Character Is Not A Richman's Property

Sometimes, a series of occurrences brings out a fact or a hidden lesson. Strangely, some days are such.

 One day, a lady heard a fruit seller calling from the road “Golden Mangoes, fresh and ripe.” She went outside, leaving her house work, to see an old man pushing a cart laden with mangoes of an excellent variety. In India, the mango is considered to be the king of fruits and in the beginning of the season it is quite expensive too. She asked him, “What rate, would you charge?” He said, “Rs.40/- per kg”, She asked him to give her 10 kg.

 He took out a small rusted weighing scale and put a 1 kg measuring stone on one side, “She said, don’t you have a 5 kg stone? It will take so long, to weigh 10 kg with this!” He said, “No ma’am, but I’ll do it quickly.” She said, “I have an electronic weighing machine inside, why don’t you give me 10 kg approximately and I’ll weigh them inside.” He put the mangoes into two polythene bags and handed them over to her. She turned to go in and said, “Won’t you come in and see the weight for yourself, lest I cheat you!”

 He said, “What if you do, I would be poorer by a couple of Rupees, but you would become a cheat! You go ahead, I’ll wait here.”

 When the lady narrated the incident to her husband he remarked, “Usually, this clan of road side vendors are cheats! They charge you for 10 kg and give you nine and a half or even less. But surely this man had character.”

 That afternoon, the woman took her daughter to the stationer, to buy her a pencil box. The shopkeeper showed her an array of pencil boxes, simple ones and magnetic ones, cloth pouches and magic boxes! They selected a simple box, because mother explained to her daughter that the fancy ones would get spoilt sooner or later. As she was about to make the payment, she noticed a small bulge in the pocket of her daughter’s skirt. She asked her, “What’s there in your pocket, Nandini?” “Oh! Nothing Mom, just some candies,” The look on the child’s face told her mother something else. She put her hand into her daughter’s pocket and drew out a fancy-looking pencil sharpener. She went red with embarrassment. She noticed that the side shelf over the counter was full of fancy erasers and sharpeners. She asked, “Why did you, steal, Nandini?” “Because, you never buy me fancy stuff!” sobbed the little girl. The mother put the sharpener back on the shelf and said, “I’m sorry, for my daughter’s conduct, I’m glad I noticed it before I left the shop”. The shopkeeper said, “Its okay lady, I noticed what your daughter did, but I chose to keep quiet. You look like a respectable lady and I thought that I should not put you to embarrassment.” That hit her even harder. By now the little girl was a wreck. The kind shopkeeper handed out a candy to her and said, “Don’t cry child, here take this. Next time you want something, you must tell Mama.”

 The lady put the candy pack on the counter and said softly, “Please do not give this to her. Let not my child feel, that there can be a reward for stealing. I’m really very sorry about this.” They drove home in silence. The mother was very upset.

 After dinner, they decided to go out for ice cream. Father stopped the car near a road side vendor. All of them took ice-creams of their choice. The bill was Rs.115/-. Father handed over his wallet to his wife and she drew a Rs.500/- note to hand over to the young ice-cream seller. He said, “Madam, I do not have change, please give me the right amount.” She rummaged through the wallet and was able to find only Rs.55/-. What should be done? Finally she said, “Our home is in next lane, we’ll just go home and get you the money. How long are you here?” The man said, “Madam I am here till midnight. You can come before that.” “By the way what’s your name?” “My name is Hrudaya!” replied the ice-cream seller. So they sped off towards home to get the money. In a couple of minutes they were back. Mother handed over the balance amount of Rs.60/- to him. He said, “Madam you paid me Rs.50/- earlier, you owe me Rs.65/-” She said, “No, I paid you Rs.55/- earlier.” He kept quiet. She was very sure that she had paid him right, but she did not want that there should be any doubt in the young man’s mind.

 She gave him another fiver, “Here,” she said, “take this, may be I was wrong.”

 He hesitated and said, “Suppose you have already given it to me. I don’t want to take any extra payment. I just want what is due to me.” She pressed the money into his hand and said, “Its okay brother, don’t think about it.”

 They moved away from the spot. But she knew that “Hrudaya” had a heart of gold and so did the man who sold the golden mangoes.

