Bill Gates once went in a restaurant. After eating, he gave 5$ to the waiter as a tip.
The waiter had a strange expression on his face after he looked at the tip. Seeing the waiter’s not so happy expression, Gates asked: “What happened?”
The waiter replied: “I’m just amazed because on the same table your daughter gave tip of $500. And you, her father, the richest man in the world, only give $5?
Gates Smiled and replied: “She is the daughter of the world’s richest man, but I am the son of a wood cutter.”
Whatever we might have become today – the social positions, economic stability, public recognitions, etc. – the greatness of one’s character is reflected in as much as how one is rooted in the past. Hence it is said: Never forget your past. It’s your best teacher.
My moment of realization of this great truth was when I was engaged in writing my first book “Ormakkilivathil”, a collection of my childhood memories and experiences. Isn’t it true that the memory of the place of nativity and bygone days of childhood never fail to create a homely, nostalgic feeling within us! When we introspect, we’ll realize that those events which seemed usual then in reality had very unusual feelings of contentment.
Though we tend to curse the present for its hardships, pains and failures, only later we do realize that we’ve certainly learned more from our mistakes of the past than we have when life has been easy. We learn to listen more intently to the underlying messages then.
If we have grown in life, it happened only when we learned from the falling and applied it to our next attempt. The school of hard knocks teaches us a lot and creates our individual strengths. And, success should remind us of nothing but the roots that help us stand tall.
The story of Bill Gates also points at the value of money. You shouldn’t waste or spend it lavishly without reason just because you can afford it. It is equal to wasting valuable resources. Also, we shouldn’t forget the people who supported us in our growth, as we climb the ladder of success and fortune.
We are not any different from irrational animals, if we do not care to remember our roots or origin. To elucidate, when a political party comes to power it must not forget its roots – the support of the people. To ignore this is to invite own destruction. This has been proven throughout history in the rise and fall of rulers and governments.
Be thankful, not for the moments of success alone, but for the encyclopaedia of human experiences that gift us with integrity and happiness!!!
