To some, honesty is not the best............

This morning I went to Penang Island where I visited the esplanade. The Penang esplanade hold a lot of memories, memories that I remember vividly to this day. For me, it was a place of sadness, a place of romance, a place for running practice, the place where I learned that honesty is appreciated by some but not all and a place where I learned and developed leadership qualities.

Once upon a time, there was a youngster who, whenever he could spare the time, would help his elder brother to earn his living by selling cuttlefish and cockles in the evening and at night at the food court at the esplanade.

At the age of fifteen, it was interesting to do the work of adults and there was the pride of being allowed to be involved in doing some kind of business. He would boil the vegetable known as 'kang kung', pressed the vegetable to remove excess liquid and cut it into bite sizes. He would remove the bone, the thin layer of membrane covering the cuttlefish and slice halfway through the thickness of the fish to get criss-crossed patterns on the cuttlefish when it was boiled. Then, it was his job to cut the cuttlefish into suitable sizes before covering it with a most delicious sauce.

Then he would take the plate of delicacy to the people who had ordered it. Before returning to the stall, he would scan the area to see if any customer had finished his/her food. He might then have to collect the plates and chopsticks as well as the payments, returning change when necessary. This was the place this youngster learned responsibility and understand how tough life could be, how meals on the table had to be worked for and know the existence of the various types of people who make up this world. There were the kind ones who treat you humanely and there were those who treat you with disdain. There were those who worked hard for a living and there were those who looked for easy money.

It was at this esplanade one night that this young boy discovered that not everyone appreciates honesty.

As the boy was carrying a plate back to his stall to wash, he saw a man get up from his seat. In doing so, his wallet slipped out from his back pocket. The young boy ran towards the wallet, took it up and ran with it towards its owner. The owner was indeed grateful and thanked the boy before going towards his car.

As the boy turned towards his own stall with a smile on his face, happy at having helped someone; he was confronted by some of the other stall owners. Their words took that smile off his face immediately.

"Hey, if you do not want that wallet, you should not have picked it up. Let someone else who want it take it. Really stupid, you!"

The boy knew his action was right but he did not voice his thoughts, not when he realised those people could rough him up. He just turned and quickly returned to his brother and their stall.

This was one of those encounters with the real world where different people have different ideas and opinions about almost anything. So much depends on their attitudes, their motives and their experiences.

Well, life is a learning process and I was that young boy who, even now, finds that there is still so much to learn and discover in this wonderful world.