Difference

"Hi Rajesh, I have one question", said I as soon as I saw Rajesh is having some leisure time.
"Yes what is it?"

"I wanted to ask the question since two days and was trying to find the right time to do that."
"Now is the right time you can say, and ask now, will you?” Rajesh smiled while uttering these words.

"You apologized to Madhav about that joke incidence, you remember?"
"Yes I do"
"Do you really feel you have done so wrong by cutting a joke for Madhav that you had to apologize?"
"Let me think, I just did that without much thinking as I felt it should be done at that moment."
"Now when I think I can say yes, Madhav approached me and told me that he felt offended when I cracked one joke for him.", Rajesh paused and started again;

"Even if the joke was un-intentional still it caught Madhav's attention and he felt offended. See this time Madhav approached me instead of complaining to any one else. I appreciated his act and I apologized."

"Yes Rajesh but the question is do you really think that was necessary? You could have explained him that the joke was just for humor and was nothing to do with making Madhav un-happy"

"See, I must agree that I still don’t feel the joke was out of place but what I also agree that Madhav was hurt. This is not the issue of what is correct or what is wrong. When I saw Madhav was hurt it is my consideration about Madhav's feelings that I felt I must say sorry."

"The root of the act lies in understanding the feelings other person is having about a particular incidence."

"Oh, so you mean the act of apologizing was just to make Madhav happy?"

"No my dear, it is about respecting co-worker's feelings. It is about respecting the difference of opinion. I have my opinions but I should also respect opinions of my co-workers which may be poles apart from mine. And when I felt that my act made my friend un-happy I respected his feelings, accepted that It was me whose act made him un-happy and then it was spontaneous that I apologized through my heart."

"Got it Rajesh and yes you are true in saying that" said I.

Tushar Joshi, Nagpur

(Image courtesy Sarah)