Relationships carve our destiny

his family. At the office, his people celebrated his passing away. The janitor quipped, “Poor guy. He didn’t even know what killed him.” He had led a miserable meaningless life.

Gladys, a sweet gentle old maid, replaced Gerry. She never called people to her room to give orders. Instead, she would go to their desks to whisper her orders. When she arrived in the morning, the cappuccino and a red rose in a tall thin vase greeted her. She said that there was no need for the rose. She got rid of the vase. But the vase-less rose persisted the next day and every succeeding day. Gentleness is contagious. Her charisma spread across the entire bank. Eventually, she married her charming male secretary half her age and had five gentle kids. She led a joyful meaningful life.

The stories of Gerry and Gladys reflect the principle of karma — you reap what you sow, whether you plant good or bad seeds.

This is based on an actual situation. Warren, 75 years old, was a university professor. He had an incomplete Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting because he did not finish his thesis. But he was sought after by students because of the simple and clear way he taught complex accounting principles. His fame spread across the entire campus. Students would take his Accounting 101 class even as an elective. When the class got bigger, the Dean split it in two, and he had to give the same lecture twice.

When the young Turks in the faculty got rid of the old professors, the students staged a protest at the Dean’s office. The Dean was forced to retain Warren at the age of 75. He was the exception, he was untouchable.

But his total charisma did not just come from his platform skills alone. He loved his students and would stay behind in the late afternoons to answer their questions. This 75-year-old professor was the crush of many young women, who would invent ridiculous accounting questions just to talk to him.

A student once told him that a young new accounting professor was using his syllabus. To the student’s surprise, he replied, “Who cares. As long as more students learn, why not?” When the professor discovered Warren found out that he was using his syllabus, he came to apologize. Warren invited him for coffee. They eventually spent hours at the cafeteria with Warren teaching the young professor more tricks and how to build more confidence.

The young professor became just as popular as Warren, who told him, “Never refuse a student asking for help. Teaching is a form of loving, and don’t you forget that.” They became the best of friends.

Bad relationships cause the breakup of families, parents against children, brothers against sisters. A home where family members have “inherited the wind” eventually break up. Money and inheritance are popular issues. Good relationships cause the opposite — peace, harmony and happiness in the family and the workplace.

“Bad relationships cause the breakup of families, parents against children, brothers against sisters.