Gratitude

"The little things used to mean so much to Shelly. I thought they were trivial. Believe me... nothing is trivial." -The Crow

I haven't quoted that line in some time, but it's a good one. People, most people at least, take so much for granted. Their house. Their car. Their jobs. Their family. Their dinner. Their TV. Etc, etc. Their health; that's a good one. They feel they've earned it, or accomplished it themselves. But they forget that other people are involved; there's no such thing as a "self-made man." I don't care what argument you might have, it's impossible to deny that no one would succeed at anything without the help of others. In a business sense, that help comes from investors, or employees, or (if no one else) customers. If we're talking about a spiritual sense, then aid comes from family, or clergy, or the texts left behind by holy men. People forget that we are not alone in this world, and they sometimes (well, lots of times) forget how much a small act of kindness can mean. How many of us see a homeless man on the street and think "Oh, great, another 'homeless' man." We've gotten so used to seeing on the news how people scam their way into donations that we ignore the fact that there are still people out there who need our help. Even if 80% of the beggars on the streets are frauds, I'd like to give what I can to be able to help the 20% who aren't. Even if it does nothing, even if they still die alone on the streets, at least that day, maybe, I gave them the hope to keep trying. I might have given them belief in the human race again. And that's worth a buck or two here and there.