Small and big decisions

A gentleman had been working in a certain company for years and years. Every day his colleagues saw that he was very happy. Finally one of his colleagues said to him, "How is it that you are so happy?"

The man answered, "I am very happy because I have a very peaceful life. The members of my family are all good to me, especially my wife. We have been married for twenty years and we have not quarreled even once."

The colleague said, "Unbelievable! Please tell me exactly how this is possible. I wonder if in God's creation there can be even one more woman like your wife. Your wife is so nice. Please tell me how you keep everything so peaceful in your household."

The gentleman said, "Life depends on decisions, big and small. I always give my wife the chance to make the small decisions."

The friend was very curious. "What kind of decisions?" he asked.

The man continued: "What to buy at the market, what I should wear, what time I should go to sleep and get up in the morning — everything she decides. About things like whether we should go to a party, I gladly listen to her. But I make the major decisions."

The friend asked, "What kind of decisions do you make?"

The man said, "I decide what Roosevelt and Churchill should chat about when they meet, and how much time they should spend together. I make decisions about when ministers of different countries should start talking and how the developing countries should not be so greedy. I talk to the souls of Churchill, Roosevelt and other great world figures, and inwardly I make many decisions. I tell them what kind of things they should discuss. My wife is quite happy with this arrangement. I deal with world decisions and she makes home decisions. So that's why we are very peaceful."

The friend said, "Oh, that is why you are so peaceful and happy. And what does your wife say if someone asks her how she manages with you?"

The man said, "My wife says she is always proud of me and she will always be proud of me as long as I remain faithful to her. She says that no matter what I say or do, she won't mind. She wants only faithfulness from me, and she has got it. That is why she is so proud of me, and why she allows me to make decisions involving world politics and so forth."

From:Sri Chinmoy,The sailor and the parrot, Agni Press, 1981
Sourced from https://srichinmoylibrary.com/sp