Oops!I need to correct my random kindness story. It was the car in front of me that paid for my meal.

I strongly believe that we have hold on to our belief in the goodness of mankind, even though it means we’ll get taken sometimes.

Mother Teresa said something like “When we are kind, some people will take advantage of us; be kind anyway.”

Once I was in a fast food drive-through with my grandkids in tow. When I rolled up to pay for my food and get my purchase, the clerk handed me my bags of food and said, “Your food has already been paid for by a car behind you.” It was the first time I can remember being the recipient of a random act of kindness.

I don’t know what motivated this person to pay for our meal, but I graciously waved a thank you.

Since then, I’ve on occasion done the same for others.

I have been on both sides of kindness and it feels good both ways.

But, at the same time, the emotional and psychological impact of shutting down your kindness reflex seems an order of magnitude worse than the shorter term unease of being taken.

Of course, we’re talking about small potatoes cons here, too. I wonder if we’d all still feel similarly were the stakes significantly higher, like being conned out of a large amount of money or a giant asset.

When I was an enforcement attorney for the SEC many moons ago, we stumbled onto a scam where elderly people living just above the poverty line were being prayed upon and induced to literally take cash advances on their credit cards that they’d never be able to repay on the promise that they would receive a huge windfall.

I wonder, if that was me, if that was us, would we still feel the same? What do you think?

$20 to an elderly woman a couple of months earlier.

$8 to a young lady at Penn Station. She approached me a couple of weeks later with the same story. I told her I recognize her from weeks ago and she quickly walked away.

$5 to a woman on the train…

$4 to a young man at Penn Station…

..and it just goes on…

I just hoped that one of them was truly is need.

I think it’s a basic tenet of humanity that we want to see the best in others. When we stop giving the “benefit of the doubt” to others, humanity starts to break down.

Great stories. The truth is you will never be able to tell if you are being conned 100% of the time.

The only strategy to employ is generosity. It is not for us to decide the legitimacy of the need but to trust the legitimacy of the desire to help others.

I must admit I struggle and do not always give to those who request help because of my suspicion of their need or even the responsibility for the situation they are in.

I am only human, but I try to remember, I don’t know how my gift will make a difference in somebodies life. It is not always apparent.

In the end you might find the gift or lesson is actually for the giver and not the receiver.

Brian

What an awesome passage … one that is immediately going into the WealthQuotes database!