Tonight, I had a chance to do a good deed. Twice. And both times took but a fraction of a moment. Let me explain.
The first time, I was about to board a bus, when the girl in front of me tapped her card (we have cards here where you can load money on to them and travel by transit. It's bloody useful) and it said "Insufficient Funds". She tried explaining to the bus driver that she had loaded her card earlier that day; and he was about to boot her, when I pulled out my wallet and handed her the cash. She thanked me and I told her I had been in a similar spot before. We sat apart. End of story one.
The second time happened but ten minutes ago when I overheard a teenager who's waiting for the ferry (just as I am) call a sibling and tell them that he missed his boat (just as I did). I let him know that I'm already getting a cab and we can share it, so he's not stranded. Turns out he's getting off at a different stop as I am and he was able to get a ride. Problem solved. End of story two.
The point I'm trying to make is not to toot my own horn, but that both instances took less than a minute. The fraction of time it takes to make a difference is minimal, at best. Whether its holding the door for someone, letting a person with less items than you go first in line, or even sparing some change to a person you'll never see again. All it takes is just putting yourself out there and making a difference. Even a small one.
Now, both times, I expected nothing in return. Why should I? I don't gain, and that wasn't my motivation. In fact, both times, I didn't give my actions a second thought. Just as when I hold the door open for someone. A kind gesture is not a transaction. There's no exchanging of "karmic" goods. I've done many a good deed and had nothing good reciprocated in return. That's not why I do it. I do it because, if I were in their shoes, I would wish that someone would step up and take action. It's as simple as that.
The Golden Rule, as universal as it is, is far from common place. Most people think it takes a grand effort to make a grand difference. When, in all reality, all it takes is but minimal effort and time to chance someone else's reality.
The moral of the story is this: If you want to change the world, start small. Start in the moment. If you want to see kindness in others, be kindness yourself. Because in the end, we all die. It's how you live that truly matters.
While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.
ReplyDeleteAs he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.
He came closer still and called out, “Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?”
The young man paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”
The old man smiled, and said, “I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”
To this, the young man replied, “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in, they’ll die.”
Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, “But, young man, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”
Exactly this. :) There are starfish aplenty. And it takes a fraction of your life to change theirs entirely.
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