Open your Eyes – For a Simple Act of Kindness

The world as we know it today has become such a harsh place to live. Every day, in the news we hear of destruction, be it through natural or unnatural causes. The war in Syria, attacks on different kinds of people, terror strikes in different places due to different ideologies… and so on. More often than not, we close our eyes to the harsh reality that is prevalent in the world around us. We see the news and just for a minute, we feel sympathy for the people who are in such conditions and then we forget them for the rest of the day and get on with our lives. For most of us, news of destruction, of famine… etc. does not really make a difference. I mean, how does the refugee crisis in Syria, affect your everyday life? It does not. So, we close our eyes metaphorically and move on.

We all live inside our own individual little bubbles. Because, it is so hard to trust something at face value, even good deeds are misunderstood. So, we all think that it is better to never get involved. A few days ago, we saw a couple who lived downstairs working on their car in the garage below our apartment. The jeep was outside of the closed garage and the two men were working on it for some time, when it started raining. We saw that they were soaking wet and at first decided to bring them an umbrella. Before we could do so, however we started wondering… “What would they think if we bring them an umbrella?” OR “Will they misunderstand our motives?” OR “Would they think that we have no business watching them?” OR “Would they think that we were busy bodies and couldn’t mind our own business?” OR “Would they be offended?” It was such a simple thing, yet we were so worried about ulterior motives, that we failed to do even one simple act of kindness. What would have been the worst thing that could have happened? Either they acknowledged the gesture or they won’t. So what if they don’t, at least we would have felt better that we tried doing something good. But, ultimately we did not do anything. It says so much for the sorry state of affairs we live in today.

This is exactly what is wrong with most people today. We close our eyes to all the possibilities, that even the simplest act seems misunderstood. Every one of us is connected in the circle of life. No one can live in isolation. What happens in one place can very well happen in another. What affects one person halfway across the world, can on another day affect you. It is a ripple effect that can have catastrophic implications for the future. But most of us do not even see the fall out. We are apathetic and that is scarier than anything else that is happening in the world today. Open your eyes – Everything that is happening in Syria, Israel or Afghanistan or Orlando can so easily happen to each one of us. Open your eyes – look around, see what can be done. A simple act of kindness goes a long way. A phone call to a friend just to say hello, Bringing an umbrella to someone soaking wet in the rain, Opening the door for the elderly at a mall or a doctor’s office, Letting someone else pass you on the road instead of cutting them off, Teaching our kids to say “Please” and “Thank you” every single time, Complimenting the waiter who serves you at a restaurant or the maintenance man who works on your apartment. The way you feel after bringing a smile to someone is wonderful. We should never close ourselves off, but always try in very common and simple ways to be open to any opportunity of bringing a tiny piece of joy to someone. If every single one of us could do this on most days, just imagine how wonderful this world would be!

 

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32

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