Summary

A woman recounts her act of kindness in helping a girl rescue and care for a stray dog, reflecting on the importance of compassion and generosity in a world often marked by indifference and judgment.

Abstract

The author, a female writer from Portugal named Araci, shares a personal story of donating to a girl she met online to aid in the rescue of a stray dog encountered on a tropical island. This act of kindness, done without expectation of recognition or return, underscores the joy and fulfillment that come from helping others. Araci contrasts her charitable actions with the skepticism and lack of empathy she observes in society, where people are quick to judge and slow to help. She recalls her childhood experience of trying to assist a family of gypsies living in poverty, only to be reprimanded and ridiculed, which taught her that not all adults are good role models. Araci emphasizes the need for kindness, gentleness, and genuine human connection, suggesting that these qualities are increasingly absent in the modern world. She advocates for a return to simple acts of kindness and appreciation, believing that such changes could significantly improve the world.

Opinions

The author believes that acts of kindness, such as helping the girl with the stray dog, are inherently valuable and bring personal happiness beyond any external recognition.
She criticizes the tendency of people to question acts of charity, especially when directed towards animals, without acknowledging the broader context of the giver's charitable actions.
Araci points out that society often overlooks the importance of teaching and practicing kindness and generosity, which is evident in both actions and words.
She reflects on her own childhood experience to illustrate how societal cynicism and lack of empathy are learned behaviors, often perpetuated by adults who should be role models.
The author emphasizes that language reflects reality, and without kindness in actions, the vocabulary of kindness will also diminish.
She suggests that the world, particularly the Western world, is lacking in basic courtesies and expressions of appreciation, which contribute to a more beautiful and harmonious society.
Araci implies that if everyone were kinder, it could lead to a significant increase in collective happiness and well-being.

A Stray Dog and a Girl Looking for a Friend: How Kindness Brought Them Together

Recipes for a Better World and other stories in between

About two weeks ago, I donated a hundred euros to a girl I don’t know. I met her in this virtual world, a mere coincidence brought by luck.

Shortly after, she was on vacation on a tropical island when a beautiful but fragile dog nestled beside her. Her heart couldn’t resist the animal's sweetness, and in a very human plea, she appealed for help to bring the dog with her, providing it with a new and decent home.

The simple story moved me, and I promptly made a donation. Received with great enthusiasm, she told me that the sum I had sent her helped definitively to give a new life to the animal and bring it on the plane beside her.

I didn’t tell this story to anyone—until now—not even to my husband. I didn’t because I know that despite doing good—I know this well in my conscience—such a gesture will always raise questions.

There are those who, without doing anything themselves, will question why I’m helping an animal instead of people without knowing about my constant donations to the World Food Organization or other charities.

But I do it as a gift to those in need and also as a gift to myself. There is much more happiness in me knowing that I contributed to something truly good than in something to bolster my ego merely or to be forgotten in another occupied corner of the house.

I think we’ve forgotten about this. About kindness and helping without expecting a return above all.

Now, as adults, when we see someone in trouble, we quickly judge them rather than try to help. No one seems to want to assist anyone anymore. If it’s an adult, we’re quick to say that someone had terrible luck by their own doing and that they should, as such, get out of their misery by their own means. This coldness is cruelty. And it is, unfortunately, something that is transmitted and taught to children.

They taught it to me, too.

But despite always being given teachings, to this one in particular, I turned a deaf ear. I was a child when, in front of my elementary school, a family of gypsies lived in their van.

The scene was cruel to me and should be for anyone.

There were girls my age and babies; there was a fire in the street and little or no food. I was ten years old when I asked my classmates to pool our allowances and buy diapers and milk for them.

As I never knew how to be discreet, I was reprimanded with unintelligible conversations as soon as this reached the teacher’s ears. The teacher promptly came to me, saying those people didn’t pay taxes and that they were lazy, cunning people.

But in the typical and beautiful childhood innocence, I didn’t understand what those poor children had to do with all that. I should have been applauded, but instead, I was made fun of in school. That’s when I learned that teachers aren’t always good role models.

Its absence goes hand in hand with a lack of generosity regarding gentleness or kindness.

And it’s not only in actions but in words. As I keep saying to my students, “A language exists to represent one’s reality; as such, if there aren’t certain actions and behaviors, there are no words to represent them.”

This is missing in the world—in our Western world, at least. More and more, we are missing a ‘good morning, sir,’ ‘thank you for your presence,’ ‘I like you,’ ‘thank you very much,’ ‘how nice to see you again,’ ‘my children, how nice that you exist.’

In a world where we are increasingly in constant wars, whether bigger or smaller and where everyone is always in a constant ‘us against them,’ I think all this is missing and could make the world more beautiful.

And who knows how much happiness could be brought to the fore if we all were kinder to one another.

As for the dog, she is a happy new dog, living with a nice girl whose heart was human enough to give another living being a chance for a better existence.

Hello, I’m Araci, a female writer from Portugal. Thank you so much for reading me.

Your support is fundamental so I can continue writing. As such, If you have enjoyed this article, maybe you would like to buy me a “coffee” here: