TWO SICK MEN
An Anecdote
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 roommate 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.
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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
that 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
since he had described such won-derful 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.
Submitted by Sister Maryam
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