A couple moves from Israel to the United States. Needing money, the boyfriend gets a job at a local grocery store. After working at the grocery store, he sees that the company throws out expired goods which can still be consumed. Desperate for money and food, his girlfriend comes to the store and picks up items he leaves at the black door which are tagged to be thrown out in the garbage.
Soon she stops getting her shipment from the back and starts to get it from inside. Before long they had stolen $1100 worth of groceries. Eventually, he loses his job. While leaving his job for the final time they walk hand-in-hand down the street with no words and no remorse. They have a smile of happiness from having $1100 worth of groceries in their cabinet.
Sometimes we are in desperate situations. Life gives us what seems to be more than we can handle. Our heart begins to long for what we need in order to survive.
Beware of despair. The couple left his work one last time with a smile on their faces. They both walked with a smile without any remorse or any reflection on the actions they would take next time to ensure they make better decisions. Their decisions which left him out of a job were based upon despair. It left them in a worse situation than before.
There are two reasons why think we should beware of despair.
1. When we make decisions based upon despair we choose things that bring great consequences. Some of the consequences that happen from our actions when we are in despair lead us to cause more problems for ourselves rather than help us. At the end of the story the two individuals leave the store without any way to make money and keep the cash flowing. All they had was $1100 in groceries. How long will that last?
The second reason why we should beware of despair is because despair often leads us to justify actions which don’t cultivate our growth. Because we are in despair we think we have to make decisions that actually go against growing our beliefs and behaviors beyond abounds. Despair causes shortsightedness to take place leading to think and live without imagination. We think there is one solution to our problem then we act on it without sufficient planning and foresight.
I have felt desperate before in life. Each time I’ve felt that way I’ve made decisions similar to the couple which have caused me good morning to add to my problems due to my lack of imagination.
To work through despair accept the situation and sensations you have. Then decide to brainstorm a plethora of solutions. Finally, select a solution which will lift the despair as a sleeping person rises up from their slumber.
From https://www.shortstoryproject.com/story/three-men-america/