Pay it Backward
Remember the wonderful movie, Pay It Forward, where the young actor Haley Joel Osment began the wonderful act of doing loving things for others and only asking in return, that the recipient pay it forward.
In 2000, Catherine Ryan Hyde‘s novel, Pay It Forward was published and adapted into a film of the same name. In Ryan Hyde’s book and movie it is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others, in response to a good deed that one receives. Such good deeds should accomplish things that the other person cannot accomplish on their own. In this way, the practice of helping one another can spread geometrically through society, at a ratio of three to one, creating a social movement with an impact of making the world a better place.
I thought of this today when a friend of mine purchased something for me as a gift, for something I had done for him. I thought maybe our “loving” paying can work in reverse as well. Let us take some time and perhaps write down a list of people that did thoughtful things for us in the past. Then go take an action that would do a loving thing for them as well. It could be a random act of kindness, or it could be a chance for us to let them know how our lives were brightened, by their gift to us. Then they could make a list as well and all of our Pay It Backward angels, could help create more love and compassion and joy on our planet. If we all shared at least three of these gifts, it would exponentially accelerate the love energy around the Earth. From my totally gifted heart to yours, Thomas