Post by mayet on Mar 25, 2009 22:29:55 GMT -8
Once upon a time a man came upon an old beggar woman who was lying in the street. She was holding her stomach and moaning in pain.
Being a compassionate man, he stopped and knelt down beside her to see if he could help.
“Old woman, what ails you?” He asked.
“Oh sir” she gasped. “I have been a beggar on these streets almost all my life. But in recent years times have become even harder. When I was young and strong, people looked more kindly on me and would give me menial but paying jobs and although I sometimes went to sleep hungry, I was never quite starving”. The old woman cried out as another spasm of pain wracked her frail body.
The man waited patiently until she had recovered a little.
“What has befallen you of late old woman?” he asked.
“Sir” said the old woman, “I have not been able to get any work because people think I am too old to be of any use. I have become so hungry that the emptiness in my stomach has become an ongoing pain.”
“So is that what ails you now?” asked the man. “If so, it is a simple matter for me to purchase a meal for you”.
“I thank you for your kindness sir but sadly I fear that no meal will ever cure what ails me now”, replied the old woman. “You see, my need for sustenance has been so great that I have taken to rummaging on the garbage heaps for scraps of food. Today I found a packet of tasty cooked meat from a nearby restaurant. I knew I should not eat the meat because the person who had thrown the packet away had clearly written on the packet that the meat was not fit for human consumption as it had been poisoned to get rid of a nuisance stray dog”.
The man frowned. “But old woman, why would you eat poisoned food knowingly? It is pure foolishness. Surely you knew it would make you sick? You may even die”
The old woman wept quietly. “Sir, that meal of meat, even if it was poisoned was more acceptable to me than starving”.
With that the old woman breathed her last breath.
The man shook his head as he gently closed her staring eyes.
Sometimes people will willingly do things that are harmful to themselves because it provides brief comfort from their problems. They know that the outcome will leave them worse off than before and yet they seek any small respite from the pain.
Being a compassionate man, he stopped and knelt down beside her to see if he could help.
“Old woman, what ails you?” He asked.
“Oh sir” she gasped. “I have been a beggar on these streets almost all my life. But in recent years times have become even harder. When I was young and strong, people looked more kindly on me and would give me menial but paying jobs and although I sometimes went to sleep hungry, I was never quite starving”. The old woman cried out as another spasm of pain wracked her frail body.
The man waited patiently until she had recovered a little.
“What has befallen you of late old woman?” he asked.
“Sir” said the old woman, “I have not been able to get any work because people think I am too old to be of any use. I have become so hungry that the emptiness in my stomach has become an ongoing pain.”
“So is that what ails you now?” asked the man. “If so, it is a simple matter for me to purchase a meal for you”.
“I thank you for your kindness sir but sadly I fear that no meal will ever cure what ails me now”, replied the old woman. “You see, my need for sustenance has been so great that I have taken to rummaging on the garbage heaps for scraps of food. Today I found a packet of tasty cooked meat from a nearby restaurant. I knew I should not eat the meat because the person who had thrown the packet away had clearly written on the packet that the meat was not fit for human consumption as it had been poisoned to get rid of a nuisance stray dog”.
The man frowned. “But old woman, why would you eat poisoned food knowingly? It is pure foolishness. Surely you knew it would make you sick? You may even die”
The old woman wept quietly. “Sir, that meal of meat, even if it was poisoned was more acceptable to me than starving”.
With that the old woman breathed her last breath.
The man shook his head as he gently closed her staring eyes.
Sometimes people will willingly do things that are harmful to themselves because it provides brief comfort from their problems. They know that the outcome will leave them worse off than before and yet they seek any small respite from the pain.
... I'm not one of them ........ 
