I believe that every event in our lives and every person with whom we come in contact affects who we are as human beings. We take a little something from every person we ever meet, regardless of how tenuous our connection to that person may be. From something as concrete as the hugs our parents gave us when we were children; to the guy who blesses you when you sneeze in the middle of a crowded coffee shop; to the nice lady with the full basket at the grocery store who lets you jump ahead because you're just getting one thing. These acts of kindness make us more willing to do kind things for others. Those contacts, however seemingly insignificant, change us ever so slightly for the better.
DC (and most other major metropolitan areas) is full of people who are so wrapped up in themselves and their lives that they have forgotten how easy it is to be kind to one another. Yes, there are a lot of people around here who are just assholes, but I refuse to believe that they are the majority. I believe that most people, when offered a choice between a kind word or an obscene gesture, would prefer the kind word.
So the next time someone puts on their turn signal to merge in front of you in traffic, ease off the gas and let him in. The next time the lady with the screaming baby is struggling to get settled on the Metro, offer her your seat. You may not get a courtesy wave or a thank you for either of these things, but at least you’ll know that you did the right thing, whether the other person acknowledges it or not.
DC (and most other major metropolitan areas) is full of people who are so wrapped up in themselves and their lives that they have forgotten how easy it is to be kind to one another. Yes, there are a lot of people around here who are just assholes, but I refuse to believe that they are the majority. I believe that most people, when offered a choice between a kind word or an obscene gesture, would prefer the kind word.
So the next time someone puts on their turn signal to merge in front of you in traffic, ease off the gas and let him in. The next time the lady with the screaming baby is struggling to get settled on the Metro, offer her your seat. You may not get a courtesy wave or a thank you for either of these things, but at least you’ll know that you did the right thing, whether the other person acknowledges it or not.
1 comment:
What lovely thoughts. You don't know how many times i've stood in a line with one item and the person in front of me with their full chart looks at me and then tries to ignore my gaze because they are too selfish to let me go first.
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