In 1892 at Stanford University , an
18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not
knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. He and a friend
decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.
They reached out to the great pianist
Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the
piano recital. A deal was struck and the boys began to work to make the concert
a success.
The big day arrived. But unfortunately,
they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only
$1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They
gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to
honour the cheque at the soonest possible.
“No,” said Paderewski. “This is not
acceptable.” He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys:
“Here’s the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the
money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left”. The boys were
surprised, and thanked him profusely.
It was a small act of kindness. But it
clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being.
Why should he help two people he did not
even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of
us only think “If I help them, what would happen to me?” The truly great people
think, “If I don’t help them, what will happen to them?” They don’t do it
expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it’s the right
thing to do.
Paderewski later went on to become the
Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the
World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were more than _1.5 million people
starving in his country, and no money to feed them . Paderewski did not know
where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration
for help.
He heard there was a man called Herbert
Hoover who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and
quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people.
A calamity was averted. Paderewski was
relieved.
He decided to go across to meet Hoover
and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble
gesture Hoover quickly interjected and said, " You shouldn’t be thanking
me Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you
helped two young students go through college. I was one of them .”
The world is a wonderful place. What
goes around comes around. Please help others to the best of your ability. In
the long run you may be helping yourself. God never forgets anyone who sows a
good seed in other people, never .
Nothing in nature lives for itself. Rivers don't drink their own water. Trees don't eat their own fruit. Sun doesn't give heat for itself. Flowers don't spread fragrance for themselves. Living for others is the rule of nature. And therein lies the secret of living.
