The biscuit on the railway platform

I have a soft corner for street dogs. Firstly because they cannot earn a living like humans to fill their stomach. Secondly, they cannot leave their area in search of food like other stray animals. There are quite a few dogs who do so and one can see the piteous condition in which they run from one area to another. These reasons motivate me to help a street dog whenever I see one and however I can.

So there I was feeding a stray dog in a railway station on my journey back home from my village. At first, I had seen a cute little puppy ranging about the railway platform. His mother followed him after a while. She was a debile middle aged dog with her other puppies probably somewhere safer than the railway platform. Let me give her a name. I will call her Platty. Platty followed the scent of her puppy who was found sleeping under a concrete “sofa”. She lay herself down besides her puppy and went off to sleep.  I pitied Platty’s state because that railway station was not really frequented by people.  A few opportunities to eat scraps must have been keeping her alive. Hence, my wish to give her at least one meal. Very soon, with a few surprised people, staring at me,  I was feeding Platty with a piece cake bought from a nearby shop. Once the first course was over, I started off eating the chocolate cookies that I had bought for myself. Platty was staring at me. She seemed to be still hungry. I could not give her chocolate cookies! Not because I love chocolate cookies, but because chocolate is bad for a dog’s health. I paused my meal and made a second visit to the shop in the railway station. I then surprised the already surprised people by getting more pieces of cake and some biscuits along with them. The last time I got this much attention from people was while I was dancing in a school event and I kicked off one of those colourful bulbs kept on the stage in my excitement to showcase my dancing skills. Anyways, Platty devoured the pieces of cake and the biscuits with the last 2 biscuits on the floor just when the announcement for the arrival of my train was made. The second last biscuit seemed tricky to eat for Platty as it kept rolling away from her mouth. That made the last biscuit prone to aerial attack from crows.

To my surprise, out of  nowhere, like how Harry Potter appears at the other end of platform 9 3/4, a man dressed in rags appeared. He looked pleasantly lost. He moved towards the last biscuit, slowly bent down and picked it up. He then stared into the oblivion. He smiled and stood there. This scene really struck me. There I was sitting eating my chocolate cookies, with a man picking up a biscuit that I had just kept on the floor of the railway platform a few minutes ago. Only a person with dire need of food would do this. But I could be wrong. This person seemed mentally ill. He was shabby, looked like he hadn’t had a bath in a couple of months and was pretty well built for his condition. I usually don’t encourage beggars as I believe they can earn their living in a more respectable way.

My train was about to arrive in 5 minutes. I had still 3 cookies left. And there was this man infront of me with Platty’s biscuit. And there was Platty, satisfied and seated comforatbly on the railway platform. My mind was waging its usual war. Mr.Pro was telling me to give the cookies to that man as he looked hungry and homeless. Mr.Con was telling me not to, as I would just encourage him to not overcome his mental state and thus making his food comfortably available. 2 cookies left. I could hear the train hooting. Mr.Pro somewhere in the distance now, giving me a “go-ahead-and-give-the-cookies” look. Mr.Con very close to me, making  me eat one more cookie....and then the last one. I boarded the train.

A few hours later I was at home. I had not got the slightest thought of what happened at the railway station all along the way. But at home, the thought occurred to me again. Did I do the right thing in not giving the cookies to that man? But if I had not done so, I would just be encouraging that man to expect food from someone else. He can very well work and earn his own bread. But then I remembered what God tells us. He tells us not to judge others because we have no right to. I judged that the man did not deserve food to be donated as he was fit enough to work. I judged that he was in his senses and was capable to earn his livelihood. And it was my mistake. Who am I to judge what people deserve when God has given me what I don’t actually deserve? What have I done to earn my life from God? Nothing! I had overlooked love before my human logic. I did not realize that love was more powerful than human intellect. I should have just shared those cookies with him. And I was wrong in not doing so.

As I believe, everything happened for a reason. If I had to share the cookies with him, I would be satisfied of having done a good deed and would have not contemplated on that issue. I would let my human mind overcome what God says the next time I encountered such a situation. This experience made me decide on what I am going to do the next time I come across such a situation. I am going to not judge anyone and do what is good.  Do what God has told me to do and continue doing so.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King Jr