the Ashok story

I was barely a mile from the SMU campus entrance when I stopped at a gas station to buy a gallon of water for my Camelbak. Inside was a friendly Indian gentleman who asked me where I had come from, so I told him my story, then mentioned I needed to get some water for my Camelbak. I found a gallon jug and went to the counter to pay.

"Is that all you want?" the man asked. I looked down and saw beef jerky sticks-- two for a dollar.

"I guess I'll take two of those, too," I said.

"Have it," he said. I thought I'd misheard him, but before I could ask what he meant, he asked, "You sure you don't want a cold drink or something?" I said I was OK, but in good Asian fashion, the man walked out from behind his counter, plucked a cold drink from one of his fridges, and brought it to me. A Korean would understand this behavior.

"How much?" I asked.

The man smiled and shook his head, obviously indicating that everything was free. I was shocked. "I have to pay you!" I said.

"It's all right," he answered.

I shook my head in wonder and thanked the man for his generosity. Then I said, "I'm doing this walk for religious reasons. You wouldn't, by chance, have a religion, would you?"

"I'm Hindu," was the response.

"Ah, one of the great, old religions," I said, thereby ignoring years of academic teaching to the effect that "Hinduism" is an umbrella term for what is really a wide variety of religious traditions. It was only late in Indian history that Indians themselves embraced the designation. For centuries their own belief and practice would have been referred to with terms like sanatana dharma, the eternal law.

Anyway, the man nodded proudly. "Older than Christianity," he said. No argument here: it's a toss-up as to which is older-- the ancient Hebrew religions that gave rise to Judaism, or the proto-Vedic traditions that gave rise to what we collectively call Hinduism. Both are arguably millennia older than Christianity, which along with Islam ranks as one of the "young punk" religions in human history. Buddhism and philosophical Taoism are both roughly a half-millennium older than Christianity, so they might be considered rather green, too, from the larger perspective. A little humility is called for when you face your elders.

I went outside to fill my Camelbak and eat the beef sticks. Then a thought struck me and I went back into the shop.

"Excuse me, but what's your name?" I asked.

"Ashok," Ashok said.

"Like the great king," I smiled. Ashok grinned and wished me well on my journey. Some other customers came in, and it belatedly occurred to me that I should get the man's picture, which I did.

I left the gas station feeling great about the weather, and a little better about the human world. No reckoning of humanity's wickedness is complete without a fair account of the many and varied kindnesses we do each other... sometimes without anyone's asking.

I hope this post doesn't get Ashok in trouble. It would be a shame to repay his kindness with inconvenience. I'm relying on my low site stats to save him.


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