PAY IT FORWARD
by David Williams
May 24, 2009
PAY IT FORWARD
We all find ourselves at times thinking about the lessons of life that we have learned and carry with us through life. On numerous occasions in my youth, in a small rural community, I observed friends, neighbors, and strangers helping each other when there was a need. The important lesson learned was that there was an unspoken agreement that there was no expectation of repayment: "Do not pay it back to me, pay it forward to someone else". When someone helps you with something that you are not able to do for yourself, consider paying a helping hand forward to a friend or stranger. If they pay forward a helping hand to someone else and that person in turn pays forward a deed to someone, the idea multiplies out, exponentially, to more and more people. In weeks millions of strangers will be touched, directly or indirectly, in some way. This is the code for caring that was carried westward with the settlers of the frontier and has become a part of my heritage instilled by my parent, teachers, and neighbors.
Paying It Forward is an attitude and a thought process. It comes from the past that has, for the most part, been lost in the present, shrouded in mistrust and questioned motives. The concept was renewed in 2000 in a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde and the same year made into the movie by the same name "Pay It Forward". It also has been the theme of some popular country music songs and product advertisements.
We need to see beyond our own problems. Look toward the people around us that demonstrate a need. Figure out if there is something we can do to help others and offer that help sincerely. The possibilities are limitless. It does not need to be anything earth shaking. It can be as simple as sharing resources or ideas. But do not do it with any attitude of receiving repayment. What kind of a world would it be if this idea were to again catch fire? How many times do we see friends, coworkers, neighbors, or strangers in need and think that these people certainly have a problem? And how often do we continue on our way and let it remain their problem, even when we have the resources to help them?
Academic institutions are not only places for formal instruction but also where young people formulate their ideas and standards for life and formulate their own ideas of if they will PAY IT FORWARD. How often have you heard someone reflect on the most influential person in their life? Often it is one or more teachers that are credited for being a model. Often it is not something that the teachers put into words but rather what they modeled in their actions and attitudes inside and outside of the classroom. The most influential individuals in my life have been those that modeled the concept PAY IT FORWARD long before it was made popular in a movie.
