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Turning Fear Into True Compassionposted by sathsath on Mar 18, 2010

This is a true story that happened to my friend Rekha...

Rekha maintains an exercise regime that includes a brisk walk every morning around some gardens in our neighbourhood. One morning, she was walking earlier then usual, daybreak was only just beginning to set in and it was still relatively dark.

As she was walking, a cyclist came up to her, snatched her handbag (containing her keys, phone and credit cards) and sped off with it! She ran after him shouting "thief - thief". A man further ahead must have heard her, or seen what had happened. He was washing a car and had a bucket of water with him. He grabbed the bucket and threw the water on to the cyclist.

The cyclist, caught off guard, drove off the pavement and his bike fell over. The other people in the park rushed over and surrounded him. My friend Rekha was worried that the people would try and beat him up, as often happens in India, and so she pleaded with them not to hurt him.

She bent down and asked the man why he did this to her? He was extremely repentent and explained that he was the son of a poor farmer and that this year their crops had failed. He said that the money lenders had threatened to beat up his father and hurt their family if they didn't pay on time. He said that he was absolutely desperate and didn't know what else to do. He was very sorry.

Rekha was deeply moved by this story. She could see that boy was young and he was so skinny and bonny. She looked into the boy's eyes and said that she forgave him. She then pulled out some money from her handbag and gave it to him. She told him that stealing was wrong and that he shouldn't do it again. He said he wouldn't. He said he was from a good family and well brought up and that he had made a terrible mistake.

http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid