in her class bring along a bag of potatoes. The curious kids each brought a bag the following day, wondering what it was for.
"Class, write down on a potato the name of the person you don't like to give anything to or share something with," she then instructed.
The kids then put names on the potatoes - some after thinking silently, some immediately scribbling furiously. Some wrote on just two potatoes while others wrote on as much as eight potatoes. They were then told to carry their "potato chips" with them wherever they went for one whole week.
After a week, the children were made to report on their assigned task. Naturally, they all started to complain about the foul smell created by the now rotten potatoes. Some also complained about the heavy load they had to bear. Finally, one little girl asked, "Ma'am, why did you ask us to carry all these potatoes?"
"To teach you how it feels when you think only of yourselves and not of others," she said, smiling. "When you do not share with others, it is like a bad odor. You carry the heavy stench wherever you go. Now, if you hated the smell of rotten potatoes for just seven days, how do you think you can carry selfish feelings for the rest of your life?"
Moral of the story: Unburden your heart of any selfishness. Throw your rotten potatoes away!