08/08/2022

 "Nothing is noble if its done unwillingly or under compulsion. Every noble deed is voluntary."

- Seneca

If you were forced to do it, was it really your choice? If someone made you give $1000 dollars to charity or blackmail you, are you still considered kind for donating the money? If you were sentenced to 12 weeks of community service for drunk driving, are you really helping the community? That was your punishment for endangering the community. Therefore, if you are forced to do an act of kindness and it greatly benefited someone, but it wasn't yourself choosing to act, it is not a genuine noble deed. A noble deed is when you choose to help a person in need on your own volition, with no expectation that you will receive compensation for your action. You simply perform kindness for the sake of being kind. Too many times people will perform a kind act in return for recognition, fame, money or something of value to benefit them. Is the mere act of helping our fellow human not enough? Seeing the appreciation or smile on their face is not compensation enough? When a true act of kindness is witnessed it is contagious and spreads like wildfire amongst the people. I mean a very genuine act of kindness that the world seems to be lacking more and more these days. The problem is that people don't want to fall prey to those malicious few that feast on others kindness and willingness to help. So many people are scared of looking a fool for helping when the other party was intentionally trying to scam them. The world needs more kind souls looking to lend a hand for nothing in return. So choose to help. Choose to be kind and be selfless. Choose to throw your ego away. Choose to be patient and understanding. And finally choose to be better at everything you do.

Epictetus 

- The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

- It's not what happens to you but how you react to it that matters.

- He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.