I have been thinking about a moral question and an experience I had a long time ago.

When I was in third year elementary school, my class was told by my teacher to color in a picture that she had given to each of us.

I took out my colored pencils and started coloring, as she had said.

A classmate sitting near me asked to use my colored pencils because he did not have his own.  I said yes and we sat beside each other and talked while we colored in the pictures.

However, as we talked, he began to make me very angry.  I can’t remember what he had said, but the more he spoke, the more annoyed I got.

I said, “That’s it!  Give me back my pencils!” and I took them out of his hands and told him to go away.  “You can’t use my pencils anymore.”

I was sure I was morally right.  The boy went and told the teacher.  She came to me and I explained the situation.

But then she got angry…. at me!  Me?! But why?

Those were my colored pencils and he used them only because I allowed him.  If he made me angry, why do I have to share with him?!

My teacher refused to hear it.  “Xan, let him use your pencils!”

“But they’re mine!  I don’t have to!  I don’t owe him.”

“XAN! Give him the pencils to use!”

I was very angry, even more so than before, but gave him the pencils and let him finish coloring. I watched him with a lot of hatred.

I learned a good lesson that day.  My teacher was right, and I was not.

What do we owe other people?  We should think about that.