PureInsight | November 4, 2007
[PureInsight.org] One day, a
beggar came into a popular dessert shop. He was in tattered clothes and
had such a strong body odor that other customers near him had to hold
their breath. The clerk behind the counter tried to chase him away. But
the beggar took out a few small bills and said that he was not here to
beg for money and he had saved for a long time for this opportunity to
taste their desserts.
When the owner of the shop witnessed that, he walked politely toward
the beggar and handed him two plates of desserts just out of the oven.
In addition, he bowed to the beggar and said, "Thank you for your
business. Please come back again!"
In the past, no matter how respectful the customers were, the owner
always told the employees to serve them. Everyone was startled when the
owner served a beggar in such a respectful manner.
The owner explained, "Our regular customers, of course, are welcome,
but they are all rich people. It is nothing to them to buy some
desserts, such a simple and easy thing. Today's beggar is different. He
spent a long time to save his money, a little at a time. This is such
an unusual opportunity. If I didn't serve him myself, how could I
deserve this honor?"
"If that is the case, why did you take his money?"
The owner smiled and said, "He came here as a guest here today and not
to beg. We have to respect him for that. If I don't take his money, I
am insulting him. We must remember that we have to respect every
customer here, even if he is a beggar. And everything we have comes
from our customers."
This owner is the grandfather of Tsutsumi, a business tycoon, who has
been mentioned twice by the famous "Forbes Global" magazine. Just
imagine what an impression this owner's behavior made on a ten-year-old
Tsutsumi! Later, Tsutsumi mentioned this story often to his employees
in training sessions and asked all his employees to respect every
customer.
The respect in this story is not just social etiquette, but a deep
understanding, caring, love, and respect from the bottom of our hearts
toward another being. It does not reflect any gain or fame nor is it
influenced by position or social status. Therefore, it is the purest
and most rewarding.
Translated from:　　
http://xinsheng.net/xs/articles/gb/2007/10/25/41707.htm
