Outgrowing the Greed
Got to share this seemingly unimportant yet touching event that I experienced today, and many a times before.
I have a strange habit of forgetting things. My purse is something I usually forget - in terms of frequency, it stands next to forgetting writing. It usually contains a credit card, a debit card, my office access card, canteen coupons and some loose change. Earlier my mobile also used to be in it, then after losing my purse for a couple of times I realised that keeping everything together doesn't work for my good. So I started keeping mobile separately.
Yesterday I had again forgotten my purse on my work table, along with the pile of papers. Usually I clean up all the papers so purse safely gets tucked inside my handbag, but yesterday was a strange bad day for me, so I forgot to do it.
I went home, kept my bag aside, and slept with my little one. This morning I did not care to check my bag, and when it was 4.15, I just left home with the handbag. Sat in an auto as it was late. I reached office, and checked my bag for auto fare, and found out that the purse was missing.
Well, I knew where it would be, so went to office, and waited for my saviour to reach office.
He arrived at 6.30pm - a veteran staff at my office, attender by profession, but very good human being at heart. While cleaning up the desk at 1.30am after everyone finished the work, he found my purse under the papers scattered on my table, took it and locked it safely. He knows I will be coming and asking for it the next day - it has become a habit for me! This was I think the 5th or 6th time I lost it this way, and got it back in the same fashion.
But look at the integrity of this person - once I had kept around 4,000 rupee in my purse, and lost it, and everything was intact when I got it back the purse next day. I'm really puzzled at this man's honesty. He might be getting around 9-10k for his work, as he has served here I-don't-know-for-how-many-years... who asks him? He must be in his fifties. At his age, I can imagine the responsibilities he might be shouldering, and wondering about the way he is managing without yielding to the pressure and temptations. It really takes a lot to outgrow temptations - especially money, because that's what rules most of our decisions.
He is the least-noted of all the staff here. He could have just said "I haven't seen your purse" to me, but he chose to return it to me every time. I feel it takes a lot of courage to live this way! How many of us can outgrow our greed and live like him?
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