By Anthony Obeng Afrane
Friends, I feel mournful, depressed and sad. Some timo ago some great people I love and respect so much started growing cold towards me; I tried recollecting if I’ve offended them in anyway, but couldn’t remember anything I had done wrong.
I later got to know that some people had made spiteful remarks about me to them. I have been accused of something I have never dreamt of. These friends of mine did not wait to listen to my part of the story [ads1]before passing judgement.
As I was brooding over this, I reminisced an event that took place some years ago. I had gone to a business centre to print out some documents. There was a bit of a queue so I had to wait for my turn. I observed something disgusting; a lady working at the centre disrespectfully collected pen drives from customers with her left hand irrespective of their ages. I boiled with anger, and was impatiently waiting for my turn to express my displeasure. I had planned that if she does same to me she would regret the day she was born. My upbringing make me abhor misbehaviour towards elderly people. In my entire life, I don’t remember a time that I have been rude to an elderly person. I have always found it difficult sending our watchmen whose ages could be close to that of my father on errands.
It eventually got to my turn, and lo and behold, she took my pen drive with her left hand; I reprimanded her for her nauseating attitude, and questioned her for disrespectfully collecting pen drives from customers who could be her parents or grandparents; she smiled, and I fumed the more because I thought she wasn’t remorseful.
After working on my document, and with a smile, she returned my pen drive with her left hand, but this time around she supported it with her right hand, and I noticed that three fingers of her right hand were missing, and that was why she couldn’t use it. Oh my God, I was shattered! And my eyes welled up with tears. I apologised profusely to her for judging her wrongly. She became my friend immediately, and I gave her a copy of one of my books.
Ever since then I have learnt not to judge people based on perception or what others say about them, but based on my encounter with them. Since no human being is infallible, we must expect some negatives when we have encounter with people; let’s focus on their strengths, and let’s try to find a less offensive way of encouraging them to work on their negatives, with this, our world will be a beautiful one to live in. There is limitless strength in unity.
