During school break, Omar was very thirsty, so he hurried to the water fountain and found a long line of students waiting their turn. He felt annoyed, and looking around he spotted a small gap near the front of the line, slipped through it, and stood at the head, ignoring those who had been waiting for many minutes.

A few students objected calmly, saying, «Everyone is waiting their turn, Omar, why are you cutting ahead?». Omar ignored them and drank quickly, but he noticed the disapproving looks from his classmates, and felt a quiet twinge of embarrassment, even though he wouldn’t admit it.

The next day, Omar was waiting his turn in the bus line, running late and in a hurry, when another student from an older grade cut in front of him without asking. Omar grew very angry and said loudly, «That’s not fair, I was here before you!». Only then did he remember his own move at the fountain the day before.

Omar realized that the anger he felt was exactly what his classmates had felt when he cut ahead of them. The next day, he apologized to those he had bypassed at the fountain, telling himself, «Respecting a line isn’t just a school rule, it’s respect for everyone’s time, just like mine». From that day on, Omar was the first to kindly remind his friends to wait their turn.