Got this story in with a Stanford T-shirt I received in the mail today.
WARNING:
Rec’d a note from my friend Thomas Fusco just now, who informed me it was sort of fantasy. Here’s the fantasized story…since you came… 🙁
“A lady in a faded gingham dress, and her husband dressed in a homespun threadbare suit, stepped off the train in Boston and walked timidly into the Harvard University President’s outer office without an appointment.
The secretary could tell in a moment that such backwoods, country hicks had no business at Harvard, and thought they probably didn’t even deserve to be in Cambridge.
“We want to see the president,” the man said softly.
“He’ll be busy all day,” said the secretary.
“We’ll wait,” the lady politely replied.
For hours the secretary ignored them, hoping that the couple would finally become discouraged and leave. When they didn’t, the secretary grew frustrated and finally decided to disturb the president.
“Maybe if you see them for just a few minutes, they will leave,” she whispered.
He sighed and nodded. He detested gingham dresses and homespun suits cluttering up his outer office. The president, stern faced and with absolute dignity, strutted toward the couple.
The lady spoke to him. “We had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard. He was happy here. But about a year ago, he was accidentally killed. My husband and I would like to erect a memorial to him somewhere on campus.”
The president was not moved.
“Madam,” he said, “We can’t put up a satue for every person who attended Harard and died. If we did, this place would look like a cemetery.”
“Oh no,” the lady explained quickly. “We don’t want to erect a satutue. We thought we would like to give a building to Harvard.”
The president rolled his eyes. He glaced at the gingham dress and homespun suit, then exclaimed, “A building! Do you have any earthly idea how much a building costs? We have over seven and a half million dollars in the physical buildings here at Harvard!”
For a moment the lady was silent. The president was pleased he had gotten through to her. Maybe they would leave now.
The lady turned to her husband and said quietly, “Is that all it costs to start a university? Why don’t we just start our own?”
Her husband nodded.
The president’s face wilted in confusion and bewilderment. Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford then got up and walked away, traveling to Palo alto, CA where they established the university that now bears their name – Stanford University – a memorial to their son that Harvard no longer cared about.
You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing.
A true story – by Malcolm Forbes.”
While this story may not be true, it still lends as an excellent reminder that we should not prejudge a person.
Thank you for sharing it.
Nicole Bandes
Relationship Marketing Lens
I just went to snopes.com to check on the details of this story. As it turns out, NONE of the details in this story are true, other than the Stanfords founded Stanford University, they visited Harvard (not in the way this story describes) and they had a son who died (not the way this story leads us to believe). Additionally, this story was NOT told by Malcolm Forbes. http://www.snopes.com/glurge/stanford.asp
While it is very true that we should not prejudge anyone, I find it a hard pill to swallow when REAL names of people and places are used in a story to give it importance in others’ eyes.
I have a large email address book of friends and contacts from around the country…I receive so many false stories and legends that it’s mind boggling. Snopes.com and other sites like it are there for us to weed through all the fabricated stuff to find the true stories worthy of passing on to others.
I appreciate that this story was posted as a “sort of fantasy” to illustrate a valid point. I’m just dismayed to see that it’s actually an urban legend purported to be true by using REAL names and places. As Kim constantly tells us, we need to be careful and do our best to share FACTS with others. That is why we all come to THIS site — to be told the truth about things and to learn how to tactfully share facts with others. This story would have been much easier to swallow as “sort of fantasy” if the real names and places were not used. KO
Hi Karen:
Thanks for your comment.
The story was not posted initially as a ‘sort of fantasy.’ It was posted because I got it with a Stanford t-shirt that came in the mail from a friend. I noted that at the top of the post. And quoted the entire story, just as I received it.
When I got a heads up from Thomas, I checked it out, exposed my own post as fantasy I’d received in the mail, according to snopes.com, and offered the supposed real thing with link, and left both standing.
I suppose one can never know the entire truth of any story, but I thought both were entertaining and informative.
Think?
🙂
Fantasy and truth are two different issues. I guess we should go to snopes.com to find out the REAL story about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Maybe even tell our children from day one the truth. My favorite history lessons were Robin Hood and King Arthur. I have watched so many Hollywood versions that I have confused fact with fantasy. Does it matter? I actually enjoy the fantasy mixed with fact.
In business, though, the truth is important because it can affect someones life and make a difference in their success/failure. In NM even more important because it can make a difference in making someone’s dream a reality rather than a nightmare like so many people in our industry have experienced by those heavy hitters promising ‘pie in the sky.’
I personally enjoyed the story (thanks, Kim), and even if it is mixed with some fantasy it is a point well taken. Never judge a book by it’s cover, so to speak.
Venetta
http://www.aloecare4u.blogspot.com
Hi Kim…Thanks for your explanation…I appreciate your point of view and I see where you are coming from.
Karen
Hi Vanetta…It’s funny that you bring up Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny because I chose early on not to lie to my son about those myths and fantasies. I realized then and I realize now that puts me in a rare category…but I was raised believing those myths and fantasies and I remember to this day how I felt when I realized I had been lied to for so many years. That desire to know the truth about things and to share the truth with others led me to eventually break away from my religion of birth. I am the only member in my family to do so. I have raised my son in this religion and he is now 25 years old, a confident man that lives his life authentically, with conviction. I look forward to seeing him one day raise his own children the same way I raised him.
