Slow Down – Philosophical Moral Stories
About ten years ago, a young and very successful executive named
Josh was traveling down a Chicago neighborhood street. He was
going a bit too fast in his sleek, black, 12 cylinders Jaguar XKE, which
was only two months old. He was watching for kids darting out from
between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw
something.
As his car passed, no child darted out, but a brick sailed out and —
WHUMP! — It smashed into the Jag’s shiny black side door!
SCREECH! Brakes slammed! Gears ground into reverse, and tires
madly spun the Jaguar back to the spot from where the brick had
been thrown. Josh jumped out of the car, grabbed the kid and pushed
him up against a parked car.
He shouted at the kid, “What was that all about and who are you?
Just what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he
went on. “That’s my new Jag; that brick you threw is going to cost you
a lot of money. Why did you throw it?”
“Please, mister, please…I’m sorry! I didn’t know what else to do!”
pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would
stop!” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around
the parked car. “It’s my brother, mister,” he said. “He rolled off the
curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the
boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back
into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.”
Moved beyond words, the young executive tried desperately to
swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. Straining, he lifted the
young man back into the Wheelchair and took out his handkerchief
and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was
going to be OK. He then watched the younger brother push him down
the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk back to the sleek, black, shining, 12 cylinders
Jaguar XKE — a long and slow walk. Now, Josh never did fix the side
door of his Jaguar. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through
life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his
attention.
Slow Down – Philosophical Moral Stories