kindness
How To Maintain A Chain Of Kindness？
Two stories give the answer
In life, you will meet a lot of people and you will soon forget about them. But those people who have treated you kindly, even if you think you have forgotten them, will come to your mind again in an inadvertent moment.
Recently, my friend Lulu from Shanghai chatted with me about the feeling of being locked at home. In addition to fear and despair, she also recalled some touching moments in her past life. Below are two stories she shared with me.
1. In the cold winter, at a highway rest area, a stranger brought her a cup of hot coffee
One winter, Lulu had to drive alone from one city to another to deal with a personal issue. After driving for more than ten hours, she was so exhausted that she had to stop at a highway rest area.
She bought a pack of cigarettes at the supermarket and kept smoking while standing outdoors, hoping to drive away her exhaustion.
However, she still felt very tired, so she got into the car and planned to sleep in the car before leaving.
Just then, someone knocked on her car window, it was a strange young man. He held a cup of coffee in his hand. Lulu rolled down the car window, and the young man put the coffee cup into her hand.
In the cold winter, the heat of coffee not only warmed Lulu’s hands, but also her heart. She was so tired that before she could say thank you, the young man turned away.
Outside the window, the cold wind whistled, but the kindness of encountering a stranger brought a warm current and accompanied Lulu to sleep.
She never knew who the young man was, and she hadn’t seen him since.
2. At the entrance of the Temple, Lulu bought a ticket for a strange woman
A few years later, Lulu traveled alone. At the foot of the mountain, she saw a woman who took three steps, knelt and kowtowed, then stood up, walked three more steps, knelt, and kowtowed again. In this cycle, she slowly moved up the mountain.
As far as Lulu knew, there was a famous temple on the mountain. This woman must be a devout pilgrim, or perhaps she encountered some difficulties and hoped for the help of the Buddha.
Lulu slowed down, accompanied the strange woman all the way, and climbed the mountain silently.
When approaching the top of the mountain, Lulu rushed to the entrance of the temple and bought an extra ticket. After a while, the woman also arrived, and Lulu handed her the ticket so that the woman could continue without being interrupted.
After the worship, Lulu invited the strange woman to have tea with her. The two chatted happily for a long time. The woman did not reveal her reasons for the pilgrimage, but Lulu was content for doing something good for others.
Closing Thoughts
Human society has a basic moral code called “Repaying kindness”. That is to say, whoever gets the favor will get the reward. This standard can play a role in the acquaintance society and gradually form a chain of kindness.
However, in modern society made up of strangers, how do we pass the chain of kindness?
Lulu’s story inspired me. When she was in trouble, she was helped by a strange young man; then, when possible, she helped others too. In this way, she passed on the kindness she had received.
If each of us could, like Lulu, help the strangers we stumble upon, the chain of kindness would not break.
Thank you for reading! Do you believe in the chain of kindness? I would love to hear your voices!
Here I want to invite you to read a lovely story about kindness by Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages.
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