Which Are You? An Example Or A Lesson
The value of your life.
In the market buying fruits and veggies last Thursday, an older man came up to me begging for something. I gave him what I could, and a few others gave him something. One young man started to curse, saying, “don’t give him your hard-earned money. What was he doing with his life when he was younger. Nothing good!”
I flashed him an annoying look and walked away. He followed me, and before he could speak, I asked, out of the earshot of the others, “What do you see when you look at that old man?”
These words flew off his tongue, “I see an old man who wasted his life.”
“But you and I don’t know that,” I rebuked angrily.
The anger in my words impacted him, and he went deep in thought and said, “Ok, maybe I don’t, but I do know that whatever route he took that bought him where he is, wasn’t a good one.”
“Not all of us can take the good road,” my anger speaks.
“I know that, but he is old. He shouldn’t be on the streets or in the market begging.”
“Some of us are examples, and others are lessons,” I said, slowly calming down. I hate cruelty.
He stared into my eyes for the first time, and something connected. He smiled at me and said, “I understand, Mam, he should be a lesson for me.”
I returned the smile and said, “he is over there,” pointing behind him. “Now go and give him something for lessons learned.”
He followed my instructions and quickly walked back to me, taking my heavy bag loaded with food. Walking to the taxi stand, I learned that his father wasted his life too and died in poverty. I also found that he owned his own farm. He also employed more than ten people in the market selling for him. He was only 25 years old.
Some of us are examples, and others are lessons. Every human on this planet serves a purpose. You have the power to choose your goal.
Thank you for reading this piece. I hope you enjoyed it.