Barber with "Big and Small Mercedes Headlamps”

Once upon a time there was an Indian barber who had a pair of big and small bionic eyes; any rich patron who frequented his shop would receive a complete and thorough range of haircut services from him, hoping to get good returns from the rich patron. Of course not every time he would be rewarded handsomely as most rich patrons were usually stingy.

Once, an unassuming old man entered the barber's shop. From his outfit and appearance the barber thought he was just another poor working-class peasant. So he gave him a casual haircut and facial shaving. The whole process took him less than fifteen minutes. After it was over, the old man dished out from his pocket a handful of notes to pay the barber.

To the astonishment of the barber, the old man had paid him more than one hundred ringgit! Never in his life had the barber received such a huge sum of money for giving just a simple haircut. The barber thankful for his lucky stars and he was hoping the old man would visit him again, the sooner the better so that he could get another windfall.

Months later, the same old man reappeared at the barber's shop. The barber was overwhelmed with joy. He treated the old man like a king. This time around, the barber thought if he were to give the old man a thorough workout paying attention to every minute detail, the old man would reward him with even more money than before.

For more than an hour, the barber cut, trimmed, shaped and styled the old man’s hair and then applied lotion and shampoo. He even provided a massage service on the scalp, neck and face. After the haircut was finally done, the old man asked the barber how much he usually charged others for the service he had just rendered. The barber replied, “Twenty ringgit!"

The old man took out his money and counted it carefully  a few times before he handed it to the barber the exact amount: TWENTY RINGGIT.

The barber was rather puzzled with the payment he had received as well as the 'eccentric behaviour’ of the old man. So he asked the old man for an explanation.

The old man said, “When you were casual with your hair cutting, I  was generous with my payment. But when you were earnest with your cutting, I became miserly with my payment. It is just as simple as that!"

The moral lesson of this story is 'how others treated you is just a reflection of how you have treated others.'

Some may wonder why the old man paid more money for providing a very casual haircut in this instance. This is because the old man did not like to waste his precious time when he had his haircut, so naturally he would reward the barber with more money for the job done in a shorter period.