Story by Mata Amritanandamayi that explains who success in
life is brought by our ability to face any situation with equanimity.
A flight to New York, scheduled to leave at 10 o’clock, was
ready to take off at an airport. The passengers were feeling impatient while
waiting in line to board the plane. Suddenly an announcement was made that the
flight to New York was cancelled due to an aircraft malfunction. Passengers
were asked to accept the inconvenience. There was a big commotion among the
passengers on hearing this announcement. In the midst of this commotion, a
businessman went up to the counter and lost his temper, “Do you know that I
will lose millions of dollars in business if I do not get to my meeting on time
tomorrow? Who will compensate for my loss? I am going to sue you and your
airlines for a huge amount of money for all the losses I will incur. I will see
you in court,” he thundered.
The person at the counter began explaining with humility,
“Sir, excuse us.” “No, no,” the businessman interrupted, “Do not talk to me
about it. Do you know who I am? I will not rest until I see you fired from your
job.” Showing his anger by hitting on the counter really hard, the man left.
The man right behind this businessman approached the
salesman with a smile. “Good evening. Please excuse me for bothering you at
such a hectic time. Will you please help me? I have to be in an emergency
meeting tomorrow in New York. It will be a great help if you could assist me in
finding a way to get there at the earliest possible time.”
The salesman immediately checked his computer and said,
“There is a vacancy on the flight to Washington leaving in half an hour. Once
you are there, you can catch the five o’clock flight to New York and be there
in less than an hour.” “Thank you very much. Can you please book the seat for
me? I will never forget this timely help.”
Both of these men were going to attend the same meeting.
Because of his impatience and anger, the seat that would have been given to the
first man was lost. The second man, with his patient behaviour and kind words,
was able to awaken the goodness in the salesman. Thus the second gentleman was
able to take advantage of the situation. More than our knowledge and ability,
what brings success in life is our ability to face any situation with
equanimity.
Source – Article in Indian Express on August 23, 2013