Pay It Forward

So this just came to mind today while I was riding the bus.
Have you ever been in one of those lines at Tim Hortons and you step up to pay and it turns out the person ahead of you has paid for your coffee? Well neither have I, but you have at least heard of the idea. Then you pay for the person behind you and so on and so on the cycle continues of people doing a kind deed for the person behind them.

I think this idea is kind of cool how you influence other people to do something by your action. Well today I realized another way to do this. While sitting on the bus a teenage guy got up and offered his seat to an older citizen. At first the older lady didn't want the seat but eventually accepted the kind deed and had a seat. This small act, of what I am sure most people would say they are just doing what they thought was right, influenced so many people around to in change offer their seat to someone they figured needed it more. Weather it was guilt that made them do it, or something rang a bell saying... Hmmm it is easy to do nice things for other, I still think it is kind of cool.

Could you imagine what would happen if everyone started doing random nice things for other people? How could anyone be angry at anyone? Why would anyone repay kindness with anger?

If only the world were so simple.