 Character comes not by being born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Character is attained by self control, honesty and most of all by loving God and living in the constant awareness of Him.

God doesn't exist.

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.

As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation.

They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

" Why do you say that?"asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. 

Tell me, if God exists,would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

" How can you say that?"asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber.And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly !"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."

Stone Soup

Many years ago three soldiers, hungry and weary of battle, came upon a small village. The villagers, suffering a meager harvest and the many years of war, quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three at the village square, wringing their hands and bemoaning the lack of anything to eat.

The soldiers spoke quietly among themselves and the first soldier then turned to the village elders. "Your tired fields have left you nothing to share, so we will share what little we have: the secret of how to make soup from stones."

Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was put to the town's greatest kettle as the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones. "Now this will be a fine soup", said the second soldier; "but a pinch of salt and some parsley would make it wonderful!" Up jumped a villager, crying "What luck! I've just remembered where some's been left!" And off she ran, returning with an apron full of parsley and a turnip. As the kettle boiled on, the memory of the village improved: soon barley, carrots, beef and cream had found their way into the great pot, and a cask of wine was rolled into the square as all sat down to feast.

They ate and danced and sang well into the night, refreshed by the feast and their new-found friends. In the morning the three soldiers awoke to find the entire village standing before them. At their feet lay a satchel of the village's best breads and cheese. "You have given us the greatest of gifts: the secret of how to make soup from stones", said an elder, "and we shall never forget." The third soldier turned to the crowd, and said: "There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast". And off the soldiers wandered, down the road.

The Best Time of My Life...

It was June 15, and in two days I would be turning thirty. I was insecure about entering a new decade of my life and feared that my best years were now behind me.

My daily routine included going to the gym for a workout before going to work. Every morning I would see my friend Nicholas at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in terrific shape. As I greeted Nicholas on this particular day, he noticed I wasn't full of my usual vitality and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling anxious about turning thirty. I wondered how I would look back on my life once I reached Nicholas's age, so I asked him, "What was the best time of your life?"

Without hesitation, Nicholas replied, "Well, Joe, this is my philosophical answer to your philosophical question:

"When I was a child in Austria and everything was taken care of for me and I was nurtured by my parents, that was the best time of my life.

"When I was going to school and learning the things I know today, that was the best time of my life.

"When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got paid for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.

"When I met my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.

"The Second World War came, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to save our lives. When we were together and safe on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.

"When we came to Canada and started a family, that was the best time of my life.

"When I was a young father, watching my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.

"And now, Joe, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my health, I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was when we first met. This is the best time of my life."

Impossible is nothing

There is always an idiom befitting the shades of life- 'Where there is a will, there is a way,' and this finds its personification in Malini Chib. Her boundaries of self extend beyond the fact that she has Cerebral Palsy, and  lie in the attributes that she is a survivor who fought her way through 41 years of arduous struggle of building a successful life; successful by the 'mainstream' standards.

Growing up in Mumbai came with its share of difficulties and it compounded with college life. "I'd my schooling done in a special school so it took a long while for me to adjust to college. People had difficulty interacting with me and the tribulation was mutual." Chib adds, "I went to Oxford, England for further studies and felt an instant sense of inclusion in the society. They are more sensitive toward disability as compared to us and more receptive than discriminatory."

Malini's actual tryst with life began after she stepped out of the comfortable confines of academic life and took to the mandatory job hunt rigour that every youngster has to succumb to. "It was a rude shock to realise that people failed to see beyond my disability and declined me jobs, or offered me backend chores, but without a salary," she recalls. This rejection motivated her to fight stronger and make her way through the rigid society. "There were times when I grew tired of the struggle. Since I lacked both speed and speech, which are essential for a job, my chances at employment only got bleak, while I persisted relentlessly," she expresses.

Malini's personality goes beyond endurance with all its nuances; there is less seen-spoken side to it, she is a peoples' person and as ironic as it may sound, though people aren't forthcoming, she has no reservations against them. Ask Malini what's her favourite sport and she will blurt a prompt reply- 'Talking endlessly about life.' A flash of excitement crosses her face when she is asked to make candid confessions about men and love. Mischievously she answers, "I frighten men off. It's not unusual for people with disability to have sexual desires and think of a stable life with a man. But, a man leading a 'normal' life finds this idea rather unusual and hence unacceptable. Nonetheless I've had my share of crushes."

