E-Paper
The grateful bee
When moral values are fast eroding, when there is little respect, kindness and gratitude towards fellow beings, and towards nature, an experience I went through the other day has touched my heart.
When moral values are fast eroding, when there is little respect, kindness and gratitude towards fellow beings, and towards nature, an experience I went through the other day has touched my heart.
Sitting in the sun in the balcony of my house, I saw a small, yellow bee fluttering and struggling on the floor, trying hard to get up and fly but failed every time it attempted. I could feel its pain and helplessness and found myself equally helpless. I slid it up on a piece of paper and placed it in a safe corner.
With every heart beat of mine, I could feel the ebbing heart beats of the bee. I wanted to save it somehow. I sprinkled tiny drops of water very gently so as not to damage its fragile wings. And then I moved away from the scene because somehow I did not have the heart to see it struggling and dying.
After sometime, I came out hoping that it would have flown away. But it was still there and looked stable and was still making efforts to fly. After a few minutes, it suddenly flew up and came and sat on my feet.
I squirmed but it did not budge. I had my socks on but still feared that it would sting. But it did not. And then it came up to my hand. I was sure this time I would not escape its sharp, painful sting. I sat motionless and so did the bee. After a few good seconds, it flew away and I heaved a sigh of relief. My eyes were wet and there was a feeling of satisfaction.
This little creature gave me food for thought. A bee's sting is proverbial, but in this case what I got was caressing and not a sting; it was not that it had become impotent to bite but, as I perceived it, it was as if an acknowledgement and display of gratitude.
The moral: A good deed is always rewarded; and even if we mortals fail to recognise it, God is there to see.
