"Many think that there is absolutely nothing special just because you stretch out a hand of friendship to a stranger or a neighbour in need. Some may think it the least you could have done under the circumstances. In fact, let me tell you there is everything to feel good about having lent a hand! There is no humane act so small that it hardly counts; no amount of generosity, too little, that it will be forgotten or considered insignificant by another in genuine need.
There are some sad people who seem to derive some kind of twisted satisfaction from seeing people fail. Some will pretend to care so that they can get a front row seat to watch you struggle. Many will qualify the worth of their act by only giving when their generosity is publicly observed or something in return is expected. Rather than be the one who saw another in need and walked on by without offering assistance, far better I say, that you lost the power of your legs to walk at all than to psychologically kick a person when they're down or by lowering their human expectations.
There are many who consider themselves as being 'self-made.' Let me tell you that there is no such thing as a self-made man. We all reach our goals only with the help of others. None of us have got where we are, solely by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We are here because we were helped along the way. Someone showed us the path or walked alongside us when our legs were tired, speaking words of encouragement when we flagged. We aspired to reached our present goal with the benefit of schooling, and on the backs of our ancestors, by using our good family name when character reference was required or indebtedness entered into. We got here because each time we fell down as a child our mother, sibling, teacher, neighbour, friend was there to bend down and help us back up; staying alongside us as a support structure until we eventually developed the strength of character to get back up ourselves.
Just as performing regular exercise strengthens the body muscles we use most often, so it is that character building and moral moulding constructs good people. Holding out one's hand to another at every opportunity that comes your way will strengthen your character and increase your capacity to help your fellow man far more often than before.There is nothing more beautiful than seeing someone who goes out of their way to make life easier for another or a stranger that feels warmly received." William Forde: July 5th, 2016.