The Law of the Garbage Truck

How often do we let other people's temper affect our mood? Do we let a terrible driver, or a rude comment ruin our day?

The mark of a spiritual aspirant is how quickly we can regain our focus on what is important. One man learnt this experience while in the back of a New York City cab. Here's what happened.

He was travelling in a taxi, on his way to Grand Central Station. All of a sudden, without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of them. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back end by inches.

Then, the driver in the other car, who nearly caused a huge accident, whipped his head around and started abusing the taxi driver.

But the taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. The startled passenger said, "Why did you take it so easy? The guy almost caused your car to crash and sends us to hospital!" The taxi driver laughed and then related what he called, "The Law of The Garbage Truck."

"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of rubbish, filled with frustration, bursting with anger, and packed with disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump it all on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be glad you did. I assure you.”

The passenger started thinking how regularly he let garbage trucks run right over him? And how frequently he took his own garbage and spread it onto other people, at work, at home, or on the streets? It was that day he promised to himself, "I'm not going to do it anymore."

Over time he learnt how to distinguish when a "Garbage Truck" was coming to dump all over him. He noticed the junk they were carrying and prepared himself to avoid it all being unloaded onto him. Like the taxi driver, he did not make it a personal thing; he just smiled, waved, wished them well, and moved on.

“Be always saturated with Love. Do not use harsh words against anyone, for words wound more fatally even than arrows. Speak softly and sweetly. Sympathise with suffering with an unshaken faith.”

....Adapted from "Let the Garbage go by..." By David J. Pollay

The Star Thrower....

The Star Thrower...

In his book, "The Star Thrower", Loren E.Eisley talks of the day when he was walking on the beach sands where hundreds of starfish had been washed up on the shore.

He noticed a little boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. He observed the boy for a few minutes, accosted him and asked what he was upto.

The boy replied that he was returning the starfish to the sea, otherwise, they would die.

Eisley was both touched and amused. He asked the boy; how saving a few when so many were doomed would make any difference whatsoever?

The boy picked up a starfish and as he threw it back, said… "It's going to make a lot of difference to this one!"

Eisley left the beach and went home to continue writing only to discover that he could not type a single word. He returned to the beach and spent the rest of the day helping the little boy throw starfish into the sea.

"Our world has been profoundly influenced by the thoughts, beliefs and actions of all its past and present habitants. History is created not only by those whose names are revered and celebrated, but also by the infamous and unknown. All those who live, carve out in some special way their very own niche."