慈濟傳播人文志業基金會
Giving Without Thinking Too Much

It was a bright, clear Saturday, and my joyous mood matched the beautiful weather. Some volunteers and I were preparing to do something we’d done many times before: cleaning streets in our community.

As we picked up our tools and set about working, I saw a young man walking toward us. I had run into him in our community several times, and even though we didn’t know each other, I had always said hello to him. Sometimes he returned my greetings and sometimes he didn’t. I didn’t mind it when he didn’t respond, and I continued to say hello every time we met. Though it took some time, we eventually began to have brief conversations.

One day when we were talking, he asked me about our street cleaning, which he had seen us doing. I could tell he was very curious about this regular event of ours. I invited him to join, but he declined. Undaunted, I decided I would invite him again when another opportunity presented itself.

Some time later, I ran into him again. “When are you sweeping the streets again?” he asked. His question caught me by surprise, but I immediately recovered and answered with a smile: “This Saturday. Why don’t you join us?” He didn’t say anything but gave me a nod and then left.

Much to my surprise, he showed up that day. He walked up to me, said hello, and then asked, “Now what do I do?”

Since all the other cleaning utensils had been claimed, I handed him a pair of tongs. “Take these.”

“What do I do with them?” he asked.

“Pick up cigarette butts,” I replied matter-of-factly.

He paused for a moment, then replied: “There are a lot of cigarette butts on this street alone. How could we possibly pick them all up? Even if we could pick them all up, people will continue to litter. There’ll be new cigarette butts lying around here tomorrow. I think what you’re suggesting is rather stupid.”

“I don’t mind being thought stupid as long as I’m doing the right thing for the environment and the public,” I countered. “I don’t even care if people laugh at me. I’m doing the right thing, and that is the important thing.”

After giving my words a little thought, the young man said, “Okay, let’s get to work and show our love for the Earth.”

That morning, the two of us picked up nearly 500 cigarette butts. After we had called it a day, the young man cheerfully told me that he would join me again the next time.

If we want others to join us in a good cause, we must first set a good example. Sometimes we might even need a Quixotic spirit. When we give sincerely without thinking too much and without ever calling it quits, we will eventually strike a chord with others.

September 2018