Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A few weeks ago, I was in a crowded local train in Mumbai. I was sitting in a window seat of the super-crowded ladies' compartment. I was lucky to find a seat as I had got in at the first station. In a few minutes, the seats were all taken, and most people had to stand jam-packed in the aisles. Anyone who has been in Mumbai knows how frustrating a crowded train can be.

In the middle of all this, I saw a young girl, about 10 years old, probably from a poor family. It was evident that she was used to the crowd, and the pushing and jostling, because she would silently shift position to be just that little bit more comfortable. I felt a little sad sitting there watching her having to stand.

It struck me, that this is the time to practice a random act of kindness. However, I had to overcome some internal barriers before I could do anything. "Would I look foolish trying to help her?" I wondered. Then I thought, "Maybe this sort of thing is quite common, and nobody would think the worse of me if I did not do anything." The doubts continued, "Was I stretching myself a little too much?" All in all, I felt a little shy just reaching out. But I told myself - "Well, once you think about it, go the whole way." So, a minute later, I called over to the child and asking her if sit wanted to sit on my lap for the rest of the train ride. Though I was a little hesitant while offering it to her, the surprised and delighted look on the child's face was enough to dispel all my doubts. And then, I began to think - "Why hadn't I offered it to her even earlier?" "What was stopping me?" A complete about-face from my previous thoughts :)

Somehow, the gift of gratitude she had given me was far more than the 'seat' I had offered her! It was difficult to say who was doing the giving...She was so considerate as she sat on my lap, sitting at the very edge of my knee, supporting half her weight so there was less on me so that my legs wouldn't hurt . Now, I decided that once I was doing something, I had to go the whole way. I told her, that she can sit comfortably, and I wouldnt mind :) I got one more pure expression of gratefulness! And luckily, I was in the window seat, so the little girl had fun taking in the sights from the window! This simple give and take made the day beautiful!

But here comes the fun part. A few days later, I was traveling to a different Country for work that I had never been to before. I got off the train at the station nearest to the place I was suppoced to be staying the next few weeks. I had memorized the map of the place, and was pretty confident that I would be able to find my way. But of course, things look very different on a map and in real life :) So, after searching around for a little while, I realized I was lost! Just then, a young man came by, and asked me what I was looking for. I told him the address. He didn't know the place either, but spontaneously, he offered to help me there! He helped me look for the right direction to go, the way to get there, and what is more, helped me with carrying my luggage all the way :)

It struck me later, that possibly, just possibly, I had experienced two little acts of kindness in tandem with each other. I was in awe that a little act of kindness, done a week ago, came back to me, magnified, when I needed it :). I was long experimenting with some acts of kindness, but could not open myself up to giving completely freely and happily. These two little incidents opened to me the interconnectedness of life, and gave me a tiny peek into what people call 'the web underlying our actions'.

Some of the lessons I learned:

1. Give freely and happily, with the act itself as a reward.
2. Respond with gratitude to acts of kindness shown by others - that itself might be a great gift to them!
3. Pay it forward when you can, to the extent you can; simply to express your own gratefulness for life.