It's Nice to be Remembered
Is the reward of goodness aught save goodness?
- The Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:60
- The Quran, Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:60
I just want to give account of a little gesture that made a difference. Such goodness does it represent, that it evokes an instinctive goodwill on my part to a person who can make such an honest and considerate gesture. Think of this as a way of acknowledging the blessing, and just one of the ways I can do that is to tell about it.
A few days ago I was on MSN pretending to be busy, and in a way I was, it was just that I was busy playing Civilisation IV and trying to conquer the world with the Greeks rather then doing anything actually productive which is the proper meaning of busy, and certainly what it is in my conception. So while my attention was focused on another screen; deeply embroiled in attempts to conquer cities that existed only as pixels on a map, a something remarkable happened.
A friend who I hadn't heard from in a while sent me a message on MSN. They said that they hadn't heard from me in a while, wondered how I was doing, since there seemed to be no reply and they had to get going, that they hoped I was well and that it would be great to hear from me sometime.
It takes something for me to say that I was strongly touched by such a simple and honest gesture that represented such a good thing to do. It acquired particular poignancy in light of my last post but one, in which I told of the attempts that I had made to get in touch with people and gained nothing but a lukewarm response in return. It was a great gesture. I felt that this person, so busy and like all of us wrapped in their own world, found time to think of me and wonder how I was and to wish me the best. Someone had found the time to think of me, minor, unimportant and utterly forgettable, but they had found the time, and this is a tremendous gesture.
What it boils down to fundamentally is that it's nice to be remembered. In the struggle and daily grind, that there are others out there who are rooting for us, who are on our side, and that while they can only afford the most tangential of physical support they are thinking about us even once in a while. Its so easy to lose touch with people and then see the obstacles to making contact as being insurmountable to regain what was lost, but if such small trivial gestures can have such power and evoke such a strong response in others as they did in me, then I would have to say that such a gesture is never wasted nor is it ever lost. It is a good thing to do, and there is no recompense for good except more good. This is a definite and paramount thought-good, good that can be done by merely thinking and it has a strong and lasting effect. After all I’m telling you about it 8 days after it happened, and my reaction has not subsided.
A few days ago I was on MSN pretending to be busy, and in a way I was, it was just that I was busy playing Civilisation IV and trying to conquer the world with the Greeks rather then doing anything actually productive which is the proper meaning of busy, and certainly what it is in my conception. So while my attention was focused on another screen; deeply embroiled in attempts to conquer cities that existed only as pixels on a map, a something remarkable happened.
A friend who I hadn't heard from in a while sent me a message on MSN. They said that they hadn't heard from me in a while, wondered how I was doing, since there seemed to be no reply and they had to get going, that they hoped I was well and that it would be great to hear from me sometime.
It takes something for me to say that I was strongly touched by such a simple and honest gesture that represented such a good thing to do. It acquired particular poignancy in light of my last post but one, in which I told of the attempts that I had made to get in touch with people and gained nothing but a lukewarm response in return. It was a great gesture. I felt that this person, so busy and like all of us wrapped in their own world, found time to think of me and wonder how I was and to wish me the best. Someone had found the time to think of me, minor, unimportant and utterly forgettable, but they had found the time, and this is a tremendous gesture.
What it boils down to fundamentally is that it's nice to be remembered. In the struggle and daily grind, that there are others out there who are rooting for us, who are on our side, and that while they can only afford the most tangential of physical support they are thinking about us even once in a while. Its so easy to lose touch with people and then see the obstacles to making contact as being insurmountable to regain what was lost, but if such small trivial gestures can have such power and evoke such a strong response in others as they did in me, then I would have to say that such a gesture is never wasted nor is it ever lost. It is a good thing to do, and there is no recompense for good except more good. This is a definite and paramount thought-good, good that can be done by merely thinking and it has a strong and lasting effect. After all I’m telling you about it 8 days after it happened, and my reaction has not subsided.
1 comment:
Sounds like material from Chicken Soup for the Soul! :) Anyway this happened to me more than once and I know how good it feels, but also it makes me feel guilty about never being the sender. I think the best way to repay that kind person would be to pass this nice gesture on to your other friends.
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