The Recruit

One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.

He passed all the interviews and the final interview was with the director who would then make the decision for the young man’s recruitment.

The director discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never had a year when he did not score.

The director asked, “Did you obtain any scholarships in school?” the youth answered “none.”

The director asked, ” Was it your father who paid for your school fees?” The youth answered, “My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.

The director asked, ” Where did your mother work?” The youth answered, “My mother worked as clothes cleaner. The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The director asked, ” Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” The youth answered, “Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.

The director said, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me tomorrow morning”.

The youth felt that his chance of landing the job was high. When he went back, he happily requested his mother to let him clean her hands. His mother felt strange, happy but with mixed feelings, she showed her hands to her son.

The youth cleaned his mother’s hands slowly. His tear fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother’s hands were so wrinkled, and there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that his mother shivered when they were cleaned with water.

This was the first time the youth realized that it was this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to enable him to pay the school fee. The bruises in the mother’s hands were the price that the mother had to pay for his graduation, academic excellence and his future.

After finishing the cleaning of his mother hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.

That night, mother and son talked for a very long time. Next morning, the youth went to the director’s office.

The Director noticed the tears in the youth’s eyes, asked: ” Can you tell me what have you done and learned yesterday in your house?”

The youth humbly answered, ” I cleaned my mother’s hand, and finished cleaning all the remaining clothes’

The Director asked, “please tell me what you learnt.”

The youth admitted that after cleaning his mother’s hands and helping her, he realized what a tough and selfless life she has led for his sake and thanked the director for having given him an opportunity to appreciate his mother’s sacrifices and the value of family relationships.

The director seemed satisfied. He said,” You are hired.”

Radhanath Swami concludes ‘Where there is necessity, there is deeper appreciation.’ Especially in family relationships, there is a tendency to take the other members of the family for granted and not appreciate their care, love or sacrifices. We must learn to stop by and seek to understand their love and sacrifices for us and learn to appreciate them genuinely and thereby help in building a caring & nurturing atmosphere at home.