The Whole Picture

Image credited to Arul L.

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”

Demiana G., Writer

Close your eyes for a second and imagine the following: You’re walking through the halls on your way to lunch, and you don’t intend to, but you start thinking about everything that is going wrong in your life. Grandpa is in the hospital, recently diagnosed with cancer, a “friend” of yours doesn’t seem to know when to stop picking on you, and your dad was recently laid off from his job. You feel the tears coming, and you can’t do anything to slow the emotions. You start to cry, and your friends notice. They erupt in declarations of, “Wow, I’ve never seen you cry before!” or “Why are you crying, nobody did anything to you.” You quickly excuse yourself and head to the bathroom, and your friends don’t even think to follow. As the tears fall, a girl you’ve never really talked with sets her backpack down and sits next to you outside of the restroom. Not only does she talk with you, but she listens and works to make you feel better. You get up and move with her to a nearby lunch table, where the conversation continues. You begin to feel somewhat better. Because of her kindness in that moment, the two of you begin to develop a friendship. You are both glad to have someone to listen to and talk about life.

We live in a time and age where people are taught to prioritize themselves. We’re consumed with our lives and consider the occasional good deed if we have the time.  Every once in a while through the media, we will hear about a homeless man who helps children in nearby schools, or about a celebrity who spends time with children who are terminally ill. Yes, these are all great things to do, but how do you do with the basics? What happened to helping out the kid with crutches? Or holding the door open for a parent with an armful of groceries?

Everyone on earth has a different story to tell, and whether we choose to listen to it before we judge them is our choice. People- especially kids, tend to jump to conclusions before recognizing that there maybe a bigger picture. Perhaps we are meant to work together to make the world a better place, not just environmentally, but through our attitudes as well.

There are plenty of good people in the world, but we don’t hear about them as much as we hear about rude comments on Twitter or an event that will make people “lose faith in humanity.” Is that really how we want to be remembered – an era of people who let the bad in the world overshadow the good? I know you’ve heard this phrase multiple times, but every act of kindness matters. And it’s true- no matter how small, every little deed counts.

If you see someone sad, don’t point them out to your friends and whisper about them. Instead, walk up to them and listen to what they have to say. They may have a story worth listening to. And who knows, maybe that one little act of kindness will change their life. Or maybe that one person you helped will change your life. Never pass up the chance to show someone a little kindness, because right now, we as humans, need all the kindness we can get. As Aesop said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”