Last week I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw two different people bump into a blind man on the street. He was not in their way, and they had plenty of space to move, they just could not be bothered to think anyone or anything was worth them moving. I'm sure they did not intentionally bump into the man, but so few rude acts in NYC are ever intentional. People just cannot take the time to look outside of their bubble. And it is a vicious cycle. One person is bumped enough times on the street that they begin to think, "If no one will move for me, why should I move for anyone." The next day they are the final bump that pushes someone else to the same thought.
There are days when the number of acts like this that I witness makes me feel that all hope for mankind is lost. I do my best to show kindness to everyone around me, and sometimes all I see is negativity in return. But then there are the days that make my hope soar. A good friend of mine recently saw a homeless man put change in a random car's meter to spare the guy a ticket. I can think of no act more selfless. Here is a man struggling just to live, and yet he spared a few of his coins to make someone else's day a little easier. If everyone would take a moment every day to do one thing to brighten it for someone else, think of difference we could make on the world. “Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” - Scott Adams. How many ripples can you make?
