Inner Happiness An interesting episode

[Guest guest]

Received this episode from my friend

 

I N N E R H A P P I N E S S

 

I live in Indore , in India 's heartland. On our way back from an

adjacent town, my friend and I stopped at a highway dhaba. Placing

our order, we stretched ourselves out on the cane chairs. A motley

group of people occupied other tables. As we glanced around

desultorily, a ragged man sauntered in and sat down. He poured

himself a glass of water from the steel jug. He drank two whole

glasses, but ordered no food, nor did the dhaba boys ask him. When

our tea and samosas arrived, he looked at the food, filled his glass

again and drank it. We saw no greed in his eyes, but it was an easy

guess, that the guy was hungry and had no money.

 

The dhaba boy told us, 'Oh! That madman comes in everyday. If he has

money, he eats something; otherwise he just drinks a few glasses of

water and leaves.. My boss said that since water has been given to us

by the Lord, we must never stop anyone drinking it at our dhaba.'

 

This logic really touched me. I asked the boy to serve the man a

plate of samosas. When he did so, the man looked at him. The boy

pointed to us. The man looked at us but made no acknowledgement. As

he picked up the first samosa, a little girl in rags walked up and

just stood there. He gave her the samosa, which she wolfed down. He

picked up the second one and handed that to her, too. She grabbed it

and ran away. He pushed away his empty plate, filled up his glass

again, drank the water and walked away from the dhaba without a

backward glance.

 

I asked myself if I were capable of a gesture like that. The most I

could muster was, 'I HOPE SO'. If sharing what we have in excess is

generosity, then how would we describe what that madman

did? 'SELFLESS LOVE'?

 

It is what intellectuals talk about and madmen practice.

 

Happiness comes from spiritual wealth,

not material wealth....

Happiness comes from giving, not getting.

If we try hard to bring happiness to others,

we cannot stop it from coming to us also.

To get joy, we must give it and

to keep joy, we must scatter it.

 

- John Templeton