See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Roberto Clemente Story.
Life Lesson #98 – Be Valuable, Not Important.
Austin was really into baseball cards. He had been collecting for several years and had some really great ones, like an autographed Sammy Sosa, and an autographed Mark McGwire! He also had Ricky Henderson, Jose Canseco, and even a Mickey Mantle!
Austin’s aunt and uncle, and his cousin were coming in for a visit, so Austin carefully got his cards out to show his cousin. They finally got to Austin’s house, and right after lunch, Austin said, “Hey, let’s go look at some baseball cards!” His cousin said, “No, man, I hate baseball!” “You hate baseball? But, dude, I’ve got some really cool cards that I’ll bet you’ve never seen before!” “I told you, I hate baseball, and I don’t want to see them. You can tell me about them if you want to, but I don’t want to look at them.”
Later, after they left, Austin’s dad asked him, “How did you like visiting with your cousin? It’s been a long time since you guys have seen each other.” Austin said, “Dad, I don’t think he likes ANYTHING.” And then he proceeded to tell his Dad the story. “Well, son, I don’t know if that by itself indicates he doesn’t care, but he sure missed an opportunity to be a HERO, didn’t he? I think his problem is selfishness and close-mindedness. When people like that get older, they find themselves very lonely, and without many friends. My dad used to call them ‘relationship killers.’ Just remember that anytime people are trying to share their interests with you, listen sincerely to what they have has to say. It’ll HELP them keep their enthusiasm, and hey, you might even learn something!
“Okay, Dad, said Austin.” “Of course, that doesn’t apply if your friends are into something illegal or immoral.” “Yeah, Dad, I know.” But right then and there, Austin decided to always be an encourager who HELPS others, not a discourager who hurts them.
– Jim Lord