Ahmed lived in the city centre, where many people of different background lived. He was a middle-class businessman and used to go to his office on a car that he had bought seven years ago. Despite being financially stronger than most of his colleagues, he was dissatisfied with his status. Life was nothing but a story of despair and disappointment for him.
Ahmed always wanted more than he had and felt his wishes never come true. Whenever he used to get into his car, he would start finding faults in it, and drown in self-pity for being so unlucky and poor.
One weekday, Ahmed left his home in the morning to go to his office. It was raining heavily. Ahmed drove slowly, for he had to be careful with his old car.
On his way, a man on a motorbike grabbed his attention. The man was struggling to keep the bike steady in the thunderstorm, with water dripping from his wet clothes. When the motorist saw Ahmed’s car, he looked at it with longing, and wished that he had a car like that.
Seeing the man looking in his direction, Ahmed felt conscious of the fact that he was travelling safe and dry in the car while this man was struggling to keep his bike erect.
Ahmed said to himself, “I am travelling comfortably inside a car without getting affected by the rain, while this person is in serious difficulty. I am more privileged than him.”
As he drove further, he thought about how he always complained about his life, despite being blessed with so many things that he never even considered as blessings.
After a short while, Ahmed reached his office and carried out his routine work, but kept on thinking about what he had experienced on his way to his office. It was a busy day and it passed quickly.
When Ahmed was on his way back home, the rain had stopped and cold breeze blew. The weather was pleasant that Ahmed forgot about the incident he experienced in the morning. To enjoy the weather, Ahmed opened the windows of the car rather than turning on the air conditioner.
He stopped his car at a traffic signal, he heard the voice of a man on a bicycle. By the roadside, he saw a homeless man sleeping on the wet sidewalk. Then a child stopped by his open window and tried to sell him some balloons. By this time, the traffic signal turned green and Ahmed drove on, but what he saw remained with him long after he got home safely.
Ahmed remained awake that night and contemplated over his attitude. God had given him so many blessings, yet he was ungrateful. Happiness was around him, yet he had refused its entry into his soul. Neither his car, his house nor status was depressing, what was saddening was his attitude. He knew he had to change his thoughts. That night, he learnt an important lesson – happiness comes from optimism!
Dear readers, it is an undeniable fact that human beings are greedy and always want more! Working hard to become better is not a bad thing, but one must be satisfied with his life and thank God for what he has. Always remember, whatever we have has been given to us by God, and He can snatch away His blessings from the one who is not thankful to the privileges bestowed upon him.
Published in Dawn, Young World, April 1st, 2023
