Charity Wrapped in Dignity

She saw a fruit cart on the side of the road and asked "How much are you selling these bananas for?"

"Five rupees for each, Madam." The old & feeble fruit seller replied.

"I will take 6 for Rs.25/- or I will leave." She said in a firm voice. 

The old seller replied, "Ok Madam, take them at the price you want because this is the beginning of my day. 

I have not sold anything since the morning yet. May God bless."

She took six bananas for 25 rupees and walked away – feeling proud and victorious as if she had won a big battle. 

She got into her expensive car and went to pick up her friend, to have lunch in a fancy restaurant.

At the restaurant, they looked at the menu and ordered whatever they thought would be good. But they did not finish all the food they had ordered and left a lot in their plates to be wasted.

Then she went to pay the bill at the counter. The bill was for Rs. 1,250. She gave 1,500 rupees to the owner of the restaurant and said: "Keep the change."

It seemed a normal gesture to the owner of the restaurant.

But would it seem fair to the fruit seller?

Why do we always show that we have the power when we buy from the needy and the poor – who works much harder to make his living? And we are generous with those who may not really need our generosity?

I remember a conversation with the son of a rich man who said, "After every visit to his temple, my father used to buy simple ordinary things from the street venders, even though he did not need them. Sometimes he would pay more than the asking price. I used to get concerned by this act, and one day, I asked him about it.

He said: “My son! It’s a charity wrapped with dignity.”

Let’s compare these two stories of social behavior.

The first one is disappointing and the second one is inspiring.

May God enlighten our vision.