Recently, I came across a wonderful story about empathy online. I later realised that the story was written by Dr Anjana Vinod.
Dr Anjana is a friend I have known through this professional group called “Influencers”, which we both are members of! I am reproducing her wonderful writing here on my blog for the benefit of my readers! She has added her reflection on the story too! I hope it gives you something to ponder about!
Here’s the story titled “Not My Burning House”
A man returns to his village after leaving for a while. He discovers that his house is on fire! The house was one of the most exquisite homes in the neighbourhood, and the man adored it the most. Many individuals were willing to offer the house for twice as much as it was already worth, but he refused to accept any offer! Now, it is simply burning before his very eyes. The fire spread so far that nothing could be saved! Despite the thousands of people who gathered, nothing could put it out. He stands there, watching his prized possession burn to bits with great sadness.
His sons come running up to him. “Don’t worry,” his son reassures him. “Yesterday, I sold it three times for a great price! I couldn’t wait for your consent because the deal was that great. Excuse me for it! But God is good!”
“So, it’s no longer ours!” the father says, relieved. The father then becomes a calm and silent observer of the burning fire, joining thousands of other observers.
The second son then rushes up to his father, rather annoyed! He exclaims, “What are you doing?! You are grinning while the home is burning!”
“Don’t you know your brother has sold it?” the father replies.
“We have simply accepted the advance payment; the balance is unpaid,” the second son says. “I don’t think the man will buy it right away!”
Everything shifts once more! The tears which had disappeared, have come back to the father’s eyes! He is no more at peace, but his heart pounds faster in his anxiety. The ‘watcher’ within him is gone. He is again become attached.
The third son later appears with good news. He declares, “That man is a man of his word. I’ve just returned from him, and he has confirmed the purchase.”
The buyer had told the son that he would bear the loss. He said to him, “It doesn’t matter if the house is burned down or not; it is mine, and I will pay the price that I have agreed upon. You and I both were unaware that the house would catch fire.”
Hearing this, the excitement returns. The family members started to “watch” again!
So, what does this story try to show us? Let us reflect!
Connect with the relationships that have naturally ended through time in your life. We witnessed numerous burning houses as a result of the pandemic. Only the ownership, connection, and attachment to the house changed in relation to the fire and the house.
So, does one’s emotion simply alter with a thought? Because we are social beings, any attachment will result in a bond. The tie will only weaken under a tense situation, but their attachment will never be severed. Let’s pray that all of our connections remain solid and that every burning house brings a tear to our eyes.
“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
In the story, there was a smile whenever the attachment didn’t exist, but when it did, tears began to fall. The paradox of life is that our pain’s intensity varies according to whose loss it is. But should it have to be this way? I believe that everyone has empathy but we might not have the courage to show it. Let us embrace the kinder self within us, and lead our lives with grace!
Empathy is the first step in building a wonderful community! Express it!
Try heart-to-heart communication if eye-to-eye communication fails!