Don't Touch If It's Not Yours

One day long ago, I was playing with my friends as usual. A van came and stopped near our quarters. He had a lot of boxes in his van. He picked up a few boxes and went to deliver it to some houses. As there was no one there around, I picked up two boxes from the van and ran to my house. I was so happy as if I had achieved something very great. I went straight to my mother and gave her the two boxes. She asked me what is was and where did I get it from.

I told her about the van. She asked me if those boxes belonged to me. When I said "No," she asked me to put it back from where I had picked it and come back to her. I tried to argue with her. What can a small child argue with a big woman. I failed to explain. I had to listen to her. I thought that she wasn't smart enough to keep these boxes which I had got free. I felt very bad. Then, slowly I got down the stairs like a warrior who had lost the battle, and kept the boxes back inside the van and walked back slowly to her.

She made me sit beside her and told me never to touch anything that does not belong to me. She also said that's the job of thieves. And asked me if I want to be called one. I said, "No"

Then, she told me a story of a little boy who grew up to be a big thief.

Once a boy named Raju had picked up a banana from the basket of a neighbour lady when his mother was carrying him and walking down the road. When they reached home, Raju showed his mother what he had picked up on the way. His mother kissed him and praised him for the great deed. Raju was elated and kept picking up things from others slyly. He thought he was very smart to do it. Slowly, he grew up to be a big thief. He was lucky most of the time. Once, the police caught him and he was produced in the court. He was standing in the front of the judge, and the order was passed that he would get life imprisonment for all the thefts he had done in his lifetime. That's when he saw his mother crying. He called her and told her, not to cry now.

He told her " Mother, if you had stopped me on the day I stole that banana from the neighbour aunt's basket, I wouldn't have been standing here today. I thought I was very smart when you praised me and continued to steal. I didn' t know it was a wrong thing to do until it was too late."

His mother cried and asked for forgiveness realising her mistake. Both had realised their mistake, but it was too late now.

I understood every word now. And I knew the truth of the story and how it was related to my act that day. I said sorry to her and told her that I will never repeat it. I haven't repeated it ever.

(I have told this story to my children and my students and they too have understood it well. We are here to guide them and bring them up as good persons. The moment both children and adults understand their roles, we can guide them to bloom into a beautiful adults.)