Who is 'poor' ?
I placed the damaged high heel shoe in the backpack and took my Stryder out
Stryder is my buddy, the dependable bicycle
We cycled together to visit the cobblers shop, located 3 kms away
It was a make shift shop setup on the pedestrians platform of a busy thoroughfare
The cobbler was a senior man like me, sitting casually on a canvas sheet in front of his shop
He appeared poor in wealth but rich in life experience
He tried his professional best to mend the shoe and realised that, only a temporary correction is possible
Though he spent close to 20 minutes to repair the shoe 👠, he politely refused to accept my payment for his sincere efforts
He said, as a professional, it's my duty to make efforts to fulfil the needs of a client but if the efforts fail, I must accept the situation and not expect payment
I felt dumbfounded for a few seconds, recovered from my stance and opened my heart to appreciate his ethical approach towards his life and profession
I requested him to kindly accept my small gesture of compensating for his efforts and time spent on my need
My persistence made him accept my request and the smile that lit up his face when his mobile phone notified the receipt of payment was the best sight of the day
My thoughts went back to my experience a few days earlier when the shop owner of a luxury brand demanded payment for a defective product and suggested that I approach a consumer court, when I challenged his demand
Man, what a difference between these two persons 👇
The cobbler 👉 poor by wealth but rich in thoughts
The HNI shop owner 👉 rich by wealth but poor by humane values
Now, who actually 'Is Poor' ?
