True Character

Jack and Jeffrey were childhood friends. Jack became a businessman, while Jeffrey worked as a journalist for a small news company. Now in their mid-twenties, both were building their careers. Jack lived with his parents and younger sister, while Jeffrey, from a humble background, lived with his two older brothers after losing his father. His family ran a small business.

One day, Jack faced a financial problem and asked Jeffrey to lend him 200 pounds. Jeffrey gladly agreed, telling Jack, "Don’t worry; I’m here for you." But only a week later, Jeffrey started pressuring Jack to return the money, asking, "When can you pay back the 200 pounds? Can you repay the full amount?" This sudden urgency from Jeffrey puzzled Jack.

When Jack couldn’t pay him back quickly, Jeffrey went to the police and filed a complaint against him. Later that day, when Jeffrey got home, he found his older brother, Andrew, looking unusually happy. Curious, Jeffrey asked what had happened. Andrew explained, "Our business has been struggling, and we owe the bank 100,000 pounds. We haven’t been able to make any payments, so I went to the bank to ask for a two-month extension. I was surprised by how respectfully the bank manager treated me, even though we’re in debt."

Hearing this, Jeffrey felt a pang of guilt. He went to Jack and said, "I’m sorry, Jack. I was rude and insensitive." Reflecting on his actions, Jeffrey realized an important lesson: How we treat others when we have something—skills, knowledge, money, family, happiness, or peace—reveals our true character. Many people are kind and humble when they have little, but it’s when we have everything that our true self is shown.