THE AGED MOTHER

A long time ago at the foot of a mountain in Japan there lived a poor farmer and his aged, widowed mother. They
owned a bit of land which supplied them with food, and they were humble, peaceful and happy.

Unfortunately, they lived in a province ruled by a shogun who made a proclamation that all aged people were
immediately to be put to death. The farmer loved his mother but no one in this province ever disobeyed the
shogun. So he strapped his mother to his back and took her up the mountain called Obatsuyama, the mountain
where the aged were often abandoned to die. This was considered the kindest mode of death.

There were many paths up to the summit of the mountain and it was easy to get confused. Unknown to the
farmer, his mother carefully pulled twigs from the bushes and threw them on the ground so that her son would
know the way back down. When they reached the top, he laid her down carefully and was about to leave her
when he realized he did not know the way back.

“Follow the twigs I laid down for you,” his mother said. It was then he knew that he could not leave her there to
die alone. Once again he strapped his mother to his back and together they went back down the mountain. Once
home, he decided to hide his mother from the shogun and his officials.

One day the shogun visited the province and demanded that the people give him a rope made out of ashes. No-
one knew how to make one. However, the farmer’s mother found the solution.

“Make a rope of twisted straw, “ she said, “then stretch it out on a row of flat stones and burn it on a windless
night.”

When the shogun arrived to claim his rope of ashes, he asked who had been able to make one. The farmer
admitted that it was his aged mother.

The shogun was surprised and said, “My country needs more than just the strength of youth. How could I have
forgotten the well-known saying, ‘with the crown of snow there comes wisdom’?” At that very hour, the cruel law
was abolished.

SHACKLETON’S JOURNEY

Sir Ernest Shackleton's was one of the most famous explorers of Antarctica. In 1914, he set out on an expedition
to cross the Antarctic continent in his ship, the Endurance, but it became trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea
and could not move. What happened next was a journey of amazing courage, resilience and determination in the
face of huge challenges.

Shackleton and his crew made their way across the ice to Elephant Island, a desolate and uninhabited
landmass. At least there was fresh water and they were able to hunt seals and sea lions for food. However,
Shackleton knew that no-one would find them there so their only chance of survival was to find help.

Shackleton decided that he and five of his men would set sail in a small lifeboat on an incredible 800-mile
journey across the treacherous Southern Ocean. They were looking for South Georgia Island,where Shackleton
knew there was a whaling station. Battling freezing temperatures, monstrous waves, and relentless winds, they
navigated through icy waters, always hoping they would reach South Georgia Island, where they knew they
could get help.

After a grueling seventeen days, they finally reached South Georgia, however they were on the wrong side of
the island and faced a dangerous journey over its rugged and icy land. Shackleton and two others embarked on
this perilous journey, leaving the rest behind to await their return. Through blizzards and crevasses, they made
their way, pushing their bodies to the limits of endurance.

Miraculously, they arrived at the whaling station on the other side of the island. Shackleton immediately
organized a rescue mission to save the men he left behind on Elephant Island.
After several attempts, Shackleton finally succeeded in reaching Elephant Island, rescuing his stranded crew
members and bringing them all back to safety. Not a single life was lost during this extraordinary ordeal.