a parable ubaba wami told me

i want to retell a story ubaba wami told me. he has been working for the same company ever since i could remember. well on that particular day he was approached by his bosses (who happen to be of another ethnicity) to stop doing another colleagues work who was in a senior position. by doing so ubaba wami would gain that senior position as a result of that colleague being dismissed due to incompetency. with a growing family most 'breadwinners' would gladly take that offer without an ounce of hesitation. but ubaba wami declined on the spot. when i asked him why he didn't take up the offer. he simply said (in zulu of course) that you can't change your values because of money. and you cannot take food from another person's mouth especially when that person is also a breadwinner in his own right. ubaba wami may not be rich but he is wealthy!! even in the consumer/dog-eat-dog driven era there are still some human beings who put their values above their monetary values. he gave me the gift of a formidable life lesson on my journey towards finding my truth-success is not only measured vertically but horizontally as well. i will surely carry this with me eternally in this and the next life.