Yang became a widow when her son was only four years old. As a single mother from a remote village with only five years of education, she raised her only child well and eventually sent him to a reputable university in a big city – a monumental achievement. Unfortunately, two years later, her beloved son, the pride of her life, was killed by a drowsy truck driver.
Having never stepped outside her village before, Yang took a 35-hour journey to reach her son’s city. The truck driver and the representatives from his shipping company came to see her, fully prepared for a legal battle. The university prepared a big team of lawyers to help her get the most financial compensation possible from the shipping company. But Yang wasn’t in a hurry to ask about what happened to her son or how much money she would receive. Instead, she requested to visit the truck driver’s home.
It was in a poor neighborhood. A small studio was occupied by a family of five. There was no proper furniture and only basic food. From speaking to the driver’s wife, Yang found out he worked excessive hours to support his family, and that caused the accident. He had also been suffering from chronic insomnia. After coming out of the driver’s home, Yang asked her son’s classmate to show her his dorm room, classrooms, the campus, and the city – the way he would have done himself if he were alive.
Once she had received her son’s ashes, she went to the shipping company alone without any lawyer. A lump-sum compensation package had been prepared for her, including a contribution from the company and a portion from the driver. They prepared every reason imaginable to convince her why this was the maximum amount they could possibly give her.
Without any drama and in complete calmness, Yang made two requests to the company managers. First, please return the driver’s money to him. She said the traffic in the city was chaotic and any truck driver could make mistakes. Second, please give him this traditional herbal remedy for insomnia, which is highly effective. As for the rest of the money, she absolutely refused to take it, because money couldn’t bring back her son’s life. The whole encounter lasted only ten minutes. The company managers were dumbfounded. They didn’t know what to say.
Off she went, returning to her village with only her son’s ashes.
Weeks later, the shipping company sent a team of people and a truck loaded with food and other supplies. They drove across the country to her small village. Having gone from considering her a potential threat to being touched by her actions, they wanted to make sure this aging mother was well taken care of.
Even though they knew she lived in an impoverished village, they had no idea how impoverished it was. Her house was supported by a few skinny poles, and the roof leaked on rainy days. The whole structure looked like it was about to fall apart. The local school where her son studied was just a simple hut. Instead of keeping the food and supplies to herself, Yang shared them with the entire village.
In the next five years, people from the shipping company and the university, as well as total strangers, came to this remote village, giving money and volunteering their time to do whatever they could to help. Eventually, a new school and a new road were built. Communication with the outside world was established. The quality of life in the village improved significantly.
If we think this is just a story of kindness and generosity, we overlook the typical characteristics, the thinking and the behavioral patterns, of a truly conscious leader – a leader in action without position. Yang never assumed the role of a victim. She accepted what she could not change while changed what she could. A woman with wisdom and compassion, she earned respect from everyone around her. This does not come from education or social status. She is living proof of the universal law: what goes around always comes around.