Paying it Backwards to Stop the Hate

Less than two weeks ago I did a segment about hate which seems to be running rampant in the world today and of course right here as well.

I just felt all this frustration over what I hear and read on an almost daily basis and the venom that is spewed by people about others.  Intelligent dialogue and rational conversations have gone out the window and not just in Washington but at the family dinner table as well.

People find it easier to resort to labeling one another and name calling and basically acting like spoiled children when their opinion is not well received.

Most people agreed with me but some thought I sounded like a hippie from the 60s when I wrote and said peace and love is a lot better than hate just for the sake of hating.  So here I am with a follow-up in which I would like to take this to the next level.

My inspiration is what happened to me just a couple of days after my “let’s stop hating” segment, an incident I recounted on Facebook.

I was at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru and when I went to pay for my order I was told the car in front of me had already paid for mine.  That car had just pulled away and frankly I did not recognize it and could not see the driver at all.  When I told the server at the drive-thru that I had no idea who the person was they said the car in front of them had actually done the same and paid for the person who went on to pay for me.

At this point it seemed like there was only one option and that was to pay for the car behind me which I did.  Of course with my luck it was more than twice the cost of my own order but that was not the point and I was hoping the “pay it backwards” in this case would continue. As I drove away I had a smile on my face and felt good that maybe I had done the same for someone else.

It’s time we really look to be part of and draw attention to random acts of kindness.

Count me in.