"The Carpenter"
Post on: August 7, 2019
Once there lived a carpenter, Jerry who had made a name for building the best houses in his town. His work was close to perfection which won him many accolades to the disdain of his competitors.
One day Jerry decided to call it a day. He was reaching 55 years old and felt it was time to retire and live a life of leisurely pursuits. He was contented with the money he had squirrelled away all these years. It was enough for him and his wife to see them through the rest of their lives.
Jerry approached his contractor and told him about his plans. The contractor was sad to leave his best employee for the past 35 years; nevertheless, understood Jerry’s desire to retire. He then asked Jerry if he could build the last house before he leaves. Sensing his hesitation, the contractor assured Jerry that he would furnish Jerry with whatever assistance or materials which was needed and to accept the project as a personal favour.
Jerry agreed but his heart was not there. He was already retired as far as he was concerned. Thus, it was no surprise that he performed poorly. The work was slipshod – he took shortcuts and inferior materials were used although the best teakwood was assured by the contractor.
When it was completed, the house fell short of Jerry’s high standards. He had built state of the art architectures during his illustrious tenure of office. The best carpenter honour was undeserving to such shoddy workmanship! Even a novice carpenter would have performed better than this. What an unfortunate way to end his career!
The contractor was informed of the completion and he subsequently came to the house with some formal looking papers. He took a walk around the house, inspecting every nook and corner. Just as Jerry was about to hand him the keys, he held onto Jerry’s hands and gave him the papers instead.
“This is my gift to you,” the contractor said. “Please accept this as my humble appreciation for your sincere hard work towards the company all these years.”
Jerry could not believe his ears. He was full of shame and remorse. “If only I had known… I would have built the best house I ever did,” he bemoaned.
Does the story strike a chord? If only the carpenter was granted the foresight in knowing that he is the beneficiary to the house, he would have done the perfect job. We all have our motivations and agenda in doing things. But this is no excuse for a low-down job. When we accept a job, do it with honesty and nothing short of our very best should be our motto. No point crying over spilt milk when it’s over.
By Shaji Thomas Varughese
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