With everything going on in the world and some of the horrific stuff we can often read on the news, it becomes really easy to become jaded and write off the general public. Trust me, when out and about I often get to point “A”, buy whatever I need then proceed to point “B”.
For the most part, the things I see while out in public generally include people cutting each other off in their vehicles, dropping doors in other people’s faces as opposed to holding them open and general rudeness. It makes one wonder why these folks live in a large population centre when they have the manners and respect for others that would require them to live in a small log cabin in the isolated mountains. But I digress…
At the start of the week, I was out running errands with my wife and son. I stopped at the local corner store to buy a bunch of energy drinks and check my lottery ticket (I didn’t win, by the way. And before anyone gets on me about the energy drinks, my friends and family are aware that I’m addicted to them and at 3/$5 it’s cheaper than getting a daily coffee anywhere in the city, so… 😜)
While there, a gentleman was at the till. He started to place his items on the counter, and as the line formed behind him, he ended purchasing the items for the next three or four people in line. I was floored! He kept saying “add theirs to mine” over and over. These folks obviously weren’t with this guy, and some of them even looked at him suspiciously; but he genuinely paid for the stuff all these people were getting.
Now, without approaching a total stranger and asking what his deal is, I could only make a few calculated guesses. Perhaps he had won the lottery and was sharing the wealth. Perhaps he was paying it forward after someone had done something nice for him. Maybe he was simply a good samaritan and wanted to do something nice. Who knows?
The point is, the world can still sometimes surprise you. Despite how jaded we can sometimes get in relation to everything that happens in the world, some people will still go out of their way to do good. And we can help that effect by being among those who do good as well. As Gandhi once said, be the change you wish to see in the world. ☯
The Blogging Buddhist 