A couple of years ago as a member of an international social organization the club had a problem in hand and a decision had to be made. The committee that met were divided on how to handle the issue and a vote was called for.
Each member was asked for his opinion and they gave it till they came to Mr. Bhagat. “What is your decision Mr. Bhagat?” I asked. “I go with the majority,” said Bhagat (name changed) with a smile. I have never forgotten Mr. Bhagat.
One man who loved the color yellow had yellow carpets, yellow furniture, yellow drapes, yellow walls and even yellow appliances in his yellow kitchen. He slept in a yellow bed with yellow covers and worse yellow pajamas. He got sick. You guessed … yellow jaundice. He called a doctor who came to his apartment building. The manager told him he’d have no trouble finding the right one. “You just go down the hall and come to a yellow door,” he said. “That’s the one.”
In a few moments the doctor was back. The apartment manager asked, “Were you able to help him?” The doctor replied, “Help him! I couldn’t even FIND him!” It’s not a good idea to blend too closely with your surroundings is it? And yet there are people who don’t blend with their surroundings; who stand out in a crowd; who don’t vote with the majority:
A Miami mother came to the police and spilled out cash and coins totaling $19.53. A young boy turned in 85 cents. After two days, they were the only people to return money scooped up from an armored truck that toppled on an overpass and rained more than half a million dollars onto the street below.
Police said that witnesses reported seeing rush-hour commuters loading money into their cars and driving off while two of the truck workers lay bleeding. Police had pleaded with residents to return the money, but got nothing but laughter until a mother and a boy came in and returned all they had picked up.
In a world that seemed to think alike, two people had a different idea. They were not painted with the same brush as everyone else. They were different! Most people talk about values – what we believe to be right and wrong. But whether or not we realize it, we all LIVE our true values. It is our actions, more than our words that will show what we truly believe.
A 11-year-old boy who returned 85 cents because he felt “it was wrong for me to keep anything,” stood out from the crowd. And a mother who wanted to teach her children to do the right thing set an example they will never forget. How would you like to be known? Like a spineless Mr. Bhagat or as someone who stands out and is different?
