IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO DO GOOD DEEDS

By Patrick Ssenyondo & Vincent Lyn

I was 30 years old when I realized the prose that I live by, which is, ‘You get what you give.’ The more good deeds that you could do in your life, the more fulfilling and enriched your life is going to be. I truly believe that.

100 years from today, in 2121, all of us will be underground together with our friends and relatives. Strangers will live in our homes. Our property will be owned by strangers. Possibly, a handful of us will be remembered and those that are will most likely be the ones who made great advancements in science, physics or medicine.

How many of us think of our grandfather’s fathers? We will become part of history in the memory of our generations while people will forget our names and shapes. At that time we will realize how ignorant and deficient the dreams of getting everything was. We would ask for one more life to spend it only in doing good deeds, but it will be too late. Keep in mind, today we have the opportunity to do good for ourselves and others. The only thing that will remain here is our good deeds in life and the life hereafter.

Have you ever noticed that we all seem to be more giving and kinder when we’re in a good or great mood? It’s just human nature to do more good deeds and be nicer when we’re happier.

The struggle with committing good deeds and being nice is harder to do when we’re agitated, aggravated, frustrated, mad, ill, tired, impatient, running late or distracted. Wow! There are lots of things that can distract us from being kind, nice and committing good deeds.

The problems caused from all these distractions can at times cause us to be less than nice and forget to commit good deeds ourselves. The sad thing about anyone committing fewer good deeds is that it is reciprocal. Fewer good deeds committed equals fewer good deeds received. In other words, the better we do for others the more likely we are to receive the same in return.

We should also try to be more aware and cognizant of others feelings as well. One way to create a happier more giving and loving society is to start with ourselves first. If we all committed more good deeds for the right reasons it would hopefully catch on and spread.

It’s hard to be mean spirited or ill to anyone that is being good or kind to you, and, as we all know, very few disagreements have ever, if ever, been caused from someone committing good deeds or for being too kind.

As human beings our tendency is to be nice to those that are nice to us. In traffic and driving situations we have all found ourselves needing to enter traffic only to find that some drivers will not stop and allow us to enter traffic. We patiently wait and wait until someone kind lets us enter traffic and all is well. We might even catch ourselves saying, finally! As we enter traffic, we waive and thank the person who committed the good deed feeling better about society.

Thank goodness for these random good deeds. If we didn’t all have a good deed thrown our way every now and then we might be less likely to commit good deeds ourselves. The moral of the story is to remember to be kind to one another for we all need to share this wonderful life and world together. As we have all been told by our parents for many years, it is always better to share than not to share. And that goes for the sharing of good deeds as well.

Whether you call it random acts of kindness, paying it forward, or good deeds, they are very powerful. That is why almost every religion and culture values and rewards the performance of good deeds. There are many benefits to doing good deeds.

Yet, as much as we all know this why do we see a lack of compassion in our societies everywhere. This lack of compassion will lead to loss of humanity and helping nature very soon. Hence it has almost become a necessity for us to raise global awareness on the importance of doing “good deeds” to keep humanity alive in this world. Doing good deeds inadvertently transforms us into global citizens who are advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in our communities. Today, 700 million people live on less than $1.90 per day and a total of 1.3 billion people are multi-dimensionally poor. People stay in or fall back into poverty because of a range of factors — where they live their ethnicity, gender, a lack of opportunities, and others. It is essential for us to realize that we, as the youth of the world have the power to change society- but it is up to us to make sure that it changes for the good. To do a good deed, you don’t necessarily need money or transport- you just need goodwill!

Many of us have opportunities, facilities, and amenities that less-privileged people can only dream of. If we can spare a few moments to think about those who are less privileged than we are, we will notice the disparities around us and recognize the need to bridge these gaps. If each of us starts contributing to society and helping each other out, we will be able to create a chain of good deeds that will eventually uplift the quality of people’s lives. Each and every one of us can perform a good deed that will positively impact our lives in some manner- either towards the environment or towards fellow human beings. A good deed might be a small one but may impact someone else’s life in a huge way! This challenge is an important step towards creating a wave of positivity and improvement in the world. We sincerely hope that you join us in this noble initiative.

The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention. Anonymous

Vincent Lyn

CEO/Founder at We Can Save Children

Director of Creative Development at African Views Organization

Economic & Social Council at United Nations

Middle East Correspondent at Wall Street News Agency

Rescue & Recovery Specialist at International Confederation of Police & Security Experts