A Saving Grace
Perry and Victor were intimate friends. Their village suffered acute drought one year and people began to migrate to other places. The friends found it difficult to get any work. How long could they remain unemployed? So, they too decided to leave the place for the town a little away from their village where they hoped to get jobs. "After all how much would we need?" Perry thought aloud while they drew up plans. We need only two hundred and fifty grams of rice and if vegetables are not cheap or not available, we would just need a little salt and one green chilli. We will spend that much money to buy these things and save the rest of our earnings. And when we make enough savings, we shall start a small workshop or a grocery shop. What do you say? Victor totally agreed with his friend's suggestion. They took a solemn promise that they would live a modest life. When they reached the town, they also decided that they would go in different directions and take up work independent of each other so that one would not become a burden on the other. However, each one insisted that he would keep the promise they had made earlier before they left their village. Perry strictly followed the decision and led a strict life and limited his daily expenditure and he was able to make a sizeable saving. Victor too, did not deviate from the decision for the first few days, though as time passed, he began wondering why he should not spend a little more to lead a slightly better life. He thought there was no point in denying oneself a happy, contented life. He began spending more to enjoy better, tastier food.
Of course, every now and then he regretted that he was breaking the promise he had made along with his friend. After some days, he found that he was spending almost every cent that he earned and he had not made any savings. In fact, there were days when he had even to borrow money from others. As he led an easy life, he was unable to take up any strenuous work which fetched a better wage. A stage came when he accumulated his borrowings. Nobody was now willing to give him even small loans anymore. Somedays he had to go without food and became weak. Meanwhile, Perry's savings grew and he first started a modest workshop which was soon converted into a small factory. Even at that time, he saw to it that he ate only frugal meal every day and did not go for any rich food though if he had so wished, he could have enjoyed delicacies. In no time he became an industrialist and a prominent person of the town. The news of Perry's rise in life reached Victor and he decided to go and meet his friend and seek help. On reaching Perry's residence, he poured out his woes. Perry gave him a patient hearing and said, "Look here, Victor, forget all that had happened. Every day I shall reach some rice, salt, and chilli to you. You must start earning once again with sincere effort and try to clear all your debts first. You may put up a small hut in my compound and live here."
Victor did that and Perry sent him the items he needed for his food every day. One day Perry called his friend, "You must be finding the food drab and monotonous. You do one thing. There is tamarind growing in the backyard, pluck some leaves and make a sauce. You'll find the food a little tasty." Victor did as his friend advised. Soon there were no leaves left on the plants which he could reach from the ground. He went to Perry and told him that there were no leaves left on the tamarind plants. "Didn't you notice that big tree over there?" said Perry. "There are plenty of leaves on the branches, only you will have to climb the tree to pluck them." After some days, Perry met Victor again and asked him, "Are there enough leaves on the tree?" "Yes, Perry," replied Victor, "and I find that there are more leaves growing on the branches." "That's the difference in our approach to life, my friend," remarked Perry. "You did not allow the smaller plants to grow and give you more leaves, while on the bigger tree, as you plucked, more grew. It is the same case with our earnings. When you began spending from your savings, there was nothing left and you had to borrow for your daily needs. A little patience for your savings to build-up would have helped you throughout." "You've opened my eyes, Perry," said Victor with traces of gratitude in his eyes.
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