Being Nice Never Hurt Anyone

The last old myspace blog for the night..

I read a story today. I've read it before, but when I read it today, it made me think. Not like you didn't see that phrase comming, "It made me think". I probably use that in almost all of my blogs. Which makes sense, blogs are inspired by thoughts. But anyways..
The story was about this boy, we'll call him Joe. So Joe was walking home from school, carrying an armload of stuff, and dropped it all on the sidewalk. There happened to be another boy walking past him at the time, who I will call Bob because I am unable to think of creative names. Bob stopped and helped Joe pick up his things. They ended up becomming great friends. And then, years later, Joe tells Bob that he was going home to commit suicide on the day that they met. He had cleaned out his locker, and that is why his arms were full of things. That random act of kindness from Bob was enough to show him that life was worth living. If Bob had just kept walking, Joe would be dead.
So after reading this very touching story which i think has been going through the inboxes of everyone for generations, I was thinking about how you have an impact on everyone you encounter. I know a lot of them are not nearly as huge as that. Giving a smile to someone you pass on the street, for example, will more than likely not be a life-altering experience for either you or the stranger you pass.
If someone you dont know very well, or at all for that matter, or anyone that isn't in the position where they feel that it is their duty to make you feel good about yourself, were to come up to you out of nowhere and compliment you, you would probably feel pretty good about yourself. You would go "Yeah, these shoes are pretty cool, aren't they?" There's something about a stranger going out of their way to say something nice about you that makes it so much more satisfying. They may not have changed your outlook on life, but they could very well have made your day.
And if you think about it like that, would it not be terribly cruel to make some random remark of disgust when passing someone on the street? Shouldn't we think twice before judging people and voicing our opinions about them? You can ruin someone's day as easily as you can make it, and you don't even know these people. We have a lot of responsibility that we don't really even realize we have. It's kind of creepy, the effect you can have on strangers that you have never seen before and probably will never see again.
So, i guess the point of this blog is that being nice does not hurt anyone, if anything it makes people better, and considering people's feelings before you say something cruel is always a good idea. If you see someone having difficulties and think "I wonder if they need help.." they probably do, and an offer never hurt anyone, even if they refuse. You never know who's life you could be saving...