Life lessons from the story
Employees in government and private sectors are obligated to fulfils their duties in order to achieve organisational goals as well as provide services to the citizens of a country and other clients. In G.G.Joshi's story, the postmaster and the postmen are pair government servants but the way in which they behave in the post office cannot appreciated by anyone. They ridicule an old man who misses his daughter (she, gotten married and moved away) for coming to the post office every day for five years in anticipation of a letter from her. The lonely father is interested in knowing about the welfare of his daughter and more importantly in feeling connected wit his daughter through the letter. However, the office staff, including the postmaster, have no empathy or sympathy for this man simply because they don't believe he is important enough.
When the postmaster is anxiously waiting for a letter from his daughter to know about her well-being, he understands the heart of a father who has been waiting for five years to hear from his own child. By then, the old man dies. It is a matter of speculation whether the kind words of the staff could have enabled the old man to have lived longer. It is true that kind words cost nothing, especially while performing jobs with and for people who need some sense of connectivity with the world. The letter is not a piece of paper but a heart which throbs with life in kinship with others. A job done for the sake of salary is not going to help people live their life meaningfully. Kindness and empathetic understanding are the primary qualities needed for employees and people in general today. Understanding and treating your customers properly and with respect, regardless of their social or economic status, is a must for any one being employed today, especially in service industries.
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