kindness

At times, the widespread presence of greed and selfishness can lead one to believe that kindness is nonexistent. However, when faced with a difficult situation, a good Samaritan often appears to save the day. If you can’t find any good Samaritan around you, endeavor to be one. Leroy Solis Jr. was set to graduate from MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas on Wednesday when he was stopped by a school representative saying that he wouldn’t be allowed to cross the stage if he was wearing jeans. Leroy had neglected to adopt the proper uniform because his father was on a fixed income and he couldn’t afford new pants. The teen was in luck, however, when he dashed outside and decided to test his faith in humanity, instead. “The school principal told him he wasn’t crossing the stage and sent him home,” Leroy’s brother Rosemary wrote on Facebook. “He had 3 minutes to line up. My brother walked back to his car and came across a young man his height and size. My brother proceeded to explain that he needed slacks to walk the stage and without any hesitation this kind young man said YES.” The strangers told Leroy that he could change pants in their truck. Before he started dashing back to the ceremony, the man and his son enthusiastically told him: “Go cross that stage!” Rosemary and Leroy have since started searching for the strangers who obliged him and his strange request, so they can properly thank them for their helpfulness and understanding.

Even though a Tesla Model S is worth thousands of dollars, this guy didn’t hesitate to sacrifice it in order to do the right thing and save a man’s life. 41-year-old Manfred Kick was driving down the Autobahn – a federally controlled highway with no mandated speed limit – when he saw a Volkswagen swerving dangerously across the road. Curious, Manfred peered into the car’s windows only to find that the driver had fallen unconscious against the steering wheel. Manfred pulled his Model S in front of the Volkswagen and braked until both of the cars came to a halt. He then ran to the man’s side and performed first aid until emergency medical technicians arrived and took the unconscious driver to a hospital in Munich, Germany. Officials said that though the man had reportedly suffered a stroke of some kind, he is currently in stable condition. Manfred, who was then stuck with over $10,000 in repair costs, was in turn rescued by none other than the Tesla company CEO Elon Musk. “Congrats to the Tesla owner who sacrificed damage to his own car to bring a car with an unconscious driver safely to a stop!” Musk wrote on Twitter. “In appreciation, Tesla is providing all repair costs free of charge and expedited.”

A heartwarming moment of compassion unfolded at the top of an escalator, where an elderly man’s fear of the moving stairs was met with the kindness of a young stranger. As the older gentleman hesitated to step onto the escalator, 23-year-old Alonzo Johnson approached him with a simple offer of assistance. “Sir, do you want me to help you on?” Johnson asked, extending his arm to the senior. The older man explained that he had once gotten stuck on an escalator, leaving him with a lasting phobia of the moving stairs. Without a moment’s hesitation, Johnson replied, “I’ll ride with you all the way down.” The two then rode the escalator arm-in-arm, with Johnson providing a steady presence and reassurance to the elderly man. Witnessing this touching scene, a bystander named Paula snapped a photo of the duo and shared it on social media, where it quickly went viral. In her post, Paula expressed her hope that this act of kindness would serve as a reminder of the power of compassion to bridge divides and bring people together. “Whoever this young man is, YOUR FAMILY RAISED YOU RIGHT! THANK YOU!” she wrote. We shouldn’t wait for the big things, let’s demonstrate kindness in the most minute of things and the bigger ones too will fall into position.

It is not often that shoplifters get a second chance – but this 18-year-old found a reprieve in a compassionate Canadian constable. The youth had been caught attempting to steal a dress shirt, tie, and socks from a Toronto Walmart earlier this week. Const. Niran Jeyanesan was then called onto the scene by the store’s loss prevention officer after the shoplifter had been detained. Upon talking with the perpetrator, however, Jeyanesan discovered that the man had tried to steal the products in order to prepare for a job interview that he had on Tuesday. Without any resources or finances to his name, the man felt that shoplifting was his only option. When the young man was released without any charges, Jeyanesan then secretly bought the clothes and gave them to the youth for his job interview “This young person has been facing his own difficulties in life and he was looking to straighten out all that by providing for his family and trying to get a job,” Jeyanesan told News outlets. Sometimes, kindness is about the best panacea for the behavioural ills we see around.

