Selflessness In The Least Likely of Places

I am frequently inspired over at MMT and really dig the concept of the site. Yesterday, a post hit me particularly hard and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. 

Click to view larger

Wow! What an example of selflessness. Here is a man with literally NOTHING and his heart is so kind that he is concerned with someone else at such a dire time. This small story had such an impact on me.  Couple that with the fact that the day before, Steve was reading me an article regarding population growth and climate change from Free Inquiry magazine about the fact that over 2.1 billion people (that's 1/3 of the world's 6.7 billion population) lives on less than $2 per day.  Two dollars! It seems unfathomable, doesn't it? Yet that is reality for one-third of humanity.

Having both of these messages on my mind really made me step back and think. Issues that I sometimes let seem so grandiose are truly so trivial. Those of us lucky enough to eat regular meals, have a roof over our heads, enjoy luxuries such as our computers and phones, and tons of other examples that we routinely take for granted; will most likely never be in a position where we are scrambling to pull $2 together to survive the day. 

I think it's such a great reason to reflect on all of the things that we DO have in life, instead of wishing for more "stuff," money, power, or whatever excesses we think we need. Remember how great it feels to share with someone, like the man from Zimbabwe taught us. Try to think of someone else's feelings and how important making "little differences" or sending random bits of kindness can be to those who need it. And to help make a difference when it comes to the huge problem of poverty, check out this site for excellent ideas about ways that you really CAN do something.  Choose a few from the list and make a goal to really DO them. Once you have, choose a few more.  Tell your friends and family to as well. Kindness and compassion are contagious.

I know that nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something; so I think it is really important to sprinkle those "somethings" around. A grateful attitude and a desire to make a difference really can go a long way. Remember the MMT post when things get you down and ask yourself if you would share the sandwich like he did.

Photo by cliqueofone