Once there were two men, James and Michael, who worked at a factory together. James was very kind, and went out of his way to help out his fellow workers whenever he could. He was very well liked and respected by nearly all of those at the factory, but Michael had a cruel and malicious nature, and was not well liked at all. And Michael was very, very jealous of James’ popularity.

One day, Michael decided he was going to attempt to do his level best to cause trouble for James, and try to ruin his reputation. He began to spread rumors about James, and to do all he could to sabotage James’ work. But it seemed that the more he tried to cause trouble for James, the more James was kind to him. This went on for quite some time, and it was driving Michael absolutely crazy, trying to figure out ways to make James show some kind of reaction to his efforts to make him miserable.

Finally, after he had pulled a particularly malicious prank, which had been meant to discredit James in the eyes of the company, only to have James turn  around and do something that had really helped him, and kept he himself out of possible trouble, Michael could stand it no longer…

He caught James outside,  cornering him away from the other workers, and point-blank asked him why, no matter what he, Michael, did to cause trouble for him, James never got upset or angry, nor ever tried to strike back, but instead was even kinder after each attempt of Michael’s to cause trouble for him.

Michael told James it was driving him completely crazy, trying to figure out how, and why, James was being so kind to him, when all he had ever done was try to cause James trouble and misery.

With a somewhat malicious smile, James replied…’Ah, but you see, Michael, I have always been aware of the dislike you held for me. And of your attempts to discredit me, ruin my reputation, and cause trouble by tampering with my work. But I was determined not to let you get under my skin, or let you see that you were even having any effect on me at all. I determined that the only way to get back at you was by being kind to you, for it was the one thing guaranteed to confuse and irritate you. You see, Michael, in the end, I was not being kind at all!’

And then James turned and walked away, leaving Michael to stand there, stock still, in open-mouthed, stunned disbelief, as he thought about what James had just said.

And it was then that he realized that James had been right…in James being kind to him, he had, in the end, been far crueler to he himself, than Michael ever could have been to him!

So, chagrined and defeated by Jame’s logic, Michael returned to the factory, but from that day forward, never again did he try to create problems for James.

MORAL

THE CRUELEST THING YOU CAN DO TO ONE WHO HATES YOU IS TO BE KIND TO THEM…

NOTHING IRRITATES OR CONFUSES THEM MORE!