The Limit of Kindness

“The Limit of Kindness” is a story about Rahul, who is one of the brilliant employees in his office. A few days ago, he got a promotion, and the company shifted him to his hometown of Kolkata. He usually had to go to his office by bike. 

Rahul is the kind of person who helps a lot of people with or without any intention. Rahul is a prominent photographer by passion and a cinematographer by hobby.

Recently, Rahul had a bike accident. So he put his bike in his house to do the repair work. Since he had to go to his office daily, he decided to travel by the local train until the bike was ready. 

One day, he noticed a homeless guy at the train station at night. He felt sympathetic for him, so he gave him some change from his pocket.  

The homeless guy thanked him for it. The next day again, he noticed the same guy at the same place. This time, Rahul thought of getting him something to eat, so he went outside the station and brought him a food packet. The homeless guy thanked him for his kindness. But Rahul got very curious and asked him, “How did you get to this point?”               

The homeless guy looked up at him, and with a smile, he said, “By showing love & respect to others.” 

Rahul didn’t understand it, so he asked, “What do you mean by that?” The homeless guy replied, “Throughout my life, I ensured everyone was happy and had a peaceful mind. No matter what was going right or wrong in my life, I always helped everyone.”                                     

Rahul asked him, “Do you regret it?” 

The homeless man replied, “No, It just hurts my soul that the very people I gave the shirt off my back to wouldn’t give me a sleeve of that same shirt when I was in need. Son, It is better to build your own house and invite someone in for shelter than to hand them your bricks while you are building yours. Because one day, you will turn around and look at the spot where you had planned to build your house. It will be an empty lot. Then you are the one looking for bricks.”

Rahul understood what the homeless guy meant and thanked him for the good advice.

Moral of The Limit of Kindness Story

Helping others is not a bad thing at all. But sometimes, while helping others, we forget our problems and needs. 

One must remember that sometimes sharing is better than giving away. You can do much more by being in a strong position instead of bringing yourself into a weaker situation.

Building oneself up to be in a strong position to help others is more sustainable and beneficial in the long run.