I remember watching a commercial last semester, it was about a kid who wanted a cake for his birthday, but his mom was too poor to buy it. A man was standing nearby and heard the conversation, although he was poor as well, he decided to buy a cake for the little boy, anonymously. He didn't buy the it for praise or recognition; he bought it because he believed that it was the right thing to do, it was a selfless act of kindness.
'Unfortunately, those kinds of scenarios don't happen in real life. No one would actually give up something of their own for another person's well being. That commercial is heartwarming and encouraging, but it's fake. Again, this type of story only takes place in fiction, its too good to be true.' This is what I thought after watching the commercial, it might be a little depressing, and although I would've wished to believe otherwise, I accepted the harsh reality. I'm a cynic living in a cynical world. To my surprise, I was proven wrong. A few days ago, I was in a small suburban bookstore, I'd chosen a few books and left them on the counter in order to find some more. As I searched for a book, a man came into the store, I didn't pay much attention to him as I was busy looking for an interesting title. After some time, the man left. My search continued. I went back to the counter moments later. There, the cashier told me that the man had left fifty dollars for me to buy books, the only thing he said before leaving was "Young people should read more". I was completely blown away by this anonymous man's actions, it's not every day that something like this happens. It takes a special kind of person to do a selfless act of kindness; that man gained no recognition, no praise, no prize, only the satisfaction of knowing that he did something that meant a lot for another person. I'm still a cynic, the world is still the same place it was before this happened: politics are plagued with corruption, mining companies will ruin the environment for wealth, and corporations will set up their offices in tax heavens in order to avoid paying their fair share of taxes. I'm still a cynic, but I know that the world doesn't have to be this way, it shouldn't be this way. This man gave me something far better than books, he gave me hope. Hope that there are people out there, people who don't care about wealth or recognition, selfless people. Although there might not be many, one is enough to show me that it is possible. I guess now it's my turn to return the favor.
1 Comment
Bon
27/4/2016 08:17:59 pm
Cristobal, last week we watched a talk by the author of Give and Take, Adam Grant. You'll actually be surprised by how many givers there are out there. If you like this talk and want to know more about the givers of this world, I'll be more than happy to lend you the book:
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