We All Hold The Key

Once upon a time, a village was occupied by invaders and all its people were imprisoned. They suffered for months in the cold, sleeping on rocks and hardly ate good food. On seeing the state of the people of their village, four philanthropists decided they would serve them. The first one decided he would offer warm clothes, shoes and socks to the people who were dying from the cold. So, he did! He thought he did the best deed and walked away happily! The second man decided he would provide blankets, a cozy bed and a pillow for all the prisoners to sleep, and so, he did! He thought he did the best deed and walked away happily. The third philanthropist watched the people crave good food; she decided to offer them a healthy meal and clean drinking water every day. So, she did! She thought she had done the best deed of all and she walked away happily! The fourth man wondered, "what am I to do for my people?" He woke up in the middle of the night, sneaked into the prison, stole the key from the guard and released all of them! And, the people walked away happily....

Reflection

I love this story because it’s a great reminder on how important it is to find lasting solutions and resolve within the cause of a situation. Giving money to charities and causes is important and very meaningful, but sometimes we are required to go beyond ourselves and find ways to resolve issues. Real, lasting kindness comes from careful consideration and creative thought processes which help to fix problems rather than keep applying plasters onto them. As we are at the beginning of the year, now is a good time to pick a cause that resonates with you and find ways to come up with solutions to make a change in peoples lives.
As our hero in the above story, we all hold the key to acts of kindness that will unlock the happiness for someone less fortunate...

Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”  ― Mother Teresa