When we talk about good and bad in this world, both are present and this balance is what maintains the world. However, we often feel that goodness is gradually fading away. But that's not true. Every time a stranger helps you, you realize that not everyone is the same, and both goodness and evil coexist in balance in this world.
When we hear stories on news channels or social media about robberies, thefts, murders, and many distressing news items, on the other hand, many good people are also helping others. However, these good deeds are not usually broadcast. Nowadays, we do find these stories on social media. I've personally experienced many incidents where strangers have helped me without any expectation or selfish motive.
Not only that, whenever I get a chance, I never miss the opportunity to help others without any personal gain. I always step forward to help, whether it's someone who has lost or misplaced something, or someone who needs help while walking on the street. I never back down and I've seen many people doing the same, helping others as they go about their day.
These thoughts remind me of a story that I would like to share with you all, which reminds me that goodness will never end in this world. This incident took place about 10-12 years ago when I joined a courier company as a front desk officer and customer service executive. In the very first month, something happened that got me into serious trouble.
We used to handle bookings for both corporate and cash customers. One time, during rush hour, I got a bit nervous and hurried through the bookings because my partner was off that day. I had a suspicion that I might have made a mistake, but I couldn't figure out exactly what went wrong.
A few days later, a customer came to us who was a cash customer and complained that his consignee received the wrong material. As soon as I heard this, I immediately realized that this must be from the booking on that busy day. Upon further investigation, I found out that in my haste, the shipments got switched; I had pasted the booking labels incorrectly, and this customer's actual package went somewhere else, while someone else's package ended up with his consignee.
I was very worried, but then my supervisor encouraged me and explained that I should use my brain to solve this problem, and that this case would provide me with valuable experience. I couldn't think of a solution, and I was given a week to investigate the issue. Otherwise, I would have to pay for all the misplaced packages if the issue wasn't resolved.
The next day, after a lot of thinking, I approached the consignee and asked him to share a picture of the shipment. After seeing the picture, I matched it with all the bookings from that day and found two customers whose contents seemed to match, but surprisingly, neither of them had complained. These were companies that had sent samples, so maybe they hadn't received any feedback from the receiving end yet.
I emailed their receivers from my end and asked if they had received the correct contents. The next day, one of them replied that they had received it, but there was no response from the other. This escalated the tension in the story even further.
After waiting for two days, on the third day, I decided to directly call the consignee. It was a terrible call because either they couldn't understand me or I couldn't make them understand. In the end, the receptionist transferred the call to someone in another department. There, I spoke with Ms. Stephanie. She was a total stranger to me, but the way she talked was something special, as if she was there just to help me. She listened to me patiently and then asked for a day's time to check and get back to me.
The next day, she emailed me saying that they hadn't received the correct samples. I shared the correct picture with her, and she confirmed that those were indeed the right samples. I felt relieved, but now the problem was to dispatch the switched shipments to the correct locations.
I asked Ms. Stephanie for help, and without hesitation, she asked for the address and dispatched the parcel to the correct location that very day. She neither asked for money nor made any complaints. She said that human mistakes happen, but at such times, we need to support each other and understand that it could happen to anyone. She also said not to worry about the samples, as she could reorder them.
I was amazed at how she helped me like an angel because I couldn't bear the loss, and she didn't know me, nor did she have any future dealings with me. Yet, she still thought of my well-being. The customer who had come to complain finally calmed down and left with a thank you. With Ms. Stephanie's help, I was able to close this case in less than a week.
I expressed my heartfelt gratitude to her, and after that, we didn't have any further communication. But this experience made me realize that no matter how distant we are from each other, even if we've never met before, if your heart is pure and your intentions are good, you can be of help to everyone, just like Ms. Stephanie was helpful to me. Her kindness saved my job because finding and correctly dispatching a shipment in a large company was a very difficult task, where there was no benefit for her, only the cost of dispatching.
In every part of the world, people like Ms. Stephanie are alive, and goodness thrives because of them, and it will always thrive.