Pay it Forward – Random acts of Kindness

 

In the movie ‘Pay It Forward,’ starring Haley Joel Osment  as Trevor McKinney, a young boy who starts a good will movement when his social studies teacher played by Kevin Spacey  announces that the has a project to do.

Trevor‘s life isn’t want he wants it to be.  He’s often bullied at school, his mother Arlene, played by Helen Hunt, is an alcoholic who works at a Las Vegas Casino and his father, played by Jon Bon Jovi, only turns up occasionally offering empty promises of reform and then is violent towards Arlene terrifying Trevor.

The project titled, “Do something to change the world”,  causes  some of Trevor’s class mates to roll their eyes.  While Trevor seems is visibly moved and inspired as he comes up with an idea to do “something big” for people who “really need it” with an understanding that each will do the same for three more.   In Trevor’s mind he can see the ripple effect of good will spreading to populate the world with do-gooders making the world a better place to end worry.

The wise young boy clearly understood the investment value of planting seeds of kindness within people.  He also had the vision and foresight to see hope flourish in the recipient’s heart spreading to affect the lives of others.

“Jon Bon Jovi at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival 3” by David Shankbone – David Shankbone. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jon_Bon_Jovi_at_the_2009_Tribeca_Film_Festival_3.jpg#/media/File:Jon_Bon_Jovi_at_the_2009_Tribeca_Film_Festival_3.jpg

While Pay it Forward Day serves as a reminder of how kindness has a ripple effect that spreads kindness and returns to us for the good of all mankind, we should all aim to live a life of kindness and goodwill towards others every day.  Continuous acts of kindness can help a person become more compassionate towards others.

The bible reminds us in Hebrews 13:36 that God is pleased when we do good things for others.  “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Pay it Forward (200) Official Movie Trailer

According to Wikipedia, “Pay it forward is an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor. The concept is old, but the phrase may have been coined by Lily Hardy Hammond in her 1916 book In the Garden of Delight”

Main image courtesy of: www.freedigitalphotos.net / ‘Hands holding seedling’ by Adamr