Do unto others

Earlier today while leading my normal life I had an instance of "pay it forward." I was in line at the grocery when I noticed that both the women behind me had only 1 or 2 items. I told them both to go in front of me and that I wasn't in a hurry. They both thanked me, which is all I expected. While I was waiting, the one right in front of me gave me a coupon for something in my cart to thank me. I have never had anything like that happen. Someone giving me something other than a thank you -- I was amazed. I wished I had something to pass on to the new person behind me, but I didn't. It left me with a good feeling. A feeling that most people respond to kindness and want to pass it on. Sometimes we don't have a way, most people don't have pages of coupons in their hands, but that is OK because somehow and to someone, I think most of us try to repay the kindness shown to us.

To me, that is the reason why a lack of civility and understanding is totally unacceptable. We can never make this earth into the place it could and should be if we are unwilling to treat each other in a respectable manner. Once you treat someone in a manner that is not respectable, just like pay it forward, you can expect the same in return. We seem to be programmed to treat others as we are treated. We all do it.

I am not saying that I am any different. I am not any different.

I know it all sounds very new age, that bothers me as much as you. Still, it doesn't keep it from being true.

More so than that, if we all spent as much time worrying about what we are doing that is right or wrong, rather than what someone else is doing that is wrong, the world would be a much better place. OK, not everyone would care about what they were doing, but most would and it is only the majority that counts -- not the small minority that just doesn't get it.

Right now it seems we have to fight against the negative, but if somehow we could start a wave of the positive -- we wouldn't have to do that. I KNOW that it could happen. I just don't know how to make it happen. I hope that someone does.

OK, just a thought. I know there is no ONE person out there that can figure it out, but I do think that all and all we are a collective and that if enough of us keep trying to make the world a better place that just maybe we can. Yeah, I know -- it will take a lot. Yeah, I know - it is new agey. I think that maybe we haven't much choice. A world is just that -- a collective of people. We all blow it or we succeed, no one person can succeed on their own.