A woman belonging to Lima in South America,
having failed to find a satisfactory job made up her
mind to try her luck in North America, an affluent
country. Too poor to afford an airfare, she
conceived the notion of shutting herself inside a
suitcase and having herself despatched as a piece of
luggage. The plan was carried out.
The plane which carried her landed at the Los
Angeles International airport. All the bags of the
passengers were unloaded from the aeroplane for
collection. All but one suitcase was uncollected. The
police, therefore, intervened to open this abandoned
suitcase and take into custody the goods inside, so
that it could be handed over to the claimant
whenever he turned up. Much to their horror, they
unlocked it to find the corpse of a woman.
Detectives were called in to investigate the case.
They said:
“The woman may have been crushed by the weight
of other luggage” (UPI).
This incident serves to illustrate one of life’s truths:
taking whatever steps we feel are necessary does
not, in itself, ensure our success. This is because
there are so many external and unforeseen factors
involved which determine the course of our actions.
We must take them into account whenever we are
deciding upon a course of action. It is only when
these factors are in consonance with the steps taken,
that we can hope to reach our destination.
This state of affairs takes a more critical turn when
the offender is a leader and he goes wrong in
framing a policy which involves the whole nation.
This is bound to cause widespread misery, if not
total destruction. It is, therefore, imperative that a
leader be as discreet and careful as possible in his
decision-making. He should consider all of the
possible pros and cons. He should look before he
leaps. His failing to do so would amount to an
unpardonable offence. It would be far better for him
to take no action at all than to plunge the whole
nation into strife and torment.
Ref - The Moral Vision
- by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
