Article/Story: The Best Cure
Posted: 22 Aug 2012 07:20 AM PDT
A rich man, a business tycoon and multi-billionaire (name withheld), was suffering terribly from chronic pain in his neck and shoulders. He consulted all the best doctors and specialists around the world and although their prescribed treatments brought him some relief, it was only temporary and sooner or later the pain would return. The man was at his wit's end. He had spent thousands of dollars but all in vain. He could not function properly, the pain was so intense at times and this had started affecting his work. The vultures – people after his position — had started to circle around and it was evident that very soon he would have to give up his place as Chairman of the Board of Directors of his company. Finally, a friend advised him to visit a certain doctor (name withheld) in Mumbai, India. Apparently, this doctor had worked miracles in ridding patients suffering from chronic pains. Although a bit suspicious since he had never heard of this doctor before, the man travelled to Mumbai immediately as he was desperate to overcome his affliction. Upon arrival in Mumbai, he immediately sought a consultation with this doctor and an appointment was fixed for the next morning. Prior to the consultation, the doctor asked him to deposit his fees of ten thousand rupees (non-refundable) into a given bank account. The man did so, although now he was even more suspicious. Perhaps he was being scammed by a quack, or so he thought. The man arrived at the doctor's office punctually the next morning and the doctor, an oldish man shabbily dressed, asked him to describe his problem. The doctor then wrote something down on a piece of paper, folded it up and gave it to him. "I have written a prescription for you that will help you overcome your pain. If you follow this prescription to the letter, I can guarantee that you will no longer suffer."  With that the doctor shook his hand and ushered him out of the clinic. Dazed at how quick the consultation had been, with none of the usual prodding and checking and blood tests etc, the poor man, wincing from the intense pain in his shoulders, hailed a taxi intending to go back to his hotel. "This really was a proper scam. Wait till I meet my friend," he vowed to himself. As the taxi pulled away from the curb, he opened the note the doctor had given him. "Go to Chatrapathy Shivaji Train Station and look around. You will definitely find somebody or the other who is unhappy, or in need of help, or in a stressful situation. Do your best to help him." The man was gobsmacked, to say the least. "This is the magical prescription that will cure me?! God, what a fool I have been…" But then his instincts as a savvy businessman took over. "…I will achieve vindication by doing what this ridiculous doctor has told me and then I will march up to his office and demand my money back! I will take him right up to the Supreme Court if need be and I will make sure his practice will shut down and he will never be able to bring up the hopes of any other suffering patient ever again!"With this grim determination, he instructed the taxi driver to change directions and drop him at the station instead. Once there, he ploughed through the throngs and throngs of people, being pushed and pulled along with the incessant crowd. Cursing under his breath, and almost doubling over with the pounding pain in his body, he finally entered the station building, which was thankfully less crowded. He looked to the left and then to the right, and his eyes fell upon a middle aged woman sitting on a battered looking suitcase, weeping loudly. The man tentatively approached the woman and asked her why she was so upset and if he could be of any help. It turned out that the woman was from a small village, coming to Mumbai to visit her daughter. This was her first time in a big city and although she had sent a telegram to her daughter, informing her of her arrival time, her daughter had not come to meet her at the station. She had been waiting there since early morning and was now at a complete loss and scared out of her wits. The man immediately took charge, and first of all ushered the poor woman to the nearby canteen, ordered for her a cup of "kadak" masala chai, at the same time, endeavouring to calm her down with soothing placations. "Don't worry, mataji, all will be alright. I will do my best to help you but first have this cup of tea. It will make you feel better." Thereafter, reading a crumpled piece of paper bearing the address of her daughter, the man picked up the lady's suitcase and hailed a taxi for the lady and himself, giving the daughter's address to the driver. Thankfully, the driver was familiar with the address and a short taxi ride later, the mother was reunited with her daughter, both embracing each other joyfully with tear-filled eyes. The daughter had misplaced her mother's telegram and had been worrying for days now about her mother, not being able to remember exactly when she would be arriving. The man, smiling and happy, then took his leave and went back to his hotel. On the way, he suddenly realized that he had not thought once during this entire episode about his pain. IN FACT, THERE WAS NO PAIN. He could not believe it. The prescription had worked! Just as the doctor had guaranteed. He shook his head in wonderment. The happiness and joy in his heart at having done something good for a complete stranger had eradicated the pain that even the most expensive medicines in the world had not managed to cure.Before leaving Mumbai, the man made sure that the doctor would receive a sizeable cheque in the mail the next day. Thereafter, he returned home, happy, peaceful and well and truly cured. His businesses flourished and his activities expanded all over the world. But wherever he went, the man made sure to help somebody or the other every single day, and he kept this up for the rest of his life, and he never ever suffered from any pains whatsoever. Not only did he never suffer from pain but he also had the added bonus of being happy, fulfilled and contented throughout his remaining life. (end of true story) I do not think there is a single person in this world who has not, at one time or the other, complained about feeling poorly. Headaches, stomach aches, back pain, aching muscles and joints, and other petty maladies consume a large part of our daily lives, and have funded pharmaceutical companies all over the world, turning them into mega-rich multinational corporations. I'm sure you will find it incredible, but my grandmother (Zeenatara Allakrakhya) has never ever suffered, in her entire life, from any kind of pain. Not even a headache. In fact, she has no medicine cabinet in her home and she actually takes great amusement in laughing at the likes of people like myself who are always moaning and grumbling about this pain or the other. This always makes me cross, but having heard the above story (from her), I have now realized the secret behind her perfect general health. Not a day passes without my grandmother endeavouring to do something to help or make others, often the underprivileged, feel better. And she has kept this up for almost half a century now. This has helped keep her disposition calm and worry-free, with her face always lit up with a smile. Helping others does have this healing effect. It is the best remedy, according to my grandmother, of forgetting one's own miseries, worries and disappointments. Then how can illness come near such a person?. Today, I make the resolution, a pact with myself, to join the bandwagon and try my best to help somebody or the other every single day, and I share this hoping that others too will follow suit. In this way, Inshallah, the world will become a slightly better place. Alysha Javer is a teacher. After completing her studies in the field of Education and Psychology in the UK, she taught English Language and Literature for a few years before joining the Writers' Bureau, UK. Currently, she lives part of the year in the UK and part of the year in Kenya (with her grandmother Zeenatara Allakrakhya) and she's working on writing her first novel. In her own words: "I'm very interested in learning more and going deeper into the subject of faith and ethics, and my grandmother is a great source of inspiration and knowledge in this vast subject." Earlier related: Article: Selfless Giving 
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