The fifteen-year-old boy Suno was returning one day from playing to his home. On his way back, he found a child crying. He asked him the reason. The child cried with abundant tears and said to him, “I have lost my new mobile phone, and I am from a poor family. My father bought me a mobile phone with great difficulty. If he knows I lost my new mobile, he will be very angry with me.
I have searched for it everywhere, but I have not been able to find it at all. What will I do now, and how will I tell my father?” Suno answered him, saying, “It is truly a sad matter. I am very sorry for not being able to do anything to help you. But if you can give me some details about your mobile phone and your addresses as well, if I can find your mobile, I can return it to you.”
Suno obtained the details from the boy and then left for his home. But before reaching his house, he passed by his friend’s house. When he arrived there, he discovered that his friend was celebrating. Suno asked him the reason for the celebration. His friend answered, “He found a new mobile phone today.” Suno asked him about the mobile phone’s specifications. After his friend told him everything, Suno realized it belonged to the poor child he had met on his way.
Suno was happy to know that his friend had found the poor boy’s mobile. He told his friend about that poor boy who had lost his phone and suggested returning it to him, but his friend refused to return that mobile phone. Suno tried a lot to convince his friend, but without success.
He ignored his advice and continued with him. So Suno felt intense sadness for the poor boy’s condition, and he felt boredom and distress at his friend’s position. After a month passed, Suno saw his friend in the garden crying. Suno was surprised by this and asked him, “What happened? Why are you crying?” His friend answered, “I have lost my new mobile phone.”
Suno answered, “No problem. You are rich and can buy a new one.” His friend answered, “Yes, I am rich, but this mobile phone was gifted to me by my father. It would be very sad to hear that I lost my mobile.” Suno answered, “Don’t worry. If someone finds it, they will return it.”
After listening to Suno’s words, this friend began to cry again and said, “No, it will not return because I did not return the mobile to that poor child who lost it. I have now realized the mistake I made at that time by not returning this mobile. So I feel guilty, but I still have the mobile and want to return it to that child.”
Suno was happy to hear those words from his friend. He returned home to get that poor child’s address. Then Suno and his friend went to the child’s address to return the mobile to him, but no one was at the house.
When they asked the neighbors about them, they learned that the family had left the town a few days earlier. Suno’s friend felt guilty for not returning that mobile when Suno asked him to. He regretted his deed and wished he could see the child one last time to get rid of his feeling of guilt toward him.
The Moral Value Learned: We do not understand others’ problems until we face problems ourselves. Therefore, it is better to help someone when we can. Helping others brings happiness not only to them but to us as well.
The story is translated from: Lost Mobile and Friend’s Suggestion