“Let me go. Please let me die,” sobbed the frail, old
gentleman as the strong young swimmer struggled against
the boisterous waves of the open ocean.
“Just a few more minutes, sir, and I will have you safely
to shore,” replied the young man, gasping for every breath.
Finally they made it to the beach and both fell,
desperately exhausted, onto the sand. “Why did you save
me?” cried the angry seventy-six-year-old man. “Why
didn’t you let me die? Your good deed is the curse of my
existence.”
Startled by these words, the young man looked down at
the older man who had nearly drowned. As he panted from
the heroic effort of rescuing the victim from the violent
waves, he shook his head, revealing the shock and the
mystification that filled his mind.
Winston had known Mr. Cambridge for twenty years. He
had always admired the hard-working businessman for his
success. To him, Mr. Cambridge was a role model that
embodied all he hoped to be some day. Having worked all
his life to achieve the status of being the wealthiest man in
the city, Mr. Cambridge owned millions of dollars worth of
investments and an enviable mansion on the beach front.
He was the father of three well-educated children who all
worked in his companies and the husband of a woman who
loved him. Hundreds of friends, relatives and admirers
looked to him for inspiration and guidance. Perplexed by
the disparity between his observations of Mr. Cambridge’s
life and the gentleman’s desire to die, Winston asked, “But,
sir. Why do you want to die?” Little did Winston know that
the answer to this question would change his life forever.
(It may change yours as well.)