Time and Perspective

This story is from a time before mobile phones. Back then, there was only one way to tell the time: ask someone who had a watch.

We were traveling on a train. A gentleman sat on the berth in front of us. He was well-dressed, had a calm face, and wore an expensive watch with a gleaming golden chain. A boy sat in the same compartment opposite him. He was wearing simple clothes, his hands were empty—he didn't have a watch.

The boy was worried about his station. He wanted to know what time it was so he could estimate how much time was left until the station.

The boy politely asked, "Uncle, what's the time?"

The uncle didn't answer.

The boy thought, "Perhaps he hadn't heard me because of the noise of the train."

After a while, he asked again, "Uncle, please tell me what time it is?"

Still, there was no response.

The boy was a little confused. 

Meanwhile, a vendor came onto the train. The boy bought a bottle of water from him. He paid for it, and they had a brief conversation. The uncle saw and heard everything. Then the boy realized that the uncle was listening, but not responding.

The water vendor left.

The boy laughed a little and said, "Uncle, you can hear me. I'm just asking the time."

The uncle spoke again.

With a serious expression, he said, "Son, I could hear you the first time. But I don't want to confuse you with time by telling you the time."

The boy was shocked.

"Uncle, how can I confuse time with telling you the time?"

Uncle said, "Look, son, if I tell you the time, you'll ask me another question:'Uncle, what do you do?'

I'll tell you, 'Son, I live in Delhi.'

You'll say, 'Hey, Uncle, I live in Delhi too.'

Then you'll ask, 'Where in Delhi?'

I'll tell you, 'In such and such an area.'

You'll happily say, 'Uncle, I live there too!'"

Uncle paused and said, "Son, it's just here. Gradually, we'll become friends. As we become friends, you'll come to visit me sometimes. I have daughters my age. You'll start impressing them. Things will progress, and one day my daughter will come and say, 'Papa, get me married to this boy.'"

Uncle took a deep breath and said, "And I'll flatly refuse. Because  I can't marry my daughter to a boy who doesn't even have the money to buy a watch."

The boy burst out laughing upon hearing this.

He said, "Uncle, I hadn't thought about that. I was just asking the time to see how long it would take for my station to arrive."

It's a very short story, but it teaches a profound lesson.

We're all like this in life.

We overthink.

And when we do, we often think negatively.

Overthinking always makes us imagine the worst-case scenario—

"What if this happens?"

"What if that happens?"

And when we constantly think the worst, sometimes the worst actually happens.

So remember one thing in life—

Stop making a mountain out of a molehill.

Don't make every question a problem.

Don't make every thought a fear. 

Sometimes a question is just a question—

And an answer is just an answer.

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