She chuckles that she has a taste for finer things in life like a round of red wine with family and friends. Being an eternal romantic that she is, she enjoys listening to old love songs, operas, watching theatre plays and movies - 'Ammu' and 'The beautiful mind' are her favourite flicks. Another thing she loves to do is shop at Colaba causeway and Westside.

While the cosmopolitan nature of Mumbai appeals to her, London is where her heart is, as its gives her the sense of freedom. She points out, "I can move around without anyone's help, the infrastructure is constructed keeping in mind the needs of people with disability."

What keeps her in Mumbai besides her family is her job at Oxford bookstore where she is a senior executive, event management. "People do not really care about those who're on a wheelchair. But at my workplace people are approachable; they want to know more about me and am accepted as a whole person," states Malini. If there is anything that irks her is the attitude of educated people, who underestimate her capabilities.

Malini's achievements are a testimony to the fact that there is no limit to what one can achieve and extract from life. And yes there is no dearth of aspirations either. She aspires to write a book someday and make her million.

Be selfish

Gautam Buddha was passing near a village which consists of high caste brahmins only. They were very much against Gautam Buddha, they have all gathered outside the village to condemn him, to abuse him. He stands there listening to their abuse, their allegations, their lies. Even Ananda -- who has been with him all these years -- feels angry. Because they were born into a royal family; they were warriors, their whole training was to fight. But because Gautam Buddha is present, he controls himself; otherwise he would have killed one or two people then and there.

Gautam Buddha said to them, "You see that the sun is going to set soon, and we have to reach the other village before the sun sets. If you have not finished all that you wanted to say to me, I will make a point that when I return I set aside enough time to listen to you again. And in two days, I will be returning along the same route -- so it will be very kind of you if you can wait just two days."

One man from the crowd said, "You don't seem to be disturbed at all. And we are not just saying things to you -- we are abusing you, insulting you."

Gautam Buddha said, "You have come a little late. If you had come ten years before, you would not have gone back alive. I am also a warrior. There would have been bloodshed here; not a single man in this crowd would have gone back alive. But you have come a little late.

"In the village just before this village, people came with sweets and fruits. And we said, `We eat only once a day, and we have taken our food, so it would be very kind if you would take these things back with you. We are grateful.' What do you think they did with those sweets and those fruits?"

Somebody said, "They must have distributed them amongst themselves; they must have eaten them."

Buddha said, "You are intelligent. Do the same: whatever you have brought, I don't accept; take it back. Because unless I accept your insult, you cannot insult me; it is a two-way affair. It is your mouth, you can say anything -- but unless I accept it, you are just talking into the air. Just go home and say all these things to each other; enjoy. And I will be coming again after two days, so be ready."

They were shocked, and they could not believe -- what kind of man is this? When they moved on, Ananda said to Buddha, "This is too much. There were moments when I was going to jump and hit the man! Just because of you, I tried to control my temptation."

Buddha said -- and remember it -- he said: "What those people were saying has not hurt me.

What you are saying hurts me. You have been with me for so many years, and yet you are not aware enough to know what to take and what not to take? Can't you discriminate?"

I want you not to become missionaries; I want you to become messages.

And that is possible only if you are utterly selfish, so that before you start helping others, you have helped yourself; before you start enlightening other people, you are enlightened yourself.

That's what I mean by being selfish.

Whatever you want to spread must be your living experience.

Let Go...

This is a very meaningful story which is called "Let Go", and written by Dr. Billy Graham.

A little child was playing one day with a very valuable vase. He put his hand into it and could not withdraw it. His father too, tried his best, but all in vain. They were thinking of breaking the vase when the father said, "Now, my son, make one more try. Open your hand and hold your fingers out straight as you see me doing, and then pull."

To their astonishment the little fellow said, "O no, father. I couldn't put my fingers out like that, because if I did I would drop my penny."

Smile, if you will--but thousands of us are like that little boy, so busy holding on to the world's worthless penny that we cannot accept liberation. I beg you to drop the trifle in your heart. Surrender! Let go, and let God have His way in your life.