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The Dalai Lama often reminds his audiences, “that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” During the Great Depression, a man who was completely uneducated, who could neither read nor write, learned of a job opening as a public school janitor in New York City. He applied but was turned down due to his illiteracy. Naturally he was disappointed and upset.

However, a friend helped him get a position selling cigars on the street. The man became a highly successful cigar salesman and deposited his commissions in the bank with the aid of a friend who filled out the application forms and wrote out deposit slips. After two or three years, he had a savings account of $30,000, at the height of the depression. He decided to withdraw some of his money. The bank teller instructed him to “write out a withdrawal slip for the amount you want.” The said: “I can’t read or write.” Amazed, the teller said: “Wow, you’ve earned and saved $30,000 without an education! Where would you have been if you had been able to read and write?”

The man responded: “I would have been a janitor in Public School No. 17!”

When the Dalai Lama says - “Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.”- he means that we need to trust the Universe, remaining confident and calm even when events don’t appear to favor us.

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Victor M. Parachin ... 

a Vedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Sadly, Victor passed away in August 2025, but his blog continues. Janet Parachin, his partner of 45 years, shares quotes from his books and articles each week. 

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