Kindness is Overrated!
First, a little context.
Picture this scene:
The year is 2017.
It is a warm summer morning.
I am headed to a public library with my mother.
Excited, I found a way to soothe my very new reading addiction.
…
It all started when a classmate brought Sophie Kinsella’s “Can you keep a secret?” to college. And I started noticing something very odd.
Everyone wanted to read that book.
Curious, I wanted to see what the hype was about.
So, I borrow the book and read it.
It opens new horizons for me and
BOOM!
I have become an avid reader.
What happened to me?
Well, J.K Rowling puts it the best way,
“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book.”
Rowling knew what she was talking about. She really did.
Okay now back to the story about kindness.
As usual, I go inside and browse the library for the book I want to read.
Let me tell you something the library does not have a diverse collection of books.
I wanted to read Sophie Kinsella and J.K Rowling. But, finding a book like such was like finding a rare golden nugget.
UGHHHHH!!!
It just wasn’t my day. I could not find Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Disappointed I leave the library as I wasn’t able to get the next book in the Potter series.
Buying the book was not an option.
As much as I wanted to, I could not.
I knew my parents would buy me one if I asked. But I knew buying books is an expensive hobby to have. So, I settled for a public library membership until I could make my own money.
…
As my mother and I are leaving the library. She spots something. She nudges me and I see it too.
A BOOK FAIRRR!!!!
I got really excited and then it hit me.
A Book Fair with Overpriced Books which People Can Barely Afford.
“Let’s just get back home,” I tell my mother.
“But what if the book you so desperately want is in there?” she asks.
“I am sure it is,” I say.
“Then what is the issue?” she asks.
“It is a book fair. Books at a book fair are always overpriced. Even if I find my book there’s a high chance, we won’t be able to buy it right now,” I tell her.
“C’mon let’s just go and browse. It can’t hurt us, can it?” she tells me as she drags me toward the book fair.
Anxious, I go around the place with my mother, looking at expensive books with pretty bright covers.
Did I tell you there weren’t many people there? So, the thought of leaving the fair empty-handed made me nervous.
But suddenly
I GASP! The Kite Runner!
Although I completely ignore the overpriced Harry Potter book, I suddenly spot another book I desperately wanted to read.
I guess my excitement was noticeable as both my mum and the salesman started looking at me.
And then my mother does what mothers do.
“How much is this book?” she asks the salesman holding the book in her hand.
“700 Rupees,” he says.
Knowing we have a max of Rs 500 at the moment I say, “Thank you” and ask my mother to leave.
But then
The Unthinkable Happens.
He stops us.
“How much do you have on you right now?” he asks.
“500,” my mother responds.
“Here, take it,” he says as he tosses the book in a bag and hands it to me.
“Um…. thank you,” I say in disbelief.
My mind trying to process what just happened.
“This is a two-day book fair; I’ll come tomorrow and pay you back,” my mother tells him.
“No need to, it’s a discount for her,” he says pointing at me.
“Thanks!” my mother says as we begin to leave.
…
I look back at him.
I try to examine his features so that I could remember his face.
Not only was he the person who helped me buy My First Book Ever which is a very big deal.
But there was more to it.
I wanted to remember him for one more reason.
HIS KINDNESS…
The kindness a random stranger showed me for no reason.
His kindness challenged my cynicism.
At first, it shocked me and then it confused me.
Up until that point, I thought,
You guessed it,
Kindness is Overrated.
But what he did, changed everything.
Every time I watched one of those,
Surprising random strangers with blah blah blah! kind of YouTube videos.
I doubted people over the top reactions to the stranger’s kindness.
Of course, I believed it felt good to them and possibly made their day.
Is kindness really that impactful?
Are they truly as grateful as they show?
Maybe surprised at that moment they are.
But, will they remember that kindness forever as they claim in that moment?
Won’t some of them one day praise their luck for it?
Will they pay it forward someday as they say?
Will they even remember the face of that random stranger who surprised them 10 years from now?
Every time I concluded, NO, THEY WON’T! as I carefully examined their faces.
Humans are Inherently Selfish and Kindness is Overrated!
Sure, it feels good to be kind to others. But it’s not a two-way street as people claim to be.
As the Joker said,
“Their morals, their code; it’s a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble. They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. You’ll see- I’ll show you. When the chips are down these, uh, civilized people? They’ll eat each other.”
Guess who got too influenced by this quote as a kid?
I have been kind to people all my life, don’t get me wrong.
Still, I had always been cynical about the way people react to my kindness toward them.
Funny how all it took was that one moment of a stranger’s kindness to me that changed it all.
So, I accept,
Kindness is Not as Overrated as it Seems to Be!
Kindness is Remembered …
Kindness is Cherished …
Kindness makes the World a Better Place to Live …
Remember! Kindness is Impactful.
You could be the Toughest Person in the World, but Someone’s Kindness will
Always Melt your Heart.
P.S. Even though I can’t participate in the MPP, I’m not gonna let that bring me down. And you know why? Because I have the support of you guys!
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