Summary of The Best Investment I Ever Made
The Best Investment I Ever Made Summary – The lesson “The best investment I ever made” by A.J Cronin recounts an incident from the author’s early life as a doctor in London. Dr. A.J Cronin was returning from New York when he noticed one of his companions was constantly watching him.
He initially ignored him because he wanted to take a nap and avoid any awkward shipboard interactions. Dr. Cronin quickly realized that the man wanted to approach him but was hesitant. The next forenoon, Dr. Cronin noticed the man looking at him earnestly again. Dr. Cronin’s flight attendant identified them as Mr. and Mrs. John from a London suburb. On the final day of the journey, at the urging of his wife, the man approached Dr.
Cronin and introduced himself. He handed Dr. Cronin his business card and asked if he recognised him. The man went on to say that he and his wife had been practicing social work for fifteen years and had traveled to New York to learn more about charitable work. Despite a brief conversation, Dr. Cronin couldn’t recall the latter. Then the man said something to Dr. Cronin that reminded him of an incident from twenty-five years ago.
The flashback
He remembered a horrible event that happened 25 years ago. A police sergeant approached Dr. Cronin and asked him to attend a suicide case. Cronin examined the young man’s condition, which was very pathetic as he attempted suicide. Dr. Cronin was able to bring him back to life after an hour of hard work, assisted by the sergeant and the lodge’s landlady.
The best Investment
When questioned about the situation, the man revealed that his name was John and he was an orphan. His uncle found him a job in town, but he began to live a carefree lifestyle, gambling to earn money for pleasures of life. In this way, he lost everything and stole some cash from his office. Fearful of the prosecution, depressed, and anguished, he decided to commit suicide.
After hearing John’s story, Dr. Cronin decided to assist him by giving him seven pounds and ten shillings to deposit in the office safe and start a new life. He was determined to turn his life around and start over. Dr. Cronin realized that his small investment had paid off. Dr. Cronin realized that his small investment had turned out to be the best decision he had ever made, despite the fact that it had yielded no monetary gain but provided him with immense pleasure.