Saturday, April 25, 2009

do we have to measure things

No, seriously. Do we HAVE to measure things?
Sounds a rhetorical question. The obvious answer seems to be yes.
I remember a very small incident that happened a long long time ago. It was a small incident, but left a lasting memory. This incident has defined my personality. I live by this rule, though funnily it has landed me into more trouble than good especially in London.

Well, enough of the fluff and sentiments ... let me take you back 15 years to when I was a young boy of 10. It was balmy afternoon and I was walking with this uncle of mine on the way to get some lunch for everyone at home. On the way a very old man who was sitting on the footpath looked up to us expectantly and asked my uncle if he could spare some change. My uncle put his hand into his pocket, and drew out a note, did not even look at what it was and just handed it over to the beggar.

The beggar to his surprise found that it was Rs.100 note and informed us that he did not have any change to give us. My uncle asked him to keep the money and walked off. The beggar thanked profusely and wished us all the good in the world.

This incident left me with a lot of questions and I felt strangely nice but a bit confused at the same time as I had not seen this attitude ever before. I asked my uncle why he did something like that and he replied - "Do not measure when you give"

That has been an attitude I have always tried living up to. But more often than none, I have only ended up shattered and bruised when people have taken me for granted. Even so, I don’t want to change. I strongly believe that the right thing is to “not measure when you give".

I know my parents completely disagree with this point of view - They have always warned me that when you help people, the only thing you get is more expectations that what you can live up to. More often than none - this leads to utter disappointment and broken relationships.

Today, I am caught in between these two thoughts. Not sure, if I would ever find my equilibrium, not sure if I will ever change and be a little more thoughtful before I act. Guess, it might just boil down to "Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours" . Bah,my sister is a psychologist, got free help at hand ...

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