I read a book (Mother Teresa: In My Own Words) where Mother Teresa, an Albanian Catholic nun who served for many years as a devoted humanitarian in Calcutta, India, recalled a story about an impoverished Hindu family. Dedicated to serving the poor in Calcutta, she brought this family — a mother, a father, and several children who’d gone days without eating — a meager bowl of rice. Meeting the mother at the door, Mother Teresa handed over the bowl, but to her surprise the mother split the rice in half and walked over to a neighboring Muslim family’s home in order to share what she had just received.
This story in itself is touching, but Mother Teresa’s subsequent reaction is even more interesting — she decided, even though she had more rice to give to both families, that she would wait until the next day to do so, so that the family that chose to share could experience sharing’s attendant joy.
I find that decision very surprising. Is the joy of service greater than the stomach’s needs? If I were in Mother Teresa’s situation, I probably would have been touched by the family’s selflessness, but still given them some more rice anyway. Mother Teresa’s conscious decision to only give more on the next day highlights the importance of service for our own happiness — here, an importance which is perplexing!
What do you think about this story?
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