“Old age is when you realize other people’s
faults are no worse than your own.”
-
Edgar A. Shoaff
“ To grow old is to pass from
passion to compassion.”
-
Albert Camu
“… To view each loved one
blotted from life’s page,
And he alone on earth as I am now.”
- Lord Byron, Childe
Harold’s
Pilgrimage
In story No. 185, The Man Who Was Born To Criticize, 150 Finger Tip Short Stories, pages 97 –
100, by this amateur writer, we pictured the character, Bentoy, as somebody who
found pleasure to be out – of – convention, or always against the tide. He was
jobless all his life. He was employed many times, but his employment were for a
very short period of time. His supervisors always interpreted his actions to be
over bearing. For many times, he wanted to picture that actions of some
officials were erroneous and his actions were the correct one. And he did many
things which were the functions of other people. (For example, he checked the
attendance or checked who were late for work, while these were the functions of
the Personnel Officer or the Human Resource Officials.)
His tendency to always criticize almost anything, right
or wrong, started when he was still young.
But, old age overtook him. He mellowed as years went by. Of course, he still found pleasure to criticize (it was his form), but, his other face was found to be soft, especially to the unfortunate.
But, old age overtook him. He mellowed as years went by. Of course, he still found pleasure to criticize (it was his form), but, his other face was found to be soft, especially to the unfortunate.
For example, his
driver saw him with a plate of food one noon
time. He was asked where he would take the food. He said that he would bring it
to the house in front of them. The home owner was not even a relative. He was
just a neighbor. Nobody at that time was there except an ailing former teacher,
a middle – aged man who suffered a stroke and could not walk without the help
of a four-legged cane. His wife was also a teacher and at the moment was in
school, she could not stop teaching or else they will have no money for his
medicine. His children were in school. They had no house help.
Nobody prepared
lunch while there was always bread or cold rice and viand on the table. So,
Bentoy brought a plate of hot food for him.
Bentoy was
financially stable. His wife is a government retiree and they have some
properties else where. So he lent some money to neighbors who were in dire need.
The interest was minimal (not as a means of livelihood but as a reminder to pay
back). He did not require his borrowers to pay back immediately.
In another instance,
he saw that their maid had swollen foot and needed immediate operation. He
brought the maid to the hospital. He foot the bill. After the operation, she
needed rest. Bentoy sent her home to recuperate . . .with pay. Reportedly, he
even gave some money to another patient needing money for medicine. The patient
was not even a relative.
Come Christmas, he
served meals for his neighbors and anybody who visited him. And there were
many.
Also he thought
pensively of: “Before flaring up at another’s faults, one should take the time
to court ten – ten of his own.
-end-
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