[Doodlebug]

I just witnessed the most amazing and generous thing! I was sitting at the bar waiting for my food when a young high school kid started handing out letters about how he's been accepted to go to the Harvard Debating Tournament (It was legit). As he was explaining to all of us at the bar how he got accepted and the fees were $825, an old man abruptly interrupted him. At first I thought, omg this old man is gonna go crazy on this kid for interupting his dinner/drink. The old man said "Would you be offended if I wrote you a check for $800?" The kid was completely dumbfounded and didn't know how to respond. So the man pulled out his check book and I kid you not, wrote the kid a check. After many thanks and me commenting about how generous and wonderful the man was... I sat back and listened to him for a minute go back and forth with his wife (after the kid left). The old man broke down crying and his wife was comforting him... turns out they had just lost someone close to them... I'm assuming it was a son/grandson/daughter/something of the sort... The wife said "Hunny, if it were ____ sitting right next to you asking for donations, you would've done the same thing" and he just teared up...

I couldn't believe this... Talk about holiday warmth in your heart.... so sad but so giving...

This post has been edited by Doodlebug: