Car
Story

I grew up in Tehran. My friends and I roamed tree-lined streets. We road our bikes, played soccer and looked for a little mischief wherever we could find it. Fun loving, we would play harmless tricks on ourselves and the neighbors. And then, there was the time I took it a little further than everyone else.

One man parked his car at the same spot every day, and I noticed he always left his keys under the gas tank cover. One day after he left, I took the keys, got in the car and drove it a couple of blocks away. Then I carefully replaced the keys and went home. 

That evening he returned, found his car missing and went into a panic. I’m embarrassed now, to report that I watched the whole thing with delight. It wasn’t about the stress I was causing him. It was about the fun I was having with this trick. I finally told him where his car was, and he was mad.

It’s not unusual for a 12 year old boy to be self-centered. They’re only beginning to understand how their actions affect others. There is no real worry about tomorrow, or long term consequences to behavior. 

That night, however, as I lay in my bed,

I started to think about what I had done and why.

Did I realize the impact my actions would have? What I thought was fun actually made him feel bad. 

Without realizing it, I was moving from the stage of self-centeredness to being aware and concerned about others. 

Every night, I would put the day into review. What kind of effect did I have on schoolmates, neighbors, and my family? If my words and actions were like stones dropped in a pond, then what were the ripples they caused?

By asking these questions, I was learning about myself

and my own operating system, figuring out my strengths, and understand my weaknesses.