Stories of Kindness from Around the World

SURPRISED BY THE KINDNESS OF A BEGGAR As I walked to the market this morning I, saw an old man with a bandana covering his face sitting in front of a shop. He was not looking at anyone but sat there just watching the traffic on the road. His bandanna was dirty and his clothes were crumpled. His hair poking under an ill-fitting cap was long and unkempt. I decided he was a beggar looking for alms. I made a mental note that on my way back from the market I should give him whatever change I had. A few feet away was a young man sprawled on the pavement obviously in a drunken stupor and no one who passed by took any notice. I thought in my mind it was some good-for-nothing drunkard who had wasted all his money on alcohol. I walked onto the market, finished all my shopping, and walked back along the same road. Before I reached the point where I saw the beggar, I took out all the loose change I had to hand it over to him, when I reached near him, I put out my hand full of change towards him asking him to take it. He hardly looked into my eyes, but still looking ahead shook his head as though saying that he did not need it. I insisted and pushed it into his hand and gave it. As I stood there gloating over my great act of charity, The disheveled man slowly got up walked up to the young man who was lying sprawled on the pavement, and shook him awake asking him something close to his ear, The young man shook his head. I stood there watching with amazement as he walked to the tea shop where he was sitting in front of me. He stood at the door and asked for something for which he paid with the money I gave, and collected a bun and a cup of hot tea, He then went back to the young man, helped him to sit, and helped him to eat the bun and drink the tea. He came back to his old place where he was sitting and sat down. I was still standing there watching all this . He noticed that I was still there so he looked up and said That young boy has not eaten for two days and had no energy even to sit up that is why he collapsed on the pavement. Suddenly I felt so small and admired the nonjudgemental generosity of a man who has so little compared to me. He was truly generous and I learned the lesson of nonjudgemental generosity from this man who was in a far less privileged state than me.