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Articles: Devotion | A basket of burdens
- Prof. venkata ramanamurty mallajosyula
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After listening to everyone's concerns and problems, Mr. Hayes looked over at the hostess and asked her if she could get a paper and pen for everyone in the room. She returned in a minute, complying with the unusual request. 'Do me a favor,' Mr. Hayes asked. 'We're going to try something and I need your cooperation. On the small piece of paper please write down the 3 biggest problems or burdens you are facing in your personal life right now. Don't sign your name. We'll keep it confidential.'
When everyone was done writing down their problems, Mr. Hayes asked everyone to fold their paper and place it in a small basket that was placed in front of the fireplace. There were curious looks throughout the room, but again, everyone cooperated, wondering what would happen next. Mr. Hayes shook the basket and held it above everyone's head as he walked around the room and asked each person to pick a paper from the basket.
After he was done, he sat back down and looked around the room. 'Friends, open the paper and just read to yourself the problems that you chose,' Mr. Hayes explained. 'And please, be as honest as you can.' Then, Mr. Hayes glanced at the woman sitting on his left and asked, 'Lisa, would you like to trade your burdens that you wrote down with those that you chose from the basket?' Lisa quickly replied, 'No!'
Next, Mr. Hayes asked the man sitting next to Lisa the same question. 'Would you like to trade the problems you wrote down for those that you chose from the basket?' Again the reply was 'No.' Mr. Hayes went around the entire room. Everyone had a chance to respond. Remarkably, the answers were all the same — no, no, no, no, no... Comments ranged from 'I can deal with my own problems, but I can't deal with what I chose out of the basket,' to 'Wow — these make my problems look like nothing. Forget this.'
Mr. Hayes settled back in his cushioned rocking chair and asked, 'Do your problems seem so difficult now when you see what others must endure? Most of you wish you were in someone else's shoes, and yet, when you get a chance to trade your problems for theirs, none of you are willing. Don't you see?
'Tonight you've learned, by your own admissions, that despite the hardships you face, and despite the worries that grind away at you and cause you to lose sleep at night — despite all that — you've come to appreciate and understand the simple fact that the problems you face are nothing compared to what others must deal with.
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