“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” – Chinese Proverb
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To help and encourage others is the best thing you can do as a person. Read the story below which was sent to me by a friend via email:
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he could see it. In his mind’s eye, the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall.
The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you,” she said.
“Giving encouragement to others is a most welcome gift, for the results of it are lifted spirits, increased self-worth, and a hopeful future,” observed Florence Littauer. Ovid reminded, “The spirited horse, which will try to win the race of its own accord, will run even faster if encouraged.”
When I started my career as a journalist, I was uncertain about the specific area of reporting to pursue. Following the publication of several of my news features for Depthnews, I received a suggestion from editor-in-chief Romeo Abundo: “Why don’t you focus more on health and population issues?”
His encouragement motivated me to align my writing with his recommendation. In addition, my two science editors – Erlinda Bolido and Paul Icamina – provided me with further support, affirming, “You are on the right track.”
However, it was the seasoned journalist Juan Mercado who advised me to dedicate more of my efforts to science writing. He remarked, “Only a handful of Filipino journalists possess your approach to science reporting.”
“The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement,” said Sidney Madwed. “Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most of everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams. We would have more than one Einstein, Edison, Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Dr. Salk and other great minds in a century.”
One sunny day, American priest Leonard Feeney was taking a walk in Ireland and he stopped to ask a farmer how far it was to Cork. “About half a kilometer down the road,” the farmer said. “And God bless you.”
He walked a half kilometer, and then another. Not until he walked 12 half-kilometers did he arrive at Cork. On his way back that same afternoon, he met the same Irishman. “What did you mean by telling me that Cork was only half a kilometer away,” he scolded him. “It was six kilometers.”
“Well,” he replied. “I gave you a half kilometer to Cork. That got you started. Somebody else gave you another half kilometer. That drove you a bit farther. In Ireland, we always want to soften the journey of a stranger by giving him little dribbles of encouragement.”
Anatole France stated, “Nine tenths of education is encouragement.”
Tom Walsh knows this well. He shares, “Something I realized a few years ago in one of those ‘Of course – I should have realized that all along!’ moments is that encouragement is absolutely free. It didn’t cost me a cent to give out, but its payoff is incredible.
“A brighter smile, improved performance on any sort of task, much more enjoyment in doing something – I see these in people constantly when I or someone else encourages them.”
