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By Michael Angier | |||||
There Are No Small Things | |||||||
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In a recent airing of “Unsolved Mysteries” there
was a story of a young boy who was the victim of the holocaust. He’d been
placed in a work camp for several years and somehow had managed to survive
the horror of his imprisonment. The story was of a
boy—now in his sixties—and his quest to find an American GI who had
imparted a kindness to him. The soldier had given the boy some food. It might seem
insignificant, but to this child, who had seen nothing but cruelty and
inhumanity for as long as he could remember, it was a gesture that marked
a turning point in his life. When he was liberated by
the American forces, he was dying. He needed food. As he was hobbling
along the road, a young GI jumped down from his tank and offered him some
of his rations. Unbeknownst to the soldier, the boy had lost hope. He was afraid. He didn't beg for food because he couldn't even conceive the idea that someone would give him some. With this one act of generosity, a kind and magnanimous American had rekindled a belief that there really was some good in the world. And the boy never forgot
it. The boy later went to America, raised a family, became successful and worked hard to repay the kindness he had received with kindnesses of his own. Now, he wanted to find
the man who had, in his words, "Saved my life." I hope he found him. But
I’d like to believe that there were so many similar acts of generosity
that it would be almost impossible to know for sure who the soldier
was. You see we never know
when something we say or do will have a profound influence on another’s
life. It’s common to think we
can’t make a difference. And it’s sad that most people don’t ever
recognize what an important role they play—or COULD play. Unlike George
Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” most of us never get to see how things
would be if we weren’t here doing what we do. When I speak to groups,
I’m aware of the challenges my listeners may be facing. You never know
what someone is going through. It might be a divorce. They may have just
learned a loved one is dying. They may be afraid of losing their job.
Perhaps they don't even HAVE a job. I must be mindful that a
thoughtless comment or playful tease could in fact be hurtful. We all have
a choice: to create more light or to generate more heat in the world. As
Confucius put it over 2500 years ago, “It is better to light one small
candle than to curse the darkness.” As the story above so
nicely illustrates, small gestures can often generate huge blessings. If
we’re constantly looking for and doing kind and thoughtful acts, we will
no doubt bring more joy into the world around us as well as into our own
world. I call it the Law of
Reciprocity: The more you do to enhance the lives of others, the more you
enhance your own being. It’s one of life’s better deals. Robert Brault may have
said it best when he wrote, “Enjoy the little things for one day you may
look back and realize that they were the big things." What kindness can you
show today? What generous act can you perform? What kind words will you
offer someone? What good deed are you willing to invest in the world? Do some small things today, but do them in great ways and you will assuredly create great blessings. |
“Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come
from little things . . . I am tempted to think there are no little
things.” —Bruce Barton
"There is overwhelming evidence
that the higher the level of self-esteem, the more likely one will be to
treat others with respect, kindness, and generosity." — Nathaniel Branden
“A man has made at least a
start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees
under which he knows full well he will never sit.”
—D. Elton Trueblood
"All difficult things have
their origin in that which is easy, and great things in that which is
small." —Lao-Tzu
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Copyright Success Networks International.
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