There was once a rich man who lived in a certain village. The
people were pleased to have this man of influence among them.
The only fault that they found with him was that he was selfish.
It did not trouble him if his neighbors were poor or sick or
out of work or in trouble. What was that to him? It only added
to his position of superiority. He could import his edibles. He
could hire foreign labor. But one day a family was stricken with
a contagious disease induced by their poverty and poor food. The
village was quarantined. He went to a gardener for vegetables
but the cut worms had made the garden fail. He went to the
poultry-dealer for eggs, but his hens were not laying well. He
went to the farmer for fruit, but the drought had injured his
vines. Then the rich man began to realize the relation between
himself and his fellow man. If trouble came to his neighbor, he
could not escape its blight. It was then that he became truly
humble and began to love his neighbor as himself.
It is as true in our moral and spiritual life as it is in our
physical life. The sin that blasts our neighbor’s character
will sooner or later cast its shadow upon us, live we ever so
blameless. No one can live his life apart from his neighbors.
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