MORAL STORIES

THE UNSEEN SCENES

Two patients in very serious condition were admitted to a room in a hospital. One patient was bedridden. The other one was in a better condition and could be held upright with external assistance. His bed was close to the only window in the room. Everyday he used to describe to his room-mate, the beauty of the world outside, as if he was observing the scenes through the window near his bed.

Enlightened by the encouraging words of his friend, the first man got better day by day. Inspired by his friend’s description, he wished to recover soon and longed to witness the beautiful world outside. One morning the doctors declared that the patient near the window was dead. His friend was in tears. Later he was shifted to the bed near the window. Eagerly he raised his head with great effort to enjoy the delightful scenery his friend had been describing. To his surprise, he found that a huge wall was obstructing his view through the window. He wondered how his friend was describing the outside world as if seen through that window. He asked the nurse and was stunned by the news that the dead patient was totally blind. He had been describing the delightful scenes using his imagination with the intention of encouraging his friend and instilling in him a desire to recover and live longer.

It is a great gift to be able to make others happy even when we are in great grief and pain. Sorrows appear to halve and happiness to double when we share our feelings with a friend. “Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them!” {Matthew 5: 7}. Jesus said, “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples” {John 13: 34, 35}.

……………………………………………………………………………….

Dr. Resmy Susan Babu, Senior resident, Govt. medical College, Kottayam, Kerala & Dr. Babu Philip, Professor, Cochin University of Science & technology,Fine Arts Avenue, Kochi-682016, Kerala, India.
This is story No. 63 in this site. Please click ‘Older Posts’ at the bottom of this page to read previous stories and click 'Newer Posts' at the bottom of this page to read newer posts in this site.