The Final Attempt

 

            Nikita sat near the window during the last class of the day, to see the sky fill with dark clouds and watch a slow build of rain that eventually turned into a torrential downpour. He kicked himself for failing to bring an umbrella that day, trusting the report from the weather man that morning as he ate his breakfast. The final bell rang which brought both happiness and disappointment into his heart. He and his classmates gathered their things, escaped to the hallway and their lockers. He paused to watch all of them flee the building and enter either the buses that waited in line for them or take their own cars home.

              He leaned against the wall, slid into a sitting position and waited until absolute silence embraced him, hoping that the rain would either lighten up or stop altogether. He could see the rain continue to fall and seemingly increase as he waited. He rose from his seated position, put on his baseball cap and began the long, wet walk home to find an empty school, an empty parting lot, and very little traffic on the streets.

              He had walked nine blocks and hurried to place himself beneath the branches of a large oak tree at the edge of the forest. He knew that cutting through the forest would reduce his travel time by twenty minutes and also give a bit of coverage from the downpour. As he walked with his head down and his hands in his pockets, he saw several old men ahead of him gathering firewood and waving to him to join them. He paused for a moment, approached them, introduced himself, and received a warm reception.

              Still wearing his backpack, he helped them gather firewood and followed them toward a small collection of buildings discreetly placed within the depths of the forest. One of them introduced himself as Siluoan, invited him inside for some hot tea, an escape from the rain, and a friendly conversation. He learned that this small group of men all belonged to a monastery that put all of their time and efforts into helping others, covering their own basic needs, and making long term plans for expanding the monastery, inviting others to join and imitate their philanthropy.

              As he and the others continued to explain who they were, what they did, and how they made it all work, Nikita could feel his heart shift towards this kind of lifestyle that put the needs of others ahead of personal comfort and luxury. What was supposed to be a short conversation turned into an hour-long dialog, which led to a cessation of the rainfall, allowing Nikita to walk home and eventually dry out. He thanked them for their kindness, their challenge to become someone better, and a promise to adjust his own life to be more like theirs.

              His shortcut, which was supposed save him twenty minutes of travel time, turned into a glorious interaction that rewired his thinking, the direction of his heart and a new idea that moved him to make the world a better place.  He returned home in time to join his parents and younger sister for dinner, now thankfully dry and thoughtful. He considered sharing his experience at the dinner table but ultimately decided against it, wanting to give more thought and create a specific plan to approach this new shape of life.

              The family finished their meal at the same time, he rose from his seat, thanked his mother for making such a delicious meal, and excused himself to warm up with a hot shower after a long, cold walk home. He stood in the silence of the bathroom and replayed the entire conversation with the old men in the forest.

              “Hmm, let’s see here,” he thought. “There were seven old men, maybe I’ll make a plan of seven seven-year cycles to accomplish something great each time and end my life when I’m very old, having created greatness and many things to make the lives of others better.”

              After blow-drying his hair, he returned to his room, pulled a notebook from his backpack and began making a detailed plan of seven seven-year cycles, beginning just after graduating from high school. “Okay, step one,” he said to himself, “I’ll earn my doctorate in business. Step two, I’ll start a business that will allow me to generate enough income to help people. Step three, I’ll figure out a way to give away ninety percent of my profit, because honestly, no one needs to live in comfort and luxury when there are so many people who struggle merely to survive. Step four, I’ll get married, have children, and raise them up to take over this work of philanthropy. Step five, with the business doing well and making great profits, I’ll create another business in another state and hopefully replicate the success. Step six, when business number two finds success, I’ll start a third business and replicate the success of the first two.  Finally, step seven, I’ll create a single organization to oversee all of the financial activity and success.

              Nikita slept well that evening, left early for school, and hurried through the forest to find the old men and share his plan with them. He was once again warmly greeted, invited in for tea, and after sharing his plans for the next almost fifty years, he received cheers and adulation for making such glorious, and selfless plans. He excused himself, thanked them for their kindness and hurried to school, thankfully without having to endure torrential rainfall.

              After graduation, he began his approach to completing step one. Putting in extra time and extra classes to reach his goal of earning his doctorate within seven years. He accomplished step one, returned to his hometown and shared his success with the old men in the forest, asking if there was anything he could do for them to help them succeed in their efforts at expanding their monastery. After working through the details, he offered to pay for the construction of a new building for them that would allow for growth.

              “This,” he thought, “is a first great step toward helping those in need.” After receiving his doctorate in business, he met with three of his classmates, made a plan to start a business built upon philanthropy. As the end of the second seven years reached their end, he made another visit to the old men in the woods and found their new building completed, and housing many others who joined them to make their world a better place. Nikita found overwhelming joy in seeing such success for a group of wonderful old men, who were doing something good for others, rather than building up wealth and comfort.

              The next fourteen years saw his business rapidly grow and succeed, as well as finding a wife and starting a family. All of which led to achieving his goal of giving away ninety percent of his profit, still providing enough income to care for his family, his extended family, and the old men in the forest. Nikita could feel himself growing older and he began a new business in the next state over, which thankfully led to the same success as the first.

              As the seven-year cycle came to an end, he started his third business in another state in the opposite direction, which brought overwhelming joy into his heart and mind, sharing his success and wisdom with his children, now reaching adulthood. With several adult children working with him, he created a new single entity that would be responsible for overseeing the continued growth and success of all of his work, with the old men from the forest providing wisdom and direction as they continued to grow.

              By laws were written, authority based with a board and never on the leadership of a single individual was put into place, freeing the organization the opportunity to focus solely on philanthropy, kindness, and generosity for those who truly needed it. Nikita reached his eightieth birthday, marveling that the plan he created so many years before actually came into being, creating so much help and good for so many others.

              This new approach to life became a reality because he somehow happened to find a group of old men who introduced themselves, encouraged him, and helped form his thinking away from comforts and luxury. The thought of achieving something like this was so far away from the state of his heart before he met the old men. Prior to this chance meeting, he was planning on growing wealthy, finding a young bride, living in a mansion with servants, antiques, and a swimming pool.

              Looking back over the last many decades he nearly wept with joy at the incredible change that had taken place in his life and how his efforts and the direction from the old men radically changed the world, rather than merely satisfying his own passions and lust for comfort and wealth. Nikita could feel his last few days approaching as he lay in bed looking at his children and grandchildren, knowing that he had everything in place to continue the work he began so many years before.

              The day slowly came to an end, and he received a group of visitors from the forest, who surrounded his bed, held hands with him, thanked him for his wonderful efforts and amazing accomplishments. Somehow, he knew that this would be the last time that he would see them, and he continued to marvel at how much good had been achieved, creating a wonderful example for his children and grandchildren.

              “My final attempt was my greatest achievement,” he said to his three sons who returned after the old men left. “Continue the work boys.”