WAS watching a video clip of a policeman caught taking a bribe and realized today is the age of sting operations, when we quietly film each other’s misdeeds! No minister, policeman or public official is safe as cameras come in all shape and sizes. But what about turning those cameras on ourselves today.
Let’s sting ourselves! We may be shocked to find we aren’t too different from our politicians or others we criticize.
That all they do is mirror the society they represent! We are no different as we drove past a red signal, pay bribes to get things done, ah it’s a slow change indeed.
Two men once visited a holy man to ask his advice.
“We have done wrong actions,” they said “and our consciences are troubled. Can you tell us what we must do so that we may be forgiven and feel clear of our guilt?”
“Tell me of your wrong doings, my sons,” said the old man. The first man said, “I have committed a great and grievous sin sire.”
“What about you?” the holy man asked the second. “Oh,” said he, “I have done quite a number of wrong things, but they are all quite small, and not at all important.”
The holy man thought for a while. “This is what you must do,” he said at last. “Each of you must go and bring me a stone, which is the size of your misdeeds.”
Off went the men and presently the first came back staggering with an enormous boulder, so heavy that he could hardly lift it, and with a groan he let it fall at the feet of the holy man.
Then along came the second, cheerfully carrying a bag of small pebbles. This he also laid at the feet of the saint.
“Now,” said the holy man, “take all those stones and put them back where you found them.” The first man shouldered his rock again, and staggered back to the place from whence he had brought it.
But the second man could only remember where a few of his pebbles had lain. After some time, he came back, and said that the task was too difficult.
“You must know, my son,” said the old man, “that bad deeds are like these little stones. If a man has committed a great sin, it lies like a heavy stone on his conscience.
But if a man is constantly doing small things that are wrong, he soon forgets what they are, and does not feel any very great load of guilt; so he is not sorry, and soon they will stop troubling his conscience.
So, you see, my son, it is as important to avoid little sins as much as big ones!” So as we sting ourselves, let’s look inward at all the small deeds we overlook, but which finally make us people with no conscience..!
