The Lost Files: Pay it Forward

Long gone are the days of helping your fellow man just because it was the nice thing to do. Men would hold the door for women and youth would hold the door for their elders. People would just do things, not because they were getting anything in return... just... because. But of course everyone knows that what goes around comes around so if you do something nice for someone, someone will eventually do something nice for you.

That reminds me of the movie "Pay it Forward." It opened my eyes to things that were and have already in my control, I just never exercised the power. I will be completely honest and say that sometimes I fall short. When I really don't feel like doing something, I do it anyway and repeatedly say to myself "persevere - you're going to heaven. It's trifling I know but hey, that's my motivational speech to myself. Without it lots of people would be stranded, hungry or salty because I have given plenty a rides, delivered plenty a food and have been my back way more than my contractual agreement details.

That brings me back to college days, ethics class, when I learned about Kitty Genovese, the New York City woman who was stabbed to death in the entrance of her apartment complex. People were looking out of their windows but only one person called the police, only after the killer had stabbed, left, changed clothes, came back, stabbed some more then raped her dying body. Sure we commend that one caller for calling and finally allowing the police to come do their job but what about the other people? And even he didn't follow through, reports said he wouldn't answer the door to talk to police, his nephew had to go to police with the information he told him. Neighbors said they didn't want to get involved. What if Kitty was you're mother, sister, daughter? Wouldn't you help then?

Do the right thing Spike Lee's. Long gone are the days of helping your fellow man just because it was the right thing to do... or are they?