The Internet is full of glurges – stories designed to make the reader feel good, or uplifted, or inspired. You know – the kind of thing you find in the “Chicken Soup for the Left Handed Ginger Soul.”

Now, I happen to have a very sappy heart, so there are a lot of these that resonate with me, whether they are true or not – and a good percentage of them aren’t. But in the end there’s nothing wrong with a good story – witness the success of the recent 50 Shades of Gray, which to me has less redeeming value than a nice tale about six disabled puppies rescued by a one-eyed wolverine who had just been run over by a steamroller.

People have told stories since the beginning of time. Stories to entertain, but more important, stories to pass on traditions and values which were important to the society that preserved them. A good example appears in Elie Wiesel’s book, Souls on Fire

When the founder of Hasidic Judaism, the great Rabbi Israel Shem Tov, saw misfortune threatening the Jews, it was his custom to go into a certain part of the forest to meditate. There he would light a fire, say a special prayer, and the miracle would be accomplished and the misfortune averted.
Later, when his disciple, the celebrated Maggid of Mezritch, had occasion, for the same reason, to intercede with heaven, he would go to the same place in the forest and say: “Master of the Universe, listen! I do not know how to light the fire, but I am still able to say the prayer,” and again the miracle would be accomplished.
Still later, Rabbi Moshe leib of Sasov, in order to save his people once more, would go into the forest and say, “I do not know how to light the fire. I do not know the prayer, but I know the place, and this must be sufficient.” It was sufficient, and the miracle was accomplished.
Then it fell to Rabbi Israel of Rizhin to overcome misfortune. Sitting in his armchair, his head in his hands, he spoke to God: “I am unable to light the fire, and I do not know the prayer, and I cannot even find the place in the forest. All I can do is to tell the story, and this must be sufficient.”
And it was sufficient.

The Christian scriptures are also full of parables and allegories, and whether you put any particular stock in their historical or spiritual value, most of them boil down to a single message: “Don’t be a dick, and help other people whenever you can.”

So here’s a glurge for you. It makes sense to me, and I like the message, which I have found to be true both now, and in retrospect:

“During my second month of college our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.” I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.”
–Source Unknown

I believe that every person we encounter is there for a purpose. If we can leave them happy that we crossed paths, we have fulfilled our human responsibility, and no more can be asked.

The Old Wolf has spoken.