This I Believe

This I Believe in Kindness

Listen Here to Elvira's This I Believe Essay

            The wisdom of my environment claims that those who find themselves in strange circumstances have earned their way through hard work and perseverance. In contrast, those who are less fortunate are in          

  such a position due to their laziness, bad habits, or addictions. I know full well that stereotypes are often sometimes untrue, and that unfortunate circumstances bring poverty as much as anything else. Yet nonetheless, I sometimes allowed these faulty stereotypes to influence my behavior, and often I avoided the homeless.  

                 Recently, while sitting at a red light, avoiding eye contact with the shabby old man hobbling towards me, I saw a stranger roll down her window and hand the man a dollar. At first, I pitied the stranger’s ignorance of the man’s likely plight. Doesn't she realize, I thought, she’s probably causing more

harm than good by feeding his addiction. Yet as the light turned green and the traffic began to move, I noticed a transformation in the man. His face had brightened. The expression seemed simple and insignificant, yet it appeared to change not only his expression, but his entire persona. It was as if the crumpled dollar clutched in his fist had made his whole day.                                                                                                                           

    It shocked me that such a small token of generosity could have such an enormous effect on a person. After all, that dollar was barely enough to buy the man even a part of a meal, assuming he did in fact use the money for food rather than drugs or alcohol. And it wasn't as if the woman had made any kind of special sacrifice; judging by the private school bumper stickers on the back of her Lexus, she was well off financially. As I merged onto the freeway, it occurred to me that perhaps it wasn't the dollar that had made the man’s day. Perhaps the man understood that a single dollar would not change his life circumstances. Perhaps the reason he had brightened was due to the simple act of generosity itself, the mere fact that there was someone who cared enough to show him kindness.                                                                                                          

     Since then, I have done my best to live selflessly, demonstrating compassion toward others, believing that in some small, insignificant way, I have touched their lives. Perhaps, just as I was, someone will be touched simply through witnessing one human showing compassion to another.        

              I believe in acts of kindness. There is something uniquely human about ignoring stereotypes, social stratification, and the status quo, and simply reaching out to another person. It is a basic, primal instinct; yet it is one that is too often ignored in a society that seductively sings the deceptive tune of selfishness, materialism, and success at all costs. Yet, I believe that all it takes to truly change a person, a community, and yes, even the world, are just small acts of caring that ripple outward, spreading more of the same.