I have to share with you an experience I had today. It shows that I just don’t meet the standard!

I walked outside on my way to go to the store.

Not far from my home, there was a man standing there holding an empty oil can. His girlfriend was in the car and it seemed like a ‘strange’ situation.

As a typical human, it didn’t cross my mind that I should offer assistance.

The man asked me if there was a gas station nearby. I pointed the opposite way that I was walking and told him that there was one a few blocks away.

He asked me, “Do you happen to be driving that way?” Without even thinking about it, I said, “No, I’m walking the other way.”

It wasn’t until I was down the street that I realized that I could just have easily helped him with a ride to the gas station! My car was very close by, it would have been a simple thing!

How sad that my first thought was NOT about helping another person, only that I shouldn’t be bothered as I am going about my own business.

How could I be so callus? This shows how cold my heart is.

I think that many of us are this way after a lifetime of dealing with people and situations where others would use us or take advantage in one way or another.

A lifetime of those scars causes the situation where my first thought is no longer about others, but really about helping myself get what I need done as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Efficient, but not friendly.

How sad for me, that I missed an opportunity to help another human being out.

I was gone for at least half-an-hour and when I returned, he was just then filling his tank with a gas can that someone with a truly helping heart had apparently lent him or perhaps he bought it at the gas station.

I do not know for sure. But, I do know that I could have been a lot more helpful than just pointing someone in the direction of the nearest gas station.

How sad for me. A lifetime of learning to protect myself and my self-interests has led to this becoming a habit, without a second thought!

Am I bad person? In this instance, perhaps I was!

I wish I had done better with this situation. You can read the book Zhuan Falun. It teaches REAL spiritual principles. Maybe one day, it will sink in for me. I’ve gone the wrong way. I hope I can do better in the future!

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