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Good
morning <$firstname$>,
About
20 years ago, Catherine
Ryan Hyde was driving alone at night in a rough
area of downtown Los Angeles in her old tattered car. It
was the best she could afford, she drove it all the time
and relied on the car for every cent of cash she earned.
When
she braked at an off-ramp, the engine suddenly died. All
the lights went out and the car started to fill with smoke.
She jumped out to see two men running towards her, one of
them holding a blanket - pushing past her, he yanked open
the bonnet : the engine was on fire.
The
car could have exploded at any moment, but this total stranger
smothered the blaze and saved her car, her livelihood and
possibly her life. When the emergency was over she looked
up to thank him - but he was gone.
Over
the following months she decided that if she couldn't do
anything to repay the man, she would look for others who
needed help as much as she did the night her engine burned.
When
Catherine did find these opportunities they weren't very
dramatic at first, but meant a lot to strangers in trouble
who often asked how they could repay her.
"Don't
pay it back to me," she said.
"Pay it forward to someone else."
This
incident was a turning point in her life. She wanted to
hold on to the idea of sending people into the world owing
a favour to a stranger and when she wrote her second novel
'Pay It Forward' in 2000 she often had fantasies
of people emulating the book :
"There
are infinite possiblities for the ways in which this could
be done. How many times do we step around a homeless person
on the street? Oh dear, we think, that person certainly
has a problem. But we let it remain their problem. We would
not normally think to stop and make it our own."
"It's
a new way of thinking; to begin to see beyond our own problems
into other people's lives and figure out if there is some
way we can help them."
She
didn't write the novel expecting a to create a social movement,
but that's exactly what happened : the 'Pay
It Forward Foundation' was established in September
2000, followed by the Warner
Brothers movie the same year and the 'Pay
It Forward Movement - Changing the World One Favour at a
Time' has a very active representation in eight
countries since 2002.
I
have seen the movie three times now and at first I felt
let down by the ending. Now I understand it, but I really
want you to go and see the film so here's the story without
giving too much away :
Trevor
McKinney (Haley Joel Osment) is a 12 years old boy who gets
an assignment from his new, disfigured Social Studies teacher
Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey) : think of something that
will change the world and put it into action.
Trevor's
idea is deceptively simple - do a good deed for three people
and in return, ask each of them to 'pay it forward' to three
more. "So nine people get helped. Then those people
have to do twenty-seven ... then it sort of spreads out."
His attempts to put the concept into action at first don't
seem to work out : a drug-addict he befriends cannot mend
his ways, but later talks a woman out of jumping off a bridge.
A reporter gets wind of his idea and becomes a benefactor
as he retraces Trevor's efforts after his car is destroyed
in an accident and he is given a very expensive Jaguar by
a rich stranger.
Meanwhile,
Trevor is worried about his alcoholic mother Arlene (Helen
Hunt), not only because his brutal father (Jon Bon Jovi)
might return at any time; he also tries to bring his mother
and his new teacher together - they are both emotionally
scarred by the past, but eventually their relationship heals
some very deep wounds.
In
the end though, Trevor pays a high price for helping a classmate
fight off some school-bullies.
Just
another sentimental Hollywood production?
Not
at all : this is one of the few films that has a tangible
impact on societies worldwide and highlights an important
message : that one person can make a difference, even in
this materialistic and often cynical world. It inspires
to help without expectation of reward or remuneration -
and it works, not only in the movie!
After
you've seen the film, you stop and think about the meaning
of life - and some people take action : The Pay
It Forward Movement is the real-life reaction to
Catherine
Ryan Hyde's novel and their website shows many inspiring
stories and media reports from all over the world, not only
the USA, Canada and the UK.
The
material is also used in many schools and colleges and with
all this in mind I have now launched a WeBlog for Pay
It Forward South Africa - Changing South Africa One Favour
at a Time.
In
this country, we have a history of violence and a high crime
rate, but for every offense there are 99 acts of kindness
- it is my hope that all this benevolence will now be as
liberally reported on
this website as brutality is in the traditional
media.
And
why wait to pay it forward until someone helps you out of
a predicament? If you think back, I am sure you'll remember
many incidents where other people made life easier for you.
Just look where you can assist and start doing favours to
others - pay it forward! It doesn't have to be anything
big or dramatic; you'll be surprised how much goodwill is
coming your way although you don't expect to be rewarded.
Until
next time, all the best from :
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