September 1, 2009

The laminating machine

Thanx to Freeda for such an amazing Mashal!

Laminating paper can prevent it from becoming creased, wrinkled, stained, smudged, or simply said, ruined. Day camp/school projects, licenses, credit cards... all those are laminated for a guaranteed longer life-span.

Ever watched a laminating machine operate?
Press the "run" button, and the wheels begin to spin. Both rolls of plastic come forward, merging and melting into one.
You have to insert the sheet in between the two layers of plastic before they meet, and you then get a beautiful and long lasting document.
Even if nothing is inserted, the wheels continue to roll, the plastics continue to melt together - but there's only emptiness in between. It emerges from the machine as a useless piece of plastic, plastic that was forever wasted.

The machine is our life.
As soon as we're born, the wheels start rolling, and time, the 2 layers of plastic film go through the heat, the moment we are presently in. There's unlimited potential that we can fill the space in between the plastics with, and remember, whatever we put in there, stays forever.
However, the wheels don't ever stop. If we fail to insert quality and value - whether through actions, speech or anything else - before the plastics merge, our time goes to waste.
As soon as today turns into yesterday, as soon as the present becomes the past, there's no turning back.
Whatever is empty remains that way. Whatever time isn't used can no longer help us, no longer serve a purpose. It remains lost, useless for all eternity.

It's up to us to make sure we use our time wisely, and fill it with meaningful and everlasting deeds.

12 comments:

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

I put up a cabbage-related mashal on my blog (I figured this is "mashal central" so I might as well mention it here!).

Hat-tip to Freeda as well (unlikely source for inspiration!).

Staying Afloat said...

Cool. Very cool.

(I know- very profound. But that's what I've got.)

itsagift said...

Wow - what an amazing mashal!
Thanks, Freeda and thinking for sharing that with us!!

Freeda said...

Unlikely source for information? I'll try not to take insult. I guess my blog isn't reflective of who I really am... Yes! my anonymity is safe...

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

Inspiration! Unlikely source for "inspiration". It' a compliment, ..to be able to see avodat hashem in everyday things...

thinking out loud said...

Freeda, i think he meant the laminating machine is an unlikely source of inspiration

Freeda said...

Whoops, that was just a typo on my part. I meant to write inspiration- so shlomo, correct me if I'm wrong, you meant that the laminating machine is the unlikely source, as opposed to me. So sorry for jumping to conclusions- I was choshed bekisheirim- May you live to one hundred and twenty in good health.
And I do try to see Hashem in everything.... the more you look, the more you see.

smb said...

Excellent mashal

Reminds me what R' Tatz said about that everything in this world is a reflection of the next

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

"so shlomo, correct me if I'm wrong, you meant that the laminating machine is the unlikely source, as opposed to me"- As opposed to a sefer I guess, ..or as opposed to "the wonders of nature".

"So sorry for jumping to conclusions- I was choshed bekisheirim"- And in Ellul yet! ..joking.

"May you live to one hundred and twenty in good health"- אמן! Thank you. : )

Something Different said...

Freeda- this is really great mashal! I'm impressed that a laminating machine made you think of that. I am embarrassed to say that last time I used a laminating maching all I thought of was finishing and shutting it off....

TOL- Thanks, that was well written. :-)

Freeda said...

Laminating's one of my favorite jobs at work. It's provides such instant gratification... ;)...and when you're doing this mindless job for 6 hours (cumulatively), you have plenty of time to think- the papers go in so slooowly....

Anonymous said...

Good one on laminating machine and it helps a lot.

Thanks,
Karim - Officetronics Sale