Never Worry Ingratitude

Jonas met a friend in Korea who was literally a computer illiterate. Jonas even assists his friend instructing where the letters of the keyboard he wants to click for typing his name. Their job in the factory involves computer programming aside from the manual work as an ordinary task in the factory. His friend fear of losing the job and going back to the Philippines where opportunities for good paying jobs are debilitated since Philippine politics became haven of graft and corruption.

Jonas trained his friend every night giving him computer lessons before sleep and assisting him in actual work, instructing hands-on work in the factory covering up his errors from their dreadful boss. After few months, he became better than Jonas in some internet stuff and a creator of his own petty websites in the internet. His friend learned to operate the machines in the factory by his own programming. Of course, the wise Jonas didn’t give out everything, there were some techniques in programming which he kept to himself. So, sometimes his friend comes to ask for help in terms of complicated programming to work the machines in the factory.

When the gray time came, Jonas was betrayed by his friend simply because of misunderstanding influenced of his sidekick that Jonas is no better than him. Jonas did a ruing mistake when he demanded for gratitude when he answered his ungratefulness -- that he helped him a lot despite the differences of their faith and he gave him a possession that couldn’t be stolen as long as his memory serves him. Jonas expected in return a good friendship as housemate from his friend whom he spoon fed in few months to learn the work in the factory.

Jonas demanded gratitude from a person whom he helped a lot. That was a fair thing that Jonas should never do again.

Now, Jonas learned.

Gratitude is a virtue not acquired by demand but an offer of someone’s will.

I remember a woman who wasn’t grateful to her old mother. She lets her weak mom carrying a sack of cassava to sell in the market. I was 12 years old when I stuck in my trail witnessing how she scolded her mother in public not to carry a heavy sack of cassava but not lifting a finger to help her. That’s how ungrateful she was.

The emotional agony of her family has been caused by her bitterness in life. That’s how influential it was. Attitude problem may affect others. From bitterness unto bitterness; and ungratefulness unto ungratefulness. Then I didn’t wonder when her seven children treated her worse than she treated her old mother.

When the time that Jonas betrayed by his friend after all the good things that he did, teaching him how to use a computer keyboard up to becoming a computer programmer. I couldn't imagine how the kindness of Jonas has brought him emotional pain expecting a good thing in return but paid of a terrible ingratitude. It reminds me a quotation of a wise writer saying “No pain of the body can exceed the excruciating pain of an agonizing mind.”

But why should anyone expect gratitude then? When David once said “And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.” Jonas my man is far not better than David.

Though now, this might be a mark of superiority that Jonas whom I know is taking joy in doing favors for others but he feels ashamed to have others do favors for him. Nevertheless, there is a divine sense in such virtue that he is now after for; “The joy of giving without expecting anything whatever in return is better than gratitude, and it is a soothing pleasure of peace inside.”