A while ago, we read about a real story and wanted to share it with you, for the lessons it has to offer, to which we really need on individual and community levels.
In December 1914 a big fire has destroyed Tomas Edison’s plant. Although the loss was beyond 2 million dollars, but the whole building was only insured for 382’000 dollars only, because it was built out of stone and strong cement, and thought by its owners that it can’t catch a fire that easy. But at one night in December of that year, most of the research, studies and works of Edison was burned, which he have spent his entire life to achieve.
At the peak of the fire and when reached to a level it can’t be stopped, Edison’s son (Charles) reached to the location of fire to which made him freak-out in fear when he saw the fire, and so he went on searching for his father between the remains and smoke of fire, only to find him sitting, looking with peace to this horrible sight, his face lid up by the reflection of light from the fire, and his white shirt blowing with the wind.
Charles says, describing his state when seeing his father in this condition: my heart was broken when I saw him, he is no longer a young man and has passed 67 years of age, and there he is sitting looking at the proceeds of his life burn in front of his eyes, but when he saw me, he asked me: where is your mother, Charles? When I told his that I don’t know, he said: Go and look for her, and get her quickly because she won’t see such a thing ever again in her life.
The following day, Edison stood above the remains of his burned plant, and said: there is a great value in this disaster, all my mistakes were burned, and thank god and with his help, I can have a new beginning today.
And after 3 weeks of the incident, Edison was able to make and produce the first voice recorder at the age of 67 years old, followed by many discoveries and inventions benefited by humankind.
Yes, there are great benefits we can learn out of painful incidents, disasters and set-backs in all their images on individual or community size, if we had the proper mentality and psychology to live up to it.
When things narrow down and change, and people look towards what happens to them from disasters and loss of fortune and savings, thus feeling sorrow and frustration, and other feeling envious, anger and suffocation, while few do not waste their energy in sorrow or frustration or anger or suffocation, but will work effortlessly in all ways, while they know than wealth does not make men, but men make wealth.
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