On Values.

To many desi Hindu kids, Amar Chitra Kathas were a staple. Whether it’s the broad-shouldered gods or the ferocious demons, the stories had a way of simplifying morality for young minds. As I dive more and more into reflecting on how my sense of morality came to be, I’ve realized these stories played a crucial part. While most stories had the typical good versus evil concept baked into each storyline, there is one story that comes to mind today that feels more complex.

In the story, there was a guru with his student who was walking in the outskirts of a city when he was hit with hunger pangs. He visits a poor family who only had a few handfuls of rice left. The family was on the verge of starvation. Even while facing this hunger, the father showed compassion to the guests that have entered the house and fed them with the little they had. Atithi Devo Bhava or “the guest equates to god”…is a commonly implemented practice in Hindi culture. The guru and student thanked the family and walked on.

They soon came across a stately palace where the king was distributing bags of rice and clothes outside the gates. The students face lit up. “Look how kind the king is, his compassion is infinite,” he exclaimed. The guru smiled…and asked, “Who would you say is the better person, the father who fed us or the king?” The students immediate response is the king because “he gave us more, of course he is a better person.”

At this point in the story, every child would come up with the same answer. The king, of course. However, we often focus on what is provided to us, but forget how much was sacrificed by others for us to receive what we have. The king did not lose anything by giving away rice and clothes. The poor family, on the other hand, had a lot to lose and did it anyway. And this is the key point which I find so applicable to modern society today. There is always a sense of wonder from the average citizen for people like Elon, or Trump, or Gates. They are enthralled by the money, the power, the prestige. It is undeniable that the path to their power is fascinating. When these privileged leaders do something “good” (i.e. charity or donation), they are lauded and commended for their generosity. Obviously, the impact is still meaningful. However, it is so easy to do “good” when we have the means and resources to do so. We are losing nothing and gaining significant social status and prestige.

It is much harder to give away a dollar when we only have $2 vs. if we had $100. What irks me is that we only measure the impact by what was given away…not what was sacrificed. This is why it’s so important to celebrate our members of the community that sacrifice so much with little gain in return….our local leaders and change makers, our teachers, our coaches, our community members, our parents… even the average citizen. The people who have little but are still willing to share so much.

This compassion and sacrifice is undeniably worth more.

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