Pay it forward
Posted by Sean on June 3, 2008
Yep it’s a book.
But did you know it’s a real live actual plan based on a work of fiction??
If you’ve read the book, or have seen the movie, it’s base on a very simple but profound idea. An idea that can generate a world movement. An idea for world change.
Person A does a good deed, or a favor for person B . As payment or ‘payback’ person B does a good deed or a favor for 3 more people. Then each of those 3 people repeat the same action. Then those 9 people repeat the same action as the first. If you’re any good at mathematics you can see the endless number of people this can potentially effect and affect.
At it’s very worse, 1 person can have a positive impact and effect on 3-9 people. At it’s best… 1 person can have a positive impact and effect on hundreds, even thousands… possibly millions.
It’s a simple act of faith. Faith in one person’s ability. Faith in the general consensus that all men(& women) are good natured.
Hhmmmm…
So is everyone you meet good natured and genuine?
There lies the problem with the plan.
I wonder what kind of world this would be if we all could grasp this simple concept.
We as a society (whether we like to admit it or not), and other societies find it very easy to follow the concept “An eye for an eye”. Yeah it’s a dark and evil connotation. This idea spawns from a wrong doing done to you or someone you love.
I know myself.. When I think about my family, my wife, or my close friends being harmed. I start to get that really bad feeling in my gut if and when we speak of the acts that we do not like to speak of. Those harshest of crimes, like rape, murder, excessive violence, hate crimes, etc.
How would you react if that happened to someone you love? Would you let it ‘roll off your shoulders’? Or would you let the arm of the law take care of the injustice done to you and yours???
I scare myself thinking about what I may or may not do. I start to shake.. And well.. Let’s just say that I would become a very not-nice person.
So why is it that we feel so passionately about an unjustly wrong, but we can’t repeat and mirror that passion when something good comes our way?
Why can’t we extend and enhance a good deed or a favor? Why can’t we stay positive throughout our tough and stressful days?
Why is it so easy to seek revenge?
Why is it so hard to pay it forward?
Do you pay it forward?
Carpe Diem
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2bestrong said
@Diana I guess that is always my/our hope, to have everyone at least try to pay it forward. Thanks for visiting.
2bestrong said
@Diana I guess that is always my/our hope, to have everyone at least try to pay it forward. Thanks for visiting.
diana young said
Great Post. When I saw the movie, I was impressed with the concept. I guess now I will have to order the book. I believe I do pay it forward–that’s just me. I wish everyone was more like that, what a wonderful world it would be.
diana young said
Great Post. When I saw the movie, I was impressed with the concept. I guess now I will have to order the book. I believe I do pay it forward–that’s just me. I wish everyone was more like that, what a wonderful world it would be.
2bestrong said
@Tom Well said Tom, very well said. I agree that most of society is all about the ‘me’ factor. Thanks for the comment.
2bestrong said
@Tom Well said Tom, very well said. I agree that most of society is all about the ‘me’ factor. Thanks for the comment.
Tom Parker said
Your last couple of posts are so true. I don’t know why it’s so easy to seek revenge and so difficult to pay it forward (which is a great concept which I wasn’t aware of before reading your post). I think part of the reason is that most people in modern society are quite selfish. There’s so much focus in our everyday lives on getting a nice house, wearing nice clothes, having nice things that we often do not stop and think about the way our actions will affect other people, whether this be positively or negatively. A lot of people would think ‘What’s in it for me?’ before paying it forward.
Tom Parker said
Your last couple of posts are so true. I don’t know why it’s so easy to seek revenge and so difficult to pay it forward (which is a great concept which I wasn’t aware of before reading your post). I think part of the reason is that most people in modern society are quite selfish. There’s so much focus in our everyday lives on getting a nice house, wearing nice clothes, having nice things that we often do not stop and think about the way our actions will affect other people, whether this be positively or negatively. A lot of people would think ‘What’s in it for me?’ before paying it forward.