Ilchi Lee

“Do you do a checkup for hepatitis?” she asked.

“Yes, I do,” I replied.

“Good. Then would you come to my school please? The principal would like to meet with you.”

I was puzzled, but made an appointment and went to see the principal. After a short greeting, he said, “My school nurse told me about you. I was very impressed by your benevolence.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He told me the story of what had happened. The woman’s children attended this school. The school nurse had convinced the mother to bring her children to the hospital. After the children had recovered from their symptoms with the medicine the pharmacist had given them, the mother told the story to the school nurse, and the nurse reported this to the principal.

Then the principal said, “I got an order to have all students checked for hepatitis. I invited you here to ask you if you will do the checkups.” Normally I would have to apply for a job like this, but the principal was soliciting me.

“I appreciate this opportunity,” I replied.

“I will take that as a yes. Please consult with the school nurse for further details.”

After I came back to my laboratory, I had to hire a nurse. For the first time since I had opened my laboratory, I had decent business. The students numbered about a thousand and I was paid a decent amount of money. I was excited and amazed to earn so much money from one incident. I was in awe that money could be earned like this.

But that was only the beginning. Right after that school’s checkup, other elementary schools asked for them. I heard later that the principal had shared my story at a principals’ meeting. Hearing the story, most of the principals wanted me to do the hepatitis checkups for their schools as well.

I could barely handle all of the orders; I became very busy. For the first time I felt I could be really rich. To meet this increasing demand, I thought I would have to hire a few more nurses and buy another car.

Then one day I heard a voice in my ears. No one was speaking around me. It said, “You are going the wrong way. You’re just following your selfish desire.” It was a very soft voice but it shook my consciousness like thunder. After that I stopped taking any more orders from other schools.

When I recall that time now, it feels like a dream. What if I hadn’t stopped taking orders? Would I have been a successful pathologist? If I had been so busy making money for my family all the time, would I have been able to go to the local park later to teach my principles and exercises to people every morning? I think the woman and her two sons were three angels that helped steer me in the path of my true inner desires.