Tik Tok Gives Us Real-World Scenarios
What’s with the idea that everything being done for good must be for selfish reasons? That attitude is proof of the critics own twisted character. You see, the Bible says that to the pure, all things are pure. The critics’ own insistence on finding impure motives behind every act of kindness indicts them and serves as proof of their selfish intentions. They want to criticize do-gooders to excuse their lack of good deeds.
Please keep doing good. And if you get famous, hurray! Someone got famous for trying to help people! Great! Should we only be able to get famous for singing songs and throwing balls? I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love great music, and my kids love sports. No insults to musicians or athletes. But if these other people can get famous without altruistic intentions, why can’t innately kind people have fame, too?
The guy giving people money for remembering Bible verses
This guy uses his special interest, Bible trivia, to create a game that can win people money. “How dare he? He’s pushing religion.” What! Are the critics nuts? That’s sweet and fun for people like me who share that special interest. The Bible isn’t a disease to us. It’s a powerful book that still influences us to live for others rather than for our own selves.
The lady cleaning houses for free.
This is such a blessing for people who can’t see their way out of the literal mess they’ve made of their homes. What’s the down side? It’s a nice thing. If you would be too ashamed to let her in, just know that there are people like me who would gladly open the door. There were entire years where my hoarding tendencies left me ashamed and cut off from others. Someone like her could have made me feel seen and supported. No judgment, just help. Yes! That would have been so good! If it’s not for you, then scroll past.
The guy who gives cash to homeless people.
This is degrading. Really? If you were flat broke, you’d prefer to starve than to receive a blessing from someone with a camera? Then you’ve never been broke enough. Help is help. Please let them receive it. If you want to go to the same town he just went through and anonymously keep blessing people, by all means ask him for the itinerary. Or even better, go to homeless near you.
A spanish proverb to tie it all together.
There’s a Spanish language proverb that says, “Ese ni come ni deja comer.” This translates literally as, “This guy won’t eat or let others eat.” It gives you the visual of a large, half-starved wolf standing over a carcass, growling at all the other wolves. He refuses to eat, and because the others seem afraid to approach, you get the feeling that no one else will be dining, either.
What do I mean by that? Well, if you’re not the type to wander the streets handing out food, money, or offering help, then don’t tell other people not to do it.
Maybe you’ll never get a taste for the wonder of doing something selfless. Maybe it’s not for you. But don’t keep other people from enjoying the flavor. For those of us who really enjoy it, we aren’t sorry for the time and money we spend, or the effort. We love it, and thankfully, someone else is benefiting from it, too.
All this time, you may have thought that by sharing your opinion ,that you were opening up people’s eyes to their own selfish motives. But what you’re really doing is standing over the carcass growling at the hungry folks around you. If you won’t eat, stop keeping others from a meal. Both the people who are craving the joy of feeding others, and the ones who are longing for an actual bite of sustenance would be better off without your little words of discouragement.
The guy paying for people’s purchases at Walmart
This would have absolutely brought joy to me when I needed it.
Once, a friend bought me $70 worth of meat. How do I still remember that detail twenty years later? Because it meant that much.
So please, please, please understand that I mean no disrespect when I beg you to shut your mouth and stop telling people to quit helping others. To this day, I pray for her and ask God’s blessings upon her and her family. She gave me a reason to smile at a time where my smiles were costing me a lot of effort.
Now, there have been great articles written about this, including this one: “Blessing Strangers” on TikTok. So, don’t just take my word for it. Still, I’ll tell you that other writers have described the feeling of doing good as a positive thing, too. For instance, in the blog formerly titled “The Grape Ape” by yours truly, I describe the joy of raising kids even when it means less money for travel and adventures out in the wide world.
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