FOODFORTHOUGHT

A STORY TO MAKE US THINK
Author Unknown
April 19, 2011

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man
was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help
drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only
window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men
talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where
they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed
by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to
his room-mate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods
where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity
and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a
lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed
their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of
every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and
a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the
man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the
picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described
a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band -
he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window
portrayed it with descriptive words.

Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the
other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything
while he himself never got to see anything? It didn't seem fair.

At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he
missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon
turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to
sleep. He should be by that window - that thought, and only that
thought, now controlled his life.

Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window
began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other
man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window
groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room
he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought
the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and
choking stopped, along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was
only silence-deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their
baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she
was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away. As
soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be
moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and
after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly,
painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look
at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all
himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the
bed. It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased
roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the
wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

Epilogue. . . .

You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral stands
out: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our
own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when
shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the
things you have that money can't buy.

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