It wasn’t something I expected to be lectured on, but certainly a pleasant surprise! To be fair, going into the program with AWWA and subsequently being paired with the elderly beneficiaries, I didn’t know what to expect at all.
The senior I was paired with was a man who had worked many years within the police force, amongst other professions. In great detail, he told me many tales of all different kinds of experiences, but above all he always seemed to come to a certain conclusion at the end; nothing beats a good work ethic. Having served under many different bosses, he told me the importance of honesty, hard work and loyalty. He’d also relish in telling stories of his time working as a personal driver for a family, where they’d come to trust him immensely through his work ethics.
“There were so many times that I’d find rings, earrings, or even my Tao-Kae’s (boss) wallet in the car! But I will always return it to them the next morning.” – and after recounting any of his stories he’d always end it by telling me that it was the right thing to do, therefore the only thing to do. At his own expense, he would forgo meals to settle errands for his Tao-Kae, even being entrusted to deposit large sums of cash in the bank. Through his actions over the years, he built an amazing relationship with his boss, and it was returned in kindness. He would get extra money for meals on top of his salary, and he happily tell me how he’d be pleased to bring home more money for his wife and children.
Beyond money or education, lies good moral values and character. In just a few conversations this point was drilled into me. It was certainly a rhetoric that I had heard countless times over the years, but it was a very different perspective to take in when these lessons came from a man who had worked for more than 50 years. In all his years of work, the one thing that pulled him through life to excel in whatever he did was his unshakable morals and his strive to do his best in anything he had been tasked with. It didn’t matter the job or the situation, none of these defined the man he was and always will be.
“Character is simply habit long lived.” – Plato
Both Plato and my elderly friend certainly had this point right, and I would venture to say we could all benefit from learning from this. Are you as a person right now true to your own values and morals? I’d definitely say I try my best to do so, and I may not be or will never be perfect, but I’ll do whatever I can to be founded upon a good sense of character and moral compass. There is no fault in trying and failing, and I do hope more people share the same sentiments as me.
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