Chain Of Love

Trying to find a radio station on my car stereo the other day, I happened to hear a song which made me sit back and think. I didn't catch the title or artist, but the song was about doing selfless acts of kindness. Rather than accepting some form of payment for the good deed, it was asked of the person being helped if they would simply return the favor by helping somebody else in need sometime in the future. I think the lyric was; Don't let the chain of love end with you.

This reminded me of an old movie - Magnificent Obsession, which had the same basic story-line. One person doing random acts of kindness for others - never asking for repayment of any kind and specifically requesting that no one be told of the assistance they had provided. By not accepting any reward and never seeking praise from others for what they had done, these were truly selfless acts of kindness and is precisely what made them special. For the person in the movie, this became a way of life and these acts of good-will became a ‘magnificent obsession.' Furthermore, this prompted the people who were helped to do likewise, setting off a chain-reaction of sorts.

Thinking of all this I wondered how many times I've had the chance to act - to lend a hand, to give of myself, my time, my money, but didn't? I thought of the excuses I make in a feeble attempt to justify my inaction - Someone else will come along to help, I just don't have the time, I can't spare the money, It's not my place to become involved, How much could I really help anyway - I'm just one person? ... the list goes on and on and on.

The reality is, I'm just making excuses - a desperate attempt to keep from feeling guilty I guess. The fact is, I could help in the vast majority of situations, but simply elect not to. I'm beginning to wonder who I'm letting down the most - the person in need of help or myself?

By not helping when I could I've let someone down, but I've also robbed myself of the pure pleasure of doing a good deed - of knowing I've made a difference, no matter how small, in someone's life. Moreover, as the song suggests, I've let the ‘chain of love stop with me.'

I recall a lesson from a physics class I took long ago - every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Pretty basic stuff, but when applied to people, it's actually quite profound. If I were to help two people this week and ask that they in turn help two others, think of the possibilities - a ripple effect of love (hmmm... is there a song in that?).

I've been helped many times in my life by many people, both by those I've known and a few times by complete strangers. I guess it's time for me to pick up the "chain of love" I've let lay and add a few links of my own. With any luck, and by the kindness and compassion of others, perhaps the chain will continue on and on... I hope so.

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Passing Thoughts is a syndicated weekly column written by T.W. Winslow - read by millions around the world each week. To get the new Passing Thoughts column sent to you FREE each week via email, subscribe at: http://www.taddgroup.com For reprint info, contact the author at: taddgroup@aol.com

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T.W. Winslow may be contacted at  taddgroup@aol.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
T.W. Winslow is a syndicated columnist living in the Pacific Northwest - USA. His Passing Thoughts column is carried on numerous web sites, in electronic magazines and various print media around the world - read by millions each week. Get Passing Thoughts free in your e-mailbox weekly - go to 

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