Wednesday Valuables: A sense of decency: An allegory

Once upon a time, there were three brothers, Edward, Leonard, and Thomas. Now these three brothers lived in a great big house with their well-to-do parents who never had time for them. Mummy and Daddy were always very busy with their conventions, parties, and networking. The boys were raised in their youth by a kindly nanny, a feisty girl, who had tough criticisms but a great affection for the boys in her charge.

When these three brothers grew older, they went out into the world to start their own lives. Edward was the first to go and moved into a large, roomy flat on 17 8th Street. He married a wealthy woman and they had two sons. Leonard was the second the move away from home. He found a modest but comfortable apartment on 25 8th Street. He chose not to marry and instead focused on his studies. Finally, Thomas was ready to leave home. The kindly nanny who had raised him and his brothers asked him to stay in touch. Thomas agreed and found himself a very small studio on 36 8th Street.

Edward received a letter from his old nanny one day asking if he might want to hire her to care for his children. His wife decided that the nanny was not qualified to raise her precious little boys and ordered that her husband refuse her. Edward never responded to his old nanny.

Leonard discovered a laboratory in which he could pursue his work. He had permission to use the property, but he needed money to rent it. Despite the fact that he had not spoken to his brothers nor his old nanny in years, he wrote to all three and asked for financial support. Edward tossed the letter in a drawer and forgot about it. Thomas gathered money in a tin from the people in the neighborhood and sent a donation. The old nanny took out some money that she had saved and hid since all three boys were little and sent slightly more than she could spare.

Soon, Leonard was able to pay his rent and made fascinating contributions to his field. He became well-respected in the science community. Some colleagues decided to host a dinner to congratulate Leonard for his work. He was allowed to invite three guests outside the circle of scientists sponsoring the event. Leonard wrote to Edward, who replied insisting that his wife should come as well. Leonard agreed to this, which left him one more guest. He sent a request to his father, who he had not seen in years. His father accepted the invitation. No word was sent to the nanny or to Thomas.

However, weeks later, Thomas was walking back to his studio. He noticed Edward's wife on the street where all three bothers lived. He politely approached her and asked how she and his brother were doing. She sighed, but smiled, and told him that Edward was doing very well. "I was surprised not to see you at Leonard's party last month," she said casually. Thomas tried not to look surprised. "Edward, Leonard, and your father had a great time catching up," the wealthy woman adjusted her sunglasses and walked away.

Naturally, Thomas felt betrayed by this information. He wrote a scathing letter to Leonard. He also wrote to Edward, telling him how selfish, inconsiderate, and unkind he and his wife were. With all his hurt feelings and opinions out in the open, his brothers met his pain with silence. After some days had past, Edward purchased the building in which Thomas lived and had his brother evicted. Thomas gathered his few positions and moved from 8th Street to another town.

Thomas considered what had happened. He wanted to contact his old nanny, the only semblance of a mother he ever had. So, one day, he went to his father's house to ask what had become of his nanny. The doorman told him that she had moved away to work for some other family. He didn't know where. But, she left a note for Thomas. This is what the note said:

Dear, dear Thomas,

I'm sorry I could not say Goodbye to you in person. I had to go where I was needed. I wanted to assure you that I will always love you and think of you as my son. Remember, people can be thoughtless. That's life. Just keep in mind that most of the things that people do to hurt you have more to do with themselves and less to do with you. Don't let anyone else define you. Stay the decent person you have always been.

Love, Nanny