TONE TONE AND FRIENDS XIV

Crying
Friend: I came across this picture. It’s a man crying. It reminds me of my good friend.

Friend: The man in the picture, I don’t see him crying? He is shedding no tears!

Friend: Yes, he is crying, nevertheless. Some cry without tears! Same thing with my friend. No tears welled in his eyes. But I knew he was crying.

Crying without tears was worse. He was overcome with remorse. He was grief stricken. You could feel his grief when he said what he said.

Friend: Rare for a grown up man to cry, even without tears? Tell us!

Friend: What was it about?  I am all ears!

Remorseful

Friend: Yes, he was very remorseful. He was beside himself with grief. A religious and highly responsible person, he said it with a heavy heart.

Friend: Well, what did he say?

Friend: He told his friends that he tried his best and yet he failed. He was really sorry and heart broken.

Friend: What failed?

Failed

Friend: He said his application at Azusa City failed. He applied for a higher attendance permit level for Azusa Temple, but failed. He tried to raise it from 50.

Friend: I understand. it’s always sad when something failed. But wasn’t it like giving it a try?

Friend: Win, okay! Lose, you still have 50!

It’s worth a try. No need to be that sad.

Friend: Yes, nobody’s blaming him. The original idea was to give it a try, was it not? It’s not a “MUST WIN” situation!

Friend: You all don’t understand! Yes, nobody’s blaming him. But, he was blaming himself. That’s worse! You cannot assuage your own grief!

Worst Enemy

Friend: Yes, Napolean said, “I am my own worst enemy!” Here, your friend was his own worst enemy. He had such high morals. He had such a high sense of responsibility. These constantly gnawed at his conscience.

I salute him!

Friend: But still, I don’t see any damage to Azusa Temple. The application failed. So what!

Back to square one!

Full story

Friend: Again, you don’t know the full story. It’s like this. The neighbors got stirred up because of the application hearing. It’s like stirring a hornet’s nest.

The neighbors didn’t like additional noise and traffic. They didn’t like the design model presented, either.

BTW, the design model was a piece of classic Burmese culture. It was both a work of art and a work of love!