Altruism

ALTRUISM
Sheri Smith
March 14, 2016

I read an article a few years back about a man who got in his car and drove downtown in order to deliberately sabotage a Pay It Forward line at his local Starbucks. His reason? He said it was a First World problem, with middle-class people sitting in their cars in a drive-thru sipping $5 lattes. Here’s the thing. There were 458 people ahead of him that paid it forward over a 10 hour span. As far as I can see, this is testament to the fact that altruism is still alive and well in a society that often seems to be eroding at the edges. One could argue that all but the person who started the chain, in effect, was only paying for his or her own drink. I think that misses the point that each and every one of those people sacrificed the opportunity for a free drink instead of driving away with their $5 bill. All 458 of them.

If everyone were inspired to pass it on instead of looking upon a gesture of kindness with cynicism and contempt, I would like to think this world would begin to heal itself. Even if it’s just over a cup of coffee.

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