Vanessa Howard knows what it’s like to have nothing – and that’s why she is giving back to girls and women who are facing the same struggles she did. When Howard was just a teen, she was the victim of domestic abuse, had three children of her own, and just $1.75 to her name, according to CBS News. The youth eventually got the courage to leave her “drug-infested” household in Tampa Florida, to see if she could make it on her own. Howard eventually met with a landlord who let her rent an apartment because he believed it was destiny that he was supposed to help the unfortunate young mother. She then started working at local beauty salons to be able to support her three daughters. Decades later, Howard was finally able to open her own business, and aptly named it the Giving Hands Hair Salon. As a means of uplifting other girls living in poverty around Tampa, the 62-year-old provides free services one day a month. Almost 300 women and girls from transitional housing and homeless shelters have benefited from Howard’s free styling. “I believe everything we go through we go through for purpose. I truly believe that nothing happens by coincidence,” Howard told CBS News. “I would encourage other broken women, business owners — all of us have a story and I believe that we should use what we’ve been through to help others.” And Howard is very right on this one, when we survive a certain darkness, may we have the heart to help others in similar situations, and more.

By the time these Mexican bakers were ready to go home, the floodwaters were already too high. Instead of worrying about the fate of their city, however, they decided to put their talents to good use and bake hundreds of loaves of bread for their fellow hurricane victims. The four bakers of El Bolillo Bakery in Houston, Texas had been working a late shift when the water levels on the street became too dangerous. The bakery, which specializes in Mexican pastries and sweet treats, was able to stay relatively dry throughout the storm. Additionally, the facilities still had electricity. So, the cooks got to work making pan dulce – a kind of Mexican sweet bread – all through the day and night. By the time they were rescued, the bakers had already used over 4,000 pounds of flour. The cooks then spent the next couple days distributing the bread to emergency shelters around the city. The gesture is even sweeter than the bread they were handing out.

While bus drivers are required to stick to their schedules, this compassionate driver did not mind stopping along his route to check up on a distressed teenage girl. When the unidentified driver reportedly saw the youngster on Tuesday morning, he exited the bus to ask if she was okay. She then said that she had gotten lost and she was worried that she would be late to her first day of high school. The driver then called her a cab, gave her some fare money, and walked her to a nearby grocery store where she could be picked up. One of the bus’s passengers, Lynsey Jayes of Leeds, England, posted a photo of the driver with the caption describing his good deed. “This bus driver on the Number 16 this morning deserves a huge pat on the back,” Jayes wrote on Facebook. “A young girl waiting for the bus at the wrong side of the road and was upset she would be late for her first day at high school. “The driver not only phoned her a taxi, he walked her to Tesco and he paid for it. “Now that is a reason, I don’t mind my bus running late for.” It will be a most noble thing to do, if we continue to make kindness an integral part of all we. Let’s infuse it into every role in our everyday lives.

After living with bipolar disorder and autism all of his life, 10-year-old Haden Edwards has finally discovered one thing that can calm him down: taking care of his little brother Max. Max, who is a 7-year-old struggling with a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis, usually suffers from many symptoms, such as gastrointestinal cramps, motor tics, and a weakened immune system. He underwent an unsuccessful brain surgery in August 2016 and the time is quickly approaching where his parents must decide to try again or start chemotherapy. When Haden started escorting Max to his doctor’s appointments, he started to realize how tough his baby brother really was. So, he asked his mother, Cynthia Davis, if he could have money to buy some toys for Max. Though she said that he could mow the lawn or do the dishes for allowance money, Haden decided he would use his skills as an artist instead. Haden set up a table on the family’s front lawn with a sign saying “Selling Drawings For Mad Max: $1”. When his mother put out a plea on Facebook for friends to take Haden up on his offer, 30 people arrived in under 30 minutes to request a picture from the young artist. Haden has since raised over $1,000 through his special drawings. All of the money he earns, he puts towards Max; whether it’s taking him out for ice cream or buying him LEGOs. His compassion has also infected the rest of his life; he now volunteers at Meals on Wheels, buys meals for local police officers, holds fundraisers for organizations in need, and grows out his hair so he can donate it to Locks of Love. The positive thing about kindness, the shockwaves of its impact travel far, reaching distance and spaces unexpected.

Looking at this, one would really need to appreciate the fact that if we open up our minds to being kind, compassionate and loving, not even age can dampen our resolve to impact lives positively. If there was any doubt that Kamden Houshan and Paul Burnett would be friends forever, there certainly is not anymore. The soon-to-be 3rd graders do everything together: from munching on McDonald’s happy meals, to playing at the park. The two have been nearly inseparable since they met in kindergarten several years ago. So when Paul noticed that Kamden was struggling with his wheelchair, he didn’t hesitate to help. Kamden became a paraplegic when he was born with a massive tumor embedded in his spine. Though doctors were able to remove the tumor in surgery, the 8-year-old boy was left paralyzed. Kamden’s last wheelchair was so heavy and bulky, it prevented the youth from being able to freely maneuver household doorways. Since it could not fit into the bathroom, Kamden’s mother always had to carry him, which put excessive stress on her body. Then in August, Kamden was able to test drive a lighter wheelchair model – and he was astounded by how much of a positive difference it made in his life. Unfortunately, insurance could not cover the cost of another wheelchair for another few years. Meanwhile, Paul had learned about GoFundMe from watching YouTube videos. Upon hearing about his friend’s troubles, he asked his parents if he could start a campaign for his Kamden. In a matter of weeks, Kamden’s page had raised $5,500 – roughly $2,000 more than their original goal. “Thank you all for being part of this wonderful journey to get Kamden his wheelchair … Paul and Kamden have been all smiles knowing that Kamden is getting what he needs,” wrote Paul’s mother.

It was none of his business, maybe, but Malyk Bonnet didn’t like the way the guy at the bus stop was treating the woman he was with. And she looked scared. He thought maybe he should intervene, but how? Bonnet decided to keep his eye on the couple and follow his instincts. The 17-year-old cook had just completed a shift at work in Montreal, Canada, and saw his chance to help when the man asked him for money, saying he and the woman needed bus fare to get to the town of Laval, some 25 miles (40km) away. Thinking on his feet, Bonnet not only got the money for them, but also announced that he, too, was headed to Laval. He hopped on the same bus as the couple, and when they stood up to get off, Bonnet stood up, too, and offered to buy them dinner. Pretending to go to the restroom, Bonnet instead borrowed a stranger’s cell phone to call police. So good was the teen’s facade that when law enforcement arrived to arrest the man and escort the woman to safety, the kidnapper had no idea it was Bonnet who had tipped them off. “The woman looked at me, and she was almost crying, and I said to myself, ‘I did good,’” Bonnet told News outlets. He did more than good, according to Laval Police Lieutenant Daniel Guérin, in his 24 years of policing, he’s never seen anything quite like what Bonnet did. Bonnet didn’t even know the police were already searching for the couple. The 29-year-old woman had reportedly been kidnapped a few hours earlier, and authorities were pretty sure they knew by whom—a dangerous ex-boyfriend who was under a court order to stay away from her. The Laval cops were so impressed with Bonnet’s decision-making, which they said probably saved the woman’s life, that they took up a collection to reimburse him for the money he spent. They raised $255 for the quick-witted young hero. Bonnet was delighted to have his cash returned, and his proud mother bought up eight newspapers as keepsakes. For the greater good of humanity, there should be boundaries to how we mind our own business. In all our endeavors, let us prioritize humanity above all other interests.