Extract from "Simply This Moment" by Ajahn Brahm
A couple wanted to see the President of Harward University without any appointment. The secretary was not impressed by their ordinary dress and felt they didn't deserve to be there.
"We want to see the President," the man said softly.
"He'll be busy all day" said the secretary and ignored them for hours. She thought the couple would become discouraged and go away. But they didn't. The secretary was forced to inform the President who went to meet the couple.
The lady told him," we had a son who attended Harvard for one year. He loved Harvard and he was happy here but about a year ago he was accidentally killed. So my husband & I would like to erect a memorial to him, somewhere in the campus."
The President wasn't touched, he was shocked and said, "Madam, we can't put a statue to everyone who attended Harvard and died. If we do that, the place would look like a cementary."
"Oh, no," the lady explained quickly, "we didn't want to erect statue. W thought we would like to give a building to Harvard."
The President rolled his eyes & looked at their dresses and exclaimed, " A building ! Do you know how much it costs? It's about 7.5 million dollars in plant at Harvard."
For a moment the lady was silent. The President was pleased and felt he could get rid of them now.
The lady turned to her husband & said quietly, " if that is all it costs to start a university, why don't we just start our own." Her husband nodded.
The couple, Mr & Mrs Standford walked away and established a university known as Standford University that bears their name, a memorial to a son that Harvard no longer cared about.
"DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER"
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