My daily routine here in UK includes having breakfast in the restaurant at client location. I prefer not to experiment with the taste buds, hence have a single menu for my daily breakfast. It comprises some bread portions, butter, honey & juice. It amounts to £2.57 as per the rate list. However, call it what so ever I am usually undercharged. Atleast thrice a week I end up paying £2.42 or even lesser. It probably happens because the lady at counter misses charging for one or the other item. I do remind her once that she has missed some item because it should be £2.57 as per my calculation. After that she checks the billed items and the food items I am carrying in the tray. Once she realizes that she had missed one item, she smiles and says “ It’s your lucky day ” or “ Let that be a present from my side “. I also smile and move ahead.
Few days ago, I was again standing at the counter. This time lady at the counter said “£2.90”. “ £2.90 ? It should be £2.57, could you please check again?” was my reply. She said,” Dear its £2.90 “. I again requested her to please check once again. This time she checked and found she had charged for an item that previous customer had bought. She realized her mistake and before preparing a new bill she apologized. This time she said, “£2.42 my love”. I reminded it should be £2.57 but she insisted on that it’s okay even if I paid less. As I was now moving away from the counter, I was thinking “what an idiot I am, every day I am undercharged and I move away happily but one day I was being overcharged and I did not hesitate to complain about it. If I actually add those £0.15 saved daily, it would be itself more than many £2.57.” My concern could have been valid, but I was amazed to see that such feelings still are so alive in me that I am more comfortable if things work in my favor. A little goes other way round, I start talking of my rights etc.
Thoughts also went to Lord Rama’s time, when he was exiled. How whole heartedly he accepted the wish of his mother, no matter how baseless it could have been. Kingdom was his right but some where the responsible son had a bigger role to play.
The other day one friend asked me if there was a difference between an ethical being and a spiritual being. Perhaps at that point I couldn’t put an answer, but now from my own experience can say, being ethical may not always mean spiritual. However underlined text is that a spiritual being will have an ethical element.
