|
 Friends
tell me I should “take the fifth” on this article but, as
Walt Whitman might say, “I share with you my good; I share
with you my bad.”
We
were seated in a booth at an ice cream parlor on the west coast
when loud screams and laughter were heard at the front. Beauty
and the Beast had entered — a beautiful lady in an evening
gown, accompanied by a man (?) dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing
a realistic hairy “ape” mask and gloves. (We wildly guessed
him to be an extra from “Planet of the Apes.”)
As
they passed between tables, he richly enjoyed leering at the
ladies and clawing at the men — an uproarious time. It was all
in fun and no harm done. But when he did his act at our table
and then sat down directly behind me, I had what seemed at the
time a great idea. Without considering the consequences, this
uncouth delinquent leaned toward the “ape’s” feet and
barked a reasonable imitation of a junkyard dog fight.
It
embarrassed my wife; the local preacher and his wife thought I
had gone stark raving mad; but that “ape” man almost jumped
out of his skin. He uttered a short cry of terror, pulled his
feet up onto the seat
|
|
beside him, and looked in vain for his
assailant. The whole place burst into laughter.
But
“jokes” that hurt people, however unintentional, have no
lasting appeal to me. When that fellow realized he had been “taken”
he dropped that hairy head into his hands and laid against the
table. His night of triumph had passed, thanks to a man who
barked without thinking. And seeing this, I felt terribly sorry
for whoever was behind that mask, and my “fun” was over
also. He left quietly while we were getting our order, and I may
never have opportunity to show him my couth and “linquent”
side.
Would
it not have been better to have played his game, laughing with
him, so we both could have had an enjoyable evening? I think so.
Is it good always to “win” over other people? I think not.
In our competitive society where winning is the name of the game
this is downright heresy. But winning doesn’t always prove
greatness, nor are conquerors the only ones who can afford to be
gracious. In character building, in building for eternity, the
gracious are the conquerors (Phil. 2:4). Magnanimity can not
grow in selfish soil.
[Previous
Article] [Next
Article]
|
