I Had An Encounter On The Street That Taught Me A Hard Lesson About Being Humble
It was a Tuesday morning in Manhattan. The streets were really busy. You could hear yellow cabs honking and construction workers drilling away. Thousands of people were rushing to get to their offices. They were all, in a hurry. Did not even notice what was going on around them in New York City. The city was just doing its thing with all the noise and commotion of New York City.
There was a man sitting on the corner of 42nd and Madison. The mans clothes were old. Worn out. The man had not shaved for a while. A small paper cup was in front of the man with a few coins in it. The man was invisible to the thousands of people who walked by the man every day. The man was another homeless person, in a city that has a lot of homeless people.
David Chen was the name of this person. Nobody really cared to find out what it was. David Chen, that is what he was called and that is all people needed to know about him. So it seemed.
The Encounter
At 9:15 AM a man in a nice suit walked up to the corner. He had his phone up to his ear. His leather briefcase was swinging back and forth as he walked. This man was James Morrison. He worked at TechFlow Industries, which’s a software company that is getting bigger really fast. James Morrison was an executive at TechFlow Industries. Not a super high level one just in the middle. He was running late for a meeting, at TechFlow Industries and the coffee he had that morning was not working yet. This made James Morrison feel grumpy and annoyed.
David was standing there waiting for the light to change. He looked up at the man. The man was just standing there. David looked up at him.
David said to the man “Sir,” in a voice. He was being very respectful. You could tell he was really tired. David said “Anything helps.”
James looked down. His face got all scrunched up with annoyance. He stopped talking on the phone. Took a step closer, to David. James spoke loud so people walking by turned around to see what was going on with James and David.
James told the person to get a job. He said it in a way. He did not like the person begging. James said that people like this person are a problem, for the city. The person is young. James thinks they should work instead of asking for money. James really does not like it when people look for handouts. He wants the person to get a job and stop begging.
The words hung in the air they were really mean and dismissive. Some people slowed down when they heard this they did not like what was happening. David did not react all. He had heard Davids story being judged like this before people making assumptions about David judging David and being totally sure about David when they did not know anything, about Davids life.
The Truth Behind the Cup
David looked up at James with clear eyes. David had no anger in his eyes. There was a deep sadness in Davids expression. This sadness was mixed with something in Davids eyes. Maybe it was resignation. Maybe it was dignity in Davids expression. David just looked at James with this sadness and dignity, in his eyes.
David said that he had one experience like that. He built some companies.. He put his trust in the wrong people the wrong companies and the wrong business partners, which is what the companies were all about, for David. He built companies. He thought the people he was working with were good people but they were not which is what happened to David and his companies.
James let out a mean laugh. This was not a laugh that said something was funny. It was a laugh that said someone was stupid. He looked around the room. He wanted other people to laugh too. He wanted them to think this claim was silly just like he did. James was making fun of the claim. He wanted everyone else to make fun of it too.
He said “Sure”. You could tell he did not mean it. His voice was full of sarcasm. And I am the President he added. Let me take a guess about you. You had a lot of money you were a millionaire. Then you lost it all. That is what people, like you always say about themselves.
A small crowd had formed now. Some people were trying to act like they were not watching. It was clear they were listening. Others were looking at the confrontation that was happening on the street corner. The people in the crowd were watching the confrontation, on the street corner.
David stood up slowly. He looked really worn out. The way he stood was different. He seemed sure of himself even though his situation was not good. David reached into his coat pocket. Pulled out an old phone. He took the phone out. Unlocked it very easily. David did this like he had done it times before with his old smartphone.
David told me to check my phone. He sounded really calm. His voice was steady and firm. He said “I just bought yours” and that really surprised me. David said this like it was no deal.
The Shocking Reality
Jamess smirk faltered. He said “What are you talking about?”
David went on his voice getting louder. “Your company ” he said, “TechFlow Industries, that is what I am talking about. You should look at the company email. You should also look at the news. This morning at 9:00 AM something big happened. TechFlow Industries was taken over. This all happened fifteen minutes ago at 9:00 AM this morning when the deal was finalized for TechFlow Industries.
James was looking everywhere for his phone. His hands started to shake all of a sudden. He finally found it. Opened the email thing on it. When he saw the emails his face turned really white. The company had sent out a message to everyone and it was, from the CEO.
Dear TechFlow Team:
I want to tell you something. As of 9:00 AM EST today TechFlow Industries is now owned by Chen Ventures Capital.
We will tell you more, about this in the all-hands meeting this afternoon.
James looked up at David. His mouth was opening and closing. He was not making a sound. James was looking at David. He could not say a word. James just kept staring at David, his mouth still opening and closing without any sound coming out.
The man said Chen Ventures, in a quiet voice.
David nodded slowly. “I am David Chen. I started Chen Ventures twelve years ago. We have bought seventeen companies that work with technology. TechFlow is the company that Chen Ventures has bought.
The crowd around David Chen had grown silent. Some people got out their phones. Started searching for the name David Chen Chen Ventures. It took a few seconds for articles to show up. There were profiles, from Forbes features from TechCrunch and business journals that talked about the billionaire investor David Chen. People knew that David Chen was a person and that he made smart choices when it came to the companies he bought.
The thing that really got me was this: why was a billionaire, a person, with a lot of money sitting on a street corner with a cup asking for change?
The Fall and the Lesson
David sat back down on the pavement. He felt tired again. His moment of being, in charge was gone. Now he just felt quiet and exhausted. This was his life every day. David was tired of feeling this way. His daily existence was one of exhaustion.
Three years ago he started to talk. His voice was not as loud as it was before. I trusted my Chief Financial Officer and my business partner people I thought of as my family. They took all of my money they made fake companies and they moved my money to other countries. When I found out what they did they were already. The lawyers I hired told me it would take a long time and a lot of money to get my money back but I did not have that kind of money anymore because my Chief Financial Officer and my business partner had taken it.
The man stopped what he was doing. Looked at the money in his cup. He did not have a lot of coins in his cup. The man looked at the coins that were, in his cup.
I had properties and investments and bank accounts. They were all stuck, in court.. I had one secret account that was overseas and the people who were suing me did not know about it. This account was not very big compared to what I used to have. It only had forty million dollars in it.
Jamess legs felt really weak. It was forty million, forty million.
David said “I have spent the three years living like this. I did this for a couple of reasons. One reason is that I had to do it while the courts were figuring everything out. The other reason is that I wanted to do it. I wanted to remember what it feels like to be invisible. To be someone that people dismiss easily. The thing is people treat the David like he is less, than human. They do this because they do not understand the circumstances of the David.
The man stood up again. This time he picked up his cup. He also put the coins in his pocket. The man was now ready to go with his cup in one hand and the coins safe in his pocket the coins, from the cup.
Two months ago the courts finally made a decision that was good for me. I got back a lot of the things that belonged to me. Month I started working with Chen Ventures again. This week I finished buying TechFlow Industries, which’s the company you are, in charge of, Mr. Morrison.
Jamess face had changed from pale to red. “I did not know. I am really sorry James did not mean to—”
David held up his hand. “You were not sorry five minutes ago. You were really sure that you knew Davids story, Davids worth, Davids character. All based on where David was sitting and what David was wearing.”
The Aftermath
David did not fire James Morrison that day. When David walked into the headquarters of TechFlow that afternoon for the announcement about the acquisition he was looking very sharp. He had. Shaved and was wearing a very nice suit. David specifically asked for James Morrison to be there. He wanted James Morrison to attend the announcement about the acquisition. David made a point to request that James Morrison be present, at the meeting.
So David was talking at the all-hands meeting. He told a story. He did not say Jamess name. We all got the point. David said something that really makes you think. He said “Never assume you know someones journey based on a moment in time. The person you dismiss today might be the person who determines your future tomorrow.” Davids story was really about people. How we should not judge them. We should not think we know what someone is like because of one thing that happens. Davids story was trying to teach us that the person you dismiss today the person you dismiss today might be very important, to your future tomorrow. Davids story was very important. It made me think about people and how I treat them.
After the meeting David called James into his office. David wanted to talk to James about something. The new office was really nice. David was happy to be working from there. David said to James that he had a things to discuss with James.
David said “I am not going to fire you.” He told them they have a choice to make. They can stay at the company. Work with new people, in charge who care about empathy and respect and who never judge people by what is going on in their life.. They can leave the company and get a lot of money as a goodbye gift.
James stayed with the company, which’s really great. Over the few months James became a big fan of the companys charity programs and the help they give to employees. He really supported these programs. Wanted to see them do well. James thought these programs were very important, for the company.
The Real Story Behind the Streets
David Chen finally told the story in a very honest interview six months later.
When David Chen was on the streets it was not about dealing with the law. It was on purpose.
David Chen was working on a project: a program to teach homeless people job skills and help them find work along with making housing affordable, with the money David Chen made from his investments.
He said to the interviewer “I had to know what is really going on.” He did not want to learn about it from numbers or papers. He wanted to see it for himself. He wanted to hear what people actually think about others. He wanted to know how people treat those they think are not as good as them. This experience changed everything for him. It changed how he does business and how he lives his life. He learned a lot about the reality of life and business, from this experience. The reality of business and life is what he was trying to understand.
The man started something called “Second Foundations”. This thing has really helped a lot of people. Over 2,000 people who used to be homeless now have jobs and a place to live because of “Second Foundations”. “Second Foundations” is doing a job of finding people stable work and a home.
The Universal Truth
This story is not about a billionaire who wants to teach a lesson to an executive who thinks they are better than everyone else. The story is really about the things that connect us as people and the mistakes we make when we judge others by how they look. We make assumptions about people based on appearances. That can be very dangerous. Our shared humanity is what this story is really, about.
Every day we see people. We do not know what they have been, through. There is the veteran who served our country. We also see the mother who has to work three jobs and she still cannot afford to pay for a place to live. Then there is the executive who had a mental health crisis and it cost them everything they had. We also meet the immigrant who has degrees but they cannot get anyone to recognize these degrees in their new country.
When we look at someone we notice the things that’re easy to see. Like their old clothes, their tired eyes and their hand asking for help. Then we make decisions about them. We think we know what kind of person they are, if they are good or bad if they try hard or not.. The truth is, we do not really know what is going on with the person. We just see a bit of their life and we make up a whole story about them. We make judgments about the person based on the surface on the things that we can see, like the torn clothes, the eyes, the outstretched hand.
David Chens story is a reminder that things do not stay the same forever.. What really matters is how we treat other people. David Chens story shows us that when we are kind to others and we do not get anything in return that is when our true character comes out. David Chens story tells us that we should be kind, to others when David Chens story says we have nothing to gain from it.
Educational Takeaway: This story shows us that we need to be kind and understanding towards others. We have to respect people and not judge them. When we are at work or with friends and family the way we treat people who seem to have less than us says a lot about the kind of person we’re. It says more about us than how we treat people who’re like us or who have more than us. Sometimes we are successful. Sometimes we are not but we should always try to be kind and respectful, to everyone we meet. We should always remember to treat people with dignity no what. Dignity, kindness and respect are values that we should show to every person we meet every single day. Building a career and life is not just about getting a high position or lots of money. It is about being a person and treating every person with respect. We should treat people with respect just because they are people. What kind of person we are is not shown when things are going well for us. It is shown in how we treat people who cannot do anything for us in return. Building a career and life is really, about being human and treating every individual with respect.
Have you ever made assumptions about someone based on appearances, only to learn you were completely wrong? Share your story of learning to look beyond the surface.