Two men became blind in the same factory explosion — one doomed to pathetic beggaring, the other a successful insurance salesman.
Fourteen years after the accident, they meet up and the blind one corners the rich one for a handout, which he obliges. But as he presses for extra money, he rehearses the story. The guy behind me, knocked me down and trampled me to get out, he moans. The story is meant to heighten sympathy and squeeze out an extra dollar or two.
But the rich one confronts the beggar. No, he says, it was you who pulled me down and trampled me. The beggar had not recognized the rich one. In the re-telling, he lied to make himself a greater victim.
MacKinlay Kantor
In this genius story, Man Who Had No Eyes, by MacKinlay Kantor, one man succumbs to tragedy, another overcomes adversity. Which one will you be? Which will I? Will our painful circumstances reduce us to a shell of the former, outgoing, optimistic selves.
To get a better idea, read the super-short story yourself.
Mustard Seed Budget 
I like the title or theme of your blog because do we know how much is of us and how much is providence?
read it …
https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/bm/bm85/bm8506/bm850603.htm
Yes that’s it
Found it and read it. Makes quite the point about how tragedy can make us a bitter or better person.
One of my fav short stories
Powerful and thought-provoking.
many blessings!
The world treats poor people as if they prefer to remain so rather than change their lot in life. Those privileged often treat them as lazy scums always looking up to the extremely hardworking for hand outs. Yet closer look often reveals the cause of poverty is greed manipulation by the few who lord it over others who sear their conscience by insulting the poor to feel better. Others make laws to stop begging yet taxation is sophisticated enforced begging too. Yet the one taxing hides their wealth in off shore accounts to milf others for their luxury lifestyle imposed by conquest.Some enslaved the beggars whose families toiled to build the mansions they live free without paying them. Others call them plebeians, peasants, common people. To God all are precious priceless equal people displaced and discriminated against. Due to such treatments remain unemployed for generations because of structural and institutional racism discrimination.So when the poor ask for help they are called lazy, but when the rich ask for help to sponsor fellow fat cats to continue dominating others they are accepted. When 1% own all super abundant resources provided by God it is OK so nobody complains. When deprived, whose resources are wasted by few ask for help they are drug addicts, criminals and lazy scroungers.Yet many studied hard, highly educated but system discriminates against them. When those whose blood and sweat built the wealth ask for help they are called communists and treated inferior. Money cannot buy God so those putting their trust and confidence in riches and ridiculing others God is not moaked. God sees bad treatment of such people and the rich man and lazarus is well noted.The rich man did not provide treatment for lazarus but took the only sheep Lazarus owned through greed. Before judging the poor read history to learn how capitalism exploitation underdevelops and still keeps victims in economic slavery from generation to generation.
Thanks for all the observations. This world is corrupt. It is very saddening for me to see an equation made in the modern church “riches = blessing of God” and “blessing of God because I’m righteous.” Job’s friends are ruling and reigning in modern Christianity