So a few years ago my wife and I watched a movie that, though sad, is one of her favorites. Without revealing too much, I can tell you that I was captivated, and the heart of the story along with the lessons it taught have stayed with me. Since viewing the film, I’ve actually seen the concepts that it revealed in action, and if you are even remotely social in nature, I’m sure that you have, as well.
The concept is actually quite simple: to “pay it forward” is to pass a blessing on to someone, who in turn is generous to someone else, and so on and so forth in a never-ending cycle of good deeds. I’ve experienced this while in line at Starbucks when the gentleman ahead of me gave an extra $20, which he told that barista was to cover the cost of as many people behind him as was possible. When it came to my turn, even though my drink was covered I felt compelled to give an extra $20, as well. To my delight, by the time I had my coffee and made my exit two other patrons had given extra to cover the cost of others in line behind them. It was a beautiful thing that helped to restore my faith in humanity. But, for how awesome it was, it was also interesting to see that there were more people who took the blessing and didn’t give back. Even though they had just been given something awesome (free coffee, people!), they elected not to “pay it forward”.
Now, I certainly don’t know their life or their financial situation, but I do find it hard to believe that they couldn’t afford something! After all, their drinks were free, so shouldn’t they at least have been able to cover the $5 it would take for the person directly behind them? Instead, several patrons took the gift, enjoyed their free coffee and left without so much as a “thank you” to those responsible. It is that kind of selfishness that I struggle to understand, but it also challenges me to be a better person. So, the purpose of this blog is simple: watch the movie Pay It Forward, if you haven’t already, and whenever you are able, give generously. Let’s make the world a better place, one cup of coffee at a time.
P.S. The “Pay It Forward” concept is good not only for coffee, but burgers, fries, shakes, or really any occasion that involves being generous to someone else, particularly a stranger.
Copyright © 2018 D.M. Kurtz
D.M. Kurtz 