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 that 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?