At any rate, I appreciate where Kim is coming from and I couldn’t agree more that we should all do our best to never prejudge anyone at any time. As imperfect humans it’s not always easy to do, but we should certainly make every attempt to do so.
Karen
Karen,
It’s nice to see I am not the only so-called “strange” parent who chose not to lie to her child about “Santa” and the “Easter Bunny”. Growing up as I did in a different country and culture (Jamaica) there were no fantasies I can recall as a child about an Easter Bunny. “Santa” wasn’t there either, since I helped my mother wrap Christmas gifts for my sisters and saw the gifts my aunt gave us.
When I moved here, I decided that against the popular way of life, my daughter would not grow up believing in things that would be proven to be a lie. I did not want to have her think of me as a liar. I appreciate your strength of conviction in embracing this way of thinking and I appreciate Kim’s bringing this well-needed reminder to us.
Suzanne
Karen and Suzanne,
I certainly respect your wanting to raise your children with “the truth.” Why, though, does it only apply to Santa and the Easter Bunny? I’m just curious. Do you let your children go to the movies? That’s fantasy land at it’s best. Do you worship God? Maybe Christianity is a fantasy as well. So many religions to choose from … which are fantasy and which are reality? Many people believe that there’s nothing. We’re here on earth … then we’re gone. Does that mean Christianity is a fantasy?
Network Marketing? There are numerous “watchdog” sites warning people of the perils that await them if they join an MLM company. Does that make NM a fantasy
I am new to NMC. I have read Suzanne’s profile and she is one of the people in NMC that I would like to ‘get to know.’ Karen, though, I clicked on, an empty ‘blog.’ I searched NMC, no profile. I can only wonder if Karen is a fantasy or a real person?
I have three children. They were all raised by a mother who (still) believes in Santa and the Easter Bunny, not to mention Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and never-never-land! The three of them were also raised with high values and are fine upstanding adults.
What is ‘true’ and what is ‘fantasy’? Who really knows? Each one of us as individuals can choose what he wants to believe. There’s enough ‘reality’ in everyday life. For me, fantasy land adds color to black and white. It is a wonderful place to escape the trials and tribulations of everyday life, if only for a few minutes.
Venetta
http://www.aloevera4u.blogspot.com
Hi Venetta…Let’s use the dictionary to explain these two terms, ok? From dicitonary.com, the word ‘truth’ is described:
1. the true or actual state of a matter: He tried to find out the truth.
2. conformity with fact or reality; verity: the truth of a statement.
3. a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like: mathematical truths.
4. the state or character of being true.
5. actuality or actual existence.
6. an obvious or accepted fact; truism; platitude.
7. honesty; integrity; truthfulness.
8. (often initial capital letter) ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience: the basic truths of life.
9. agreement with a standard or original.
10. accuracy, as of position or adjustment.
Also from dictionary.com, the word ‘fantasy’ is described:
1. imagination, esp. when extravagant and unrestrained.
2. the forming of mental images, esp. wondrous or strange fancies; imaginative conceptualizing.
3. a mental image, esp. when unreal or fantastic; vision: a nightmare fantasy.
4. Psychology. an imagined or conjured up sequence fulfilling a psychological need; daydream.
5. a hallucination.
6. a supposition based on no solid foundation; visionary idea; illusion: dreams of Utopias and similar fantasies.
7. caprice; whim.
8. an ingenious or fanciful thought, design, or invention.
9. Also, fantasia. Literature. an imaginative or fanciful work, esp. one dealing with supernatural or unnatural events or characters: The stories of Poe are fantasies of horror.
10. to form mental images; imagine; fantasize.
We all make choices regarding what we believe in all facets of our lives. We all exercise our free will. It is my choice to find the truth in matters, as much as possible. I would rather know the truth about something than believe in a lie or a fantasy. That is how I choose to live my life. Your choices are different from mine, and I respect that.
Regarding finding my profile on NMC, it is not there YET because one has to pay to become a member and that is not in my budget right now. There is no charge, however, to read Kim’s blog posts (which I do with regularity) and it is free to comment on a post. I am a Kim Klaver grad, I have nearly all her books and tapes and I use her methods to coach my downline.
That being said, Kim’s desire to be truthful with customers and business partners is what attracted me to her website over two years ago. I appreciate what she does and how she leads us in the right direction.
Warm Regards, Karen
The question I posed was not for a definition of the two words. I know the difference. My first question was why are the Easter Bunny and Santa singled out as ‘truths.’ Do you keep your children away from religion, books and movies, as well? For the most part each of these is fantasy based.
My second question was who are you and what do you market. Yes, you do have to pay for a profile. Blogger is free, so why is it empty?
Venetta
http://www.aloecare4u.blogspot.com
Hi Venetta…Unfortunately, I find your attitude offensive and aggressive.
I’ve said as much as I care to say any further on this subject because I think we should ‘agree to disagree’.
I’m on to other more important things, so have a peaceful evening and a good week.
Namaste, Karen
Karen,
I most humbly apologize if my attitude came across as offensive and aggressive. It certainly was not my intent.
Yes, we see things differently. I was merely curious and asked two questions which you chose not to answer. Your prerogative. Again, sorry if those questions came across as offensive and aggressive.
Venetta
http://www.aloecare4u.blogspot.com
Apology accepted…thank you Venetta!
I wish you all the best in your endeavors…
Warm Regards, Karen