Unaccounted Losses

A retired teacher taught underprivileged children extra classes in accounts. A parent who attended the first day and the last day of the teacher’s session shares some details.  

On the first day of their accounting class students introduced themselves and mentioned the school they went. Since the students came from different schools the teacher asked them to keep putting their hands up if they knew answers to her rapid questions. For the first few questions all hands were going up and as her questions got tricky fewer hands went up. Ordinarily another teacher would have asked for their last scored marks to ascertain their students understanding of the subject but this teacher had her own way of assessing the students’ knowledge.

Based on responses to rapid questions teacher decided she needs to start with basics. The children were asked to put their hands up-down, up-down this went on 10times. A student asked why this exercise, the teacher replied building a habit in you to put your hands up to ask me if you do not understand.

With about 10 minutes left for the 1st day session to close, students were asked to put everything away fold their arms and listen to the teacher attentively as she introduced the subject ‘accounting’ to them.

The teacher spoke we are all going to learn a new language of business and that is accounting. The greatness in accounting is not just about what you calculate, it’s about the financial stories you will unfold. In the world of finance, every student is a potential financial architect. Business by many can be conducted in chaos but accounting is the art of turning chaos into clarity and the confusion into financial wisdom.

If some of you are going to be accountants tomorrow people may ordinarily consider you as number crunchers but you are actually financial storytellers. Consider yourself as sculptors of economic success and with your honesty and integrity at work, you just do not balance books but balance the scales of financial justice.

Some students disliked accounts but after the subject’s introduction got more involved in the subject. Financial stories for them started the next day and there after their sessions had full attendance and grasping attention all the time. The syllabus got completed ahead of schedule giving much time for revision.

In the midst of children’s excitement on the last day of session, the teacher called for absolute attention from children. Breaking the silence the teacher quoted a Japanese proverb "Where profit is, loss is hidden nearby” I want you to know the best of accountants the sharpest of intellects, in fact just about anybody often fail to identify and manage their personal unaccounted losses. These do not reflect on balance sheet but on one’s souls.

Most people may earn large materialistic profits but their hearts are broken with losses. The beginning of our losses commence by unfair actions influenced by ego or in pursuit of profits by means of one’s wrongful gains or making wrongful losses to others. Mistakes and misdeeds disguised as jealousy, disrespect, lies, hatred, slander and bad language all increase one’s count of unaccounted losses. The book keeping by soul accounts every action of ours, thus one must raise consciousness and awareness of our actions to tally with the soul.

The teacher in her concluding words said “In accounting our life one is slow to earn profits and quick to run up losses, so never give up on your devotional worship of the Lord. For those who stay in His will continually earn the profit of the Lord never to suffer any unaccounted loss.