im riding the marta train + heading for school this morning. when i reach my stop, which is the last stop on the line, i get up + head to the door. i noticed two guys walking in front of me looking at this elderly sleeping on one of the seats still + chuckling to themselves off the train. i thought that this could be her stop possibly, so i went to her, lightly tapped her shoulder, + said "miss, we're at the last stop." she opens her eyes, glares up at me, + snaps out a gumpy/sleepy "so." i smiled lightly + said "i didn't know whether or no-". "leave me alone!!!" she screeched back with much anger, so i left + slipped on my smiling face.
now im far from a full pledged wings + halo saint. it did flash in my head to utter a few unnecessary words to myself outside of the train, kinda along the lines of "tired-out, raggle-ass, ungrateful, dusty bitch", just because i was trying to be a kind guy + she talks to me like im crap on a toilet seat. but i let it go + thought "i dont know her. she dont know me. she could be going through a rough time at that moment + just trying to get through the best way she know how to."
still it stings that i attempt to be a good helpful person + it seem like no one cares for it. aint the 1st time, wont be the last. i cant help to want to help at times. thinking of others was something instilled in me at a young age + it always made me feel good to know i made someone feel better about their day. but i sometimes wonder how far i can go being the "kind guy" in a dog-eat-dog, ima-step-on-ya-face-to-get-where-i-wanna-be, kinda world. i always thought that politics + corporate businesses was not my thing because of the cut-throat mentality i would hear as being needed to survive + make it to the top.
ironically, i was reading this book i been carrying around with me called "make it happen: the hip hop generation guide to success" by kevin liles, former president of def jam records + current executive vice president of warner music group. it tell of 10 rules that he believe will get any person to reach their potenial + their goals in life. he uses examples from not only his life, but from other successful figures of the past + today. what made the book meaningful after today's little episode began with me reading rule 7: get connected. it talked of building relationships "to last forever because success in business depends on positive human interaction". these were some of the things i read that really stood out to me:
"Goodwill is golden. Do someone a good deed and it comes back, even if it doesn't always follow a straight line. Some people call it karma. I call it psychology. People want to feel respected. Its that simple."hmmm, maybe there is hope the a lil kind dude like me... peace+luv 4eva, the 3rd tWin
"Donald Trump says in his book How to Get Rich that if you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow. Respectfully, I disagree. When you have them by the heart, you control how much blood is pumping through the rest of the body."
"...It's a dog-eat-dog world. But that's all the more reason why you shouldn't be that way. The less you are like the rest of the rats in the race, the more you will stand out."
-"make it happen: the hip hop generation guide to success" - kevin liles
1 comments:
This is a good post. I think that we still have to strive to be good. Unfortunately not everyone has that mind frame therefore, you will receive the type of response you got at times. But keep at it and next time you may get a better response.
Great words by Kevin Lile btw. I may have to pick up that book.
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