This is a question for thoughts, and that brings us to understanding the true meaning of generosity, of which i will be emphasizing on today, starting with a story inspired by a true life event.
There was this very wealthy woman, she was a Christian and very active in church activities. One day she was driving by a neighborhood in a very fancy Toyota Avalon. Looking out from her windscreen, she saw a woman with a little baby selling bananas by the road side. The bananas were very fresh and appetizing, and on seeing that, the rich woman pulled over, stepped down from her fancy car, and then walked majestically to the banana seller, and they had the following conversations;
Rich woman: Hello madam, how are you and your baby?
Banana seller: We are fine ooh! Good afternoon ma’am!
Rich woman: Good afternoon, why are you seated with the baby in this hot sun without an umbrella at least?
Banana seller: Ma’am, we are managing ooh, the wind yesterday destroyed my umbrella, but I hope to save enough money to buy a new one soon.
Rich woman: Okay please do, at least for the sake of the baby.
Banana seller: Yes ma’am I will.
Rich woman: That’s by the way, how much are your bananas?
Banana seller: The smaller bunch are #100 while the bigger ones are #200.
Rich woman: These ones for #200, won’t you sell them for me at the rate of #100?
Banana seller: Ma’am please take it for #200, it’s very okay at that price, besides I’m not making much gain from it. And if I should sell them for #100 I won’t even recover my cost price.
Rich woman: Well, since you’ve said so, I will pay #150 for each.
Banana seller: Okay ma’am in order not to waste your time, please pay #350 for two.
Rich woman: I can only pay #300 for two if it’s okay with you. But if you think it’s not enough don't border I'll just leave.
The rich woman turned around to walk away, but the poor woman haven considered the fact that she had been seated in the sun all day without being patronized by even a single person, called her back and said;
“Alright ma’am, you can pay #300 for two”
And so the rich woman then asked her to package two of the freshest and biggest bunch inside a black nylon, and then she gave her #400 and waited while the poor woman sorted out for her #100 change in the hot sun with her baby. Immediately she collected her change, she walked straight to her car and zoomed off!
But on several occasions, the rich woman visited one or more supermarkets for shopping, after which she was billed a huge some of money, but she settles what ever amount billed on her without bergaining, and most often, she live some tips with the cashiers in the supermarket.
This incident may seem quite normal to the owner of the supermarket as well as the cashiers who receives countless amounts of tips from customers on daily basis, not to talk of their very sufficient salary. But for the poor banana seller, it would have meant so much to her. But instead the rich woman bought her banana at the lowest price, and walked away thinking she had won, knowing fully well the kind of hardship the poor woman and her baby were passing through.
At the end she goes to church, and pay huge tiths and even make huge donations when called upon, with the believe of been generous, while in the actual sense, she does it to earn recorgnitions and prestige. This also applies to so many of us.
Why do we always try show that we have the power when we buy from the poor and the needy, and tend to be generous to our equals or rather those who do not need or even appreciate our generosity?
When I was younger, my dad once told me that “A man’s worth isn’t measured by how he treats his equals, but by how he treats his inferiors” and ever since then, each time I buy things from the poor or should I say average business parents or children who are striving hard to survive, I try as much as possible not to price too much, and sometimes I even pay more despite the fact that I’m not that well to do in terms of money, because I know how it feels to have very little or nothing at all.
Please, let’s encourage and help the poor and the needy rather than exploiting them and even making them lose the little they've got!
Thanks for reading; I know you do share the same thoughts with me, please do share your thoughts about this in the comment section and together, let’s make the world a better place.
Image Sources: pixabay.coom
@kelvino