And a Sermon for Sunday…
… the Bus Driver’s journey
This short story is told on Facebook of a journey in a New York City bus during rush hour. Traffic was barely moving. The passengers were all cold and tired. Deeply irritated with one another, with the world itself. Two men argued about a shove that might or might not have been intentional. A pregnant woman got on, and nobody offered her a seat. Rage was in the air; No compassion was to be found here.
That message from Driver
Then the driver got on the intercom. “Folks,” he said, “I know you have had a rough day and are frustrated. I can’t do anything about the weather or traffic, but here is what I can do. As each of you gets off, I will reach out my hand. As you walk by, drop your troubles into my palm. Don’t take your problems home to your families tonight, leave them with me. My route goes by the Hudson River. I will open the window and throw your troubles into the water.”
It was as if a spell had lifted. Everyone burst out laughing. Faces gleamed with surprised delight. People were suddenly grinning at each other. At every stop, as promised, the driver reached out his hand and waited. All the exiting commuters pretended to drop something into his palm. Some people laughed as they did this, some teared up, but everyone did it. The driver repeated the lovely ritual all the way to the river.
A thought to Ponder upon?
We all have bad days. In which we struggle and fail. Lose jobs, money, friends, faith, love. We become fearful and withdrawn. And everything seems cloaked in darkness. We long for the light but don’t know where to find it. But what if we are the very agent of illumination that a dark situation calls for? Like this bus driver. He wasn’t a spiritual leader. Nor some media-savvy influencer. Neither, he was one of society’s most invisible workers. But he possessed real power, and he used it beautifully. Ask yourself, What can you do, right now, to be the light…
By Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel Someone who has interviewed almost every role model this country has to offer as of now. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer and columnist. With over three decades of journalism in leading publications including the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is widely known for his brilliantly penned interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.His interviews have feature in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him. In the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat. Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. In a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work, Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward.
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