Good deeds bring joy and happiness

Now, I’m going to share a true story of my life. Happened some 15-20 years back when I was barely a 10-12-year-old boy.

Coming from a small village in Arunachal Pradesh, the families are well-knitted and share emotions in both happy and sad times. Apart from that, sharing vegetables and farm produce with neighbours and relatives are a common practice. This incident happened when I was carrying vegetables for my paternal aunt to another village. She was married off to a nearby village, merely 20 minutes’ walk from my home.

That day, my grandmother plucked some fresh vegetables from our farm and told me to carry them to aunt’s house. It was a holiday from school. Hung the bag on my shoulder, was happily walking down the narrow muddy road, and looking around the green and dancing paddy field. After crossing two streams, I could see my aunt village from a distance.

As I about to enter my aunt’s village, I saw smokes coming up from under a tree. When I went near to the place, I saw a shabby old-man, may be in 70s, doing something. Oh! He was cooking something with a small utensil for himself. His hands were trembling and couldn't hold the utensils properly. The sight left me shocked. 

Many questions were coming up in my mind. Where is his family? If he has a family, why was he abandoned? And, many more? But, I couldn’t ask him anything fearing that might offend him. Or, it would refresh his wounds and ordeal that he had underwent. 

Without a second thought, I offered the old man some vegetables from the bag. The old man smiled and blessed me. A sudden feeling of joy and happiness filled my heart then. I realised that sharing even a small and insignificant thing, a bunch of vegetable in my instance, can offer incomparable happiness to your mind.

Then, I hurried towards my aunt house. After reaching to my aunt’s home, I asked more about the old man and felt so sorry for him when I was told that he was driven away from home by his children. My heart was left broken. Do parents raise their children with love and care to see this day? Why the grown up children can't feel the pain of their parents? 

In villages, we rarely hear children abandoning their parents in old age. But in cities, the situation is grim. We hear cases of torturing parents and driving them away in old age. For me, my parents are everything to me. I can’t imagine living without my parent. Because, they have sacrificed so much and spent sleepless nights for my wellbeing since my birth.

From that day, I do always good things whenever it is possible. Well, it is always possible with the right intention and effort.

The real issue is rising cases of torturing parents by young generations. Instead of being grateful and caring parents, many are leaving their parents at old-aged homes. The trend is increasing at an alarming rate around the globe.

With folded hands, I would request young generation to care and stand by their parents in hard times. If you drive your parents today, tomorrow your children may do the same thing with you. Children learn things looking at their parents. Don’t forget: what you sow you will reap.