The following picks are for your deep thinking part
of the mind. Read, think and kindle your gray matter.
Doing good deeds while seeking nothing
in return is a manifestation of morality and virtue. A benevolent
person often treats both hardships and happiness that he experiences
in the course of his life with a calm heart. People who have noble
characters and command respect from others often do a lot of things
to help other people while expecting nothing in return. Those
who benefit from their generosity tend to start doing the same
things themselves. Because of this, benevolent people sometimes
received unexpected benefits in return for their good deeds. It
is a natural rule that revolves around the cycle of cause and
effect.
At the end of the nineteenth century
in America, two children from poor families were admitted to the
university. In order to earn some money to pay for their school
fees and living expenses, they thought of a plan to make money.
They decided to organize a concert for a famous pianist and hoped
to earn some money from the commission. They found a famous pianist
of that era, Mr. Ignace Paderewski. The manager of Mr. Paderewski
and the two young men discussed the terms and agreed that the
maestro would receive US$2000 for the concert performance. The
maestro was agreeable to the proposal and thought the payment
was sufficiently attractive. But to the two young men, US$2000
was a huge sum. If the income for the performance did not reach
two thousand dollars, they would lose money.
The two young men signed the contract
and commenced to work their hearts out in order to put on a successful
concert. At the end of the concert, after totaling the money they
had collected from the concert, they found out that they only
had made $1600. They gave all the one thousand six hundred dollars
to Mr. Paderewski and also gave him a check for four hundred dollars,
promising to honor the check as quickly as they could. Mr. Paderewski
was touched by the two poor youngsters and tore the four hundred
dollar check to pieces. He then handed over the one thousand six
hundred dollars to the two young men and said, "Please deduct
your school fees and living expenses from this money. Then from
whatever is left of it, take ten percent of it as the commission
for your effort. I will take what is left." The two young
men were moved to tears.
Many years later, at the end of World
War I, Paderewski returned to his native Poland and became the
Prime Minister of Poland. As a result of the devastation from
the war, the country was experiencing financial difficulty and
people were starving. Tens of thousands of hungry citizens were
appealing to him for help. He rushed everywhere but was unable
to solve the great crisis. Having no other alternative, he approached
the head of the US Food and Relief Administration, Mr. Herbert
Hoover, for assistance. When Mr. Herbert Hoover received the request,
he immediately replied that he would send a large quantity of
provisions to Poland.
Not long after that, more than ten
thousand tons of provisions arrived in Poland. The tragedy in
Poland was averted. Prime Minister Paderewski wanted to thank
Mr. Herbert Hoover in person and made an appointment to meet with
him in Paris.
When the two men met, Mr. Herbert Hoover
said: "You need not thank me. It is I who must thank you.
Prime Minister Paderewski, perhaps there is something that you
may have long forgotten, but I will remember it forever! When
you were in America, you helped two poor university students.
I was one of them!"
To do good deeds without expecting
any reward is undoubtedly the charitable action of a man with
high morality and virtue. But where there is loss, there must
also be gain. It is a universal truth. Genuine kindness and compassion
will shine through the ages and won't fade with the passage of
time.