One of the most profound acts of kindness that sticks with us for a long time is the one that is done to us by people who have no connections to us at all. They don’t know you, and they don’t hope to gain anything by performing that act. They just do it because in that moment, they see that you need it, and since they’re in a position to provide the help you need, they willingly do it.
We live in a world today where everyone is only looking out for themselves, they’re only concerned about what they stand to gain from whatever act of service they carry out. It will be rare for you to see people who will go out of their way to help you for no reason other than for goodness' sake.
Well, we’ve all been there. At one time or the other, we’ve seen proof that angels exist. And no matter how terrible the world gets, there are people who will still refuse to allow the new standards of the world to compromise their personal standards and ethics. And that’s a good thing, because it just reminds us that indeed, there is still hope. As long as there is still at least one good person, then there is still hope.
And for me, I also have my experience with this. Mine happened a few years back, long before I had mastered the roads of Lagos as I do today. I had gone to the Island for a meetup, but I got carried away and stayed too long. On my way home, it got dark. And the area where the bus dropped me was really unfamiliar. It’s always as if places take a different look once it gets dark. Everyone becomes more cautious and less likely to answer questions, you can’t afford to look like you’re lost because that could place a target on your back.
However, I was determined to get home. After walking about for a while and making no headway, I finally decided to take the risk and ask for directions. But I didn’t ask passersby, no. I instead found a shop that was still open and asked the owner of the shop where I’d get the next bus I was looking for. This was the bus that would take me to my area, and my journey would be all but completed.
There are those that, as long as you don’t want to buy something from them, won’t offer up any sort of help. There were three of them in the shop, and the moment I told them my plight, one of them told the other to take me to where I’d see the bus. Just like that. And that night, we started walking. And walking. He was even walking fast, making it hard to keep up with him.
It took about 20-30 minutes before we got to where the bus I was after was loading, and it was then that I realized that if the guy had not led me there, I would never have found it myself. Especially not at night. It was crazy! And once I saw a bus, he showed it to me and waved me goodnight. I tried to thank him with some money, but he simply shook his head and hurried off. He had another 30-minute walk to do.
That was a really selfless thing, and I’ve never forgotten it. It has always made me a bit more receptive to strangers, because you can’t ever really know when someone needs genuine help and is on the verge of getting lost. Those five minutes or one hour you give to them might be the very thing that allows them to get back home to their family.
In the end, there are still good people in the world. I come across them from time to time. And I might try to thank them with some money, if I have it. But I’m never one to push. If I offer money, and they graciously decline, I stop immediately. Because I love knowing that there are people out there who do things simply for the love of it and now what they stand to gain.
That’s what makes it all so beautiful.
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