When I picked my son up yesterday from his past time job at the local hardware store, he told me about this experience that he had during his lunch break. 

Sam walked into Burger King, placed his order and stepped aside to wait for his food. A scruffy young man with an unkempt beard, dirty jeans and a torn t-shirt was next in line. After ordering, this fellow proceeded to empty his pockets; nickels, dimes, quarters and pennies rained down on the counter. He carefully counted his change and pushed it towards the cashier. The woman looked at him and said that he was $2.00 short. It was then that Sam pulled out his wallet, handed the guy two one dollar bills and told him to enjoy his lunch. Hearing this story on the way home put a big smile on my face. Throughout his young life Sam has been know for these selfless acts of kindness, so what he did for that man at lunch came as no surprise.

Every time I pick up the newspaper or swipe up on my phone, I see a nearly endless stream of stories about the more odious aspects of human nature. Greed and hatred scream, getting most of the attention. Love and kindness whisper and are mostly ignored. By the way, Sam’s little gesture did not make the news today but the kindness he showed towards that man could have ramifications far beyond anything he could ever imagine. Perhaps after having a hot meal at Burger King, this fellow has the energy to go out and apply for a job. Maybe he gets the job. Maybe he begins to turn his life around. Who knows? One thing I do know is that all of our actions, big or small, have consequences. It’s within our power to chose to treat others with love and compassion; to pay it forward like my son did.

The reasons why there is so much anger and hatred in the world are varied and complex. I couldn’t begin to list them. Like many people, I’m struggling to find a way out of our current dilemma. It’s all so overwhelming. Maybe a good start would be to simply  follow the Golden Rule: Treat others as you’d have them treat you. I think back on my college days and a nugget of wisdom I heard once from an old friend that has stayed with me ever since.

One evening my buddy John Murphy and I were sitting around the local watering hole bemoaning the sad state of world affairs (if we only knew what was to come!). I asked him, “Murph, what the hell are we gonna do about all of these haters and greed heads?” Murph paused, took a pull off of his beer and sighed, “We’re gonna kill ‘em with kindness Lou, kill ‘em with kindness!” Sage advise. Let’s pay it forward. Let’s start now.