How much does evil in the world stop you from doing good?

The world sucks but we can all do a little bit each day to make it suck less for each other. Let that car out, wave to your neighbor, talk to the cashier at the grocery store. Sometimes positive human interaction is what we all need to remember there’s still good out there.

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Let that car out, wave to your neighbor, talk to the cashier at the grocery store.

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Do that stuff all the time as it is. Those are bubble-safe.

The thread of the missing guy in Fl got me thinking about this.

It doesn't sound like foul play was an issue, but I read that article and kept waiting to see if he was stabbed in his tent.

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I remember a time when someone might help a stranger with a flat tire, or a dead battery, etc... but, these days, seems like most of those good deeds have gone by the wayside. You really do not know who you can trust.

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My strategy nowadays is to ask a person if they have called for help, if not, call for them, then wait in my car until it arrives... for their piece of mind as well as mine.

Only done it once though... out of probably 10-12 chances in the past few years.

I don’t donate to charity because I don’t trust that the money will go to what it’s intended for. I hate that, too. I really do.

I try to do the little things every day. Now working on bigger things like donate to charities such as St. Jude. I want to get more involved with my kids ISD. I want to talk to high schoolers about student loans and the pros/cons of taking out loans, especially to the lower income kids that may not have anyone to talk to about it. Hopefully they can learn something from my mistakes/troubles as a kid from a poor background.

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I want to talk to high schoolers about student loans and the pros/cons of taking out loans, especially to the lower income kids that may not have anyone to talk to about it. Hopefully they can learn something from my mistakes/troubles as a kid from a poor background.

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That is very admirable and much needed. The majority of kids graduating high school don't even know how to open a checking/savings account, balance a check book, or understand how a debit card or credit card works. And who can blame them, especially if their parents don't either, because they don't teach any of that in school. Almost like they want people going into their 20s with a complete misunderstanding of finance.

Edit: at least not in rural public schools.

I would say that the more evil prevails around you, the more chances there are to do good. The cost will usually be greater in those situations, which makes your good works even better. It's easy to good when it's...easy.

It is sad but you’re right. Seems the old saying “no good deed goes unpunished” becomes more and more on point as time goes on.

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talk to the cashier at the grocery store.

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Young cashier at the gas station on Plank at Zachary had a black eye. I had a project going up there and would stop in morning for coffee. Always a fresh bruise on her face and naturally she avoided much eye contact. Maybe 20 years old. I told her after a couple of weeks seeing this that, you know people do indeed go to sleep. Lot of bad shite can happen to an abusive man when he’s sleeping.

Left it at that. Project ended and I wasn’t up there for 6-8 months.

Stopped for coffee and she looked clean and happy. And when she noticed me she started to cry and thanked me. She said I was right and that man would never touch her again because after whatever she did to him she left and didn’t go back. Told me this with a tear in her eye but with her head held high.

That’s been 30 years and I still smile about that. Plenty of ways to do good out there. Don’t let someone else’s shite stop you from doing it. I put a lot of stock in the character of man and I know a lot of good ones that would do and do now good things. All of the men I have the pleasure of being friends with would do the same if not more.

Having been around here I feel secure in saying this board is full of good people.

And characters.

When I was little we always did the Operation Shoe Box thing for Christmas, do they still do that? Where you fill up a shoebox with toys and stuff and they ship it across seas. Always made me real sad thinking about how we celebrate Christmas in America and then you got kids in some shithole war ridden country getting a shoebox and probably being super psyched.