"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
Spark - A Scarce Power?
I was younger then, much younger then I am now, not that I am very old given the length of a human life. However, I didn't think much then of what I did, or how it impacted people, I just did things. I wonder what Alchemy would say about that? Nonetheless there are things that I have no recollection of, things that have happened that if you told me, I wouldn't believe you. Many blocked or forgotten events, perhaps insignificant? There is one thing I do remember vividly... it stuck with me for some reason, a good deed that has always meant something to me, despite being so universally insignificant.
It seems stupid to think of it now, about 8 years after it passed, but I do. Maybe someone can explain to me why it has been burned into my memory when I can't even remember how good my birthday parties were, or even the summers I spent with friends. Have I built up enough anticipation? If so, you might not be completely satisfied by my story, it might not mean anything to you and you might even laugh. However, to me ignoring something that has lingered in my memory for so long has to be shared.
It was a summer day, I had chosen to walk home from school. The path home was a pleasant walk through a bike path in the woods, and it was a nice warm day. At the end of the trail was a hill, one you could easily walk up or bike up no problem. That day, a mother and her young sun, maybe 6 or 7 years old had been walking too. The mother walked up the hill, no problem, however the young boy had been riding his bike (he still had training wheels on it) and was struggling behind her. The little boy was a little husky, and he didn't get very much speed approaching the hill and soon enough I could see him come to a complete stop, only another second and he'll come rolling backwards, and who knows he could fall over and hurt himself. Without thinking, I ran up behind the boy as soon as he had stopped and pushed him up the hill. The mother hadn't noticed that the boy had struggled, and was very pleased that I came to his aide. They both thanked me and I continued home. I didn't think of it much that day, or even a few years later...not until I was 18 (was about 13 at the time) did I really start to think of it again. Why? I have no clue....help me out here. It was a good deed, like a long term bond, it took a while to mature and get my investment back. It was worth it though.
It was a small thing, not life saving or anything. I am sure there are people who do something like that every day. I am not saying I am special or some kind of hero, but just letting you guys know....something that small can be hugely rewarding.
Share some of your stories please. I would love to hear them.
Views: 20
-
Comment by Robert Hawkins on March 5, 2010 at 5:01am
-
Maybe one of the first times you had the power to help someone in need and you acted on it. The echo reverberated over time...
-
Comment by Marc Skaf on March 5, 2010 at 5:05am
-
That's true, it is one of the first times I had ever helped a complete "stranger". Thanks Robert.
-
Comment by Brandon Snyder on March 5, 2010 at 5:07am
-
A butterfly flaps its wings in Google, Kansas and causes a typhoon in Japan.
-
Comment by Lynn Caldwell on March 10, 2010 at 5:29pm
-
Awwww....I have a son, so...just...awwwww - you are a good person! :o)
-
-
My friend explained a theory to me Lynn, I don't know if it is a real one or not. But it is called the "Bliss Theory" I assume. And thinking of it now it kind of goes hand in hand with Adam Smith's quote,
"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own neccessities but of their advantages."
See, even though I like to think of it as a selfless act of kindness, I did it to feel good about myself. All in all, I don't think it is a bad thing to do nice things for others to make yourself happier.
-
-
I don't agree..in a good way...you didn't rush to save the boy PURELY because you decided in a blink with rational thought that it would make you feel good - maybe at the time you thought If that boy whizzes backwards past me and I carry on up the hill, that's going to look REALLY bad - However: You could have yelled to the mum, and said - Hey Lady, watch out for your son, or said hey, little boy - push harder, to alert the mum. You didn't just stop and keep the boy stable and yell to his mum that he needs help. No. You pushed him up the hill. It wasn't the only option at your disposal: you didn't alert the mum, you thought about helping the boy. Sure, a millisecond later something kicked in an reminded you that this is something that you are going to feel good about, but I'd bet money that if you flashed back in slow-motion, the first thought would have been the little boy needs help..I think you need to give yourself a bit of credit here! BTW - I apologise if it comes accross that I'm telling you what you are thinking - it's one of my pet hates..this isn't my intention, I just don't know of another way to explain it - if I'm honest, I suppose if I believe Adam Smith's theory, it would compromise my personal world view so, this comment is my attempt to prove myself correct, it would mean that everything I've done was purely out of self-interest, when I like to believe my prime motivation is to help, and the added consequence of that is that it makes me feel good. Also, i shouldn't comment when I'm a little tipsy on Brandy coffees...whoops! LOL
-
-
Maybe you have a point in the sense that my action came first (helping the boy) and then feeling good from doing so pursued. I
Comment
Latest Activity
Fourth of July on the Lake
This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Stinging Nettle
In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
The meal
It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Future
FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
public servants
The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
© 2024 Created by Alchemy.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!
Join Urgent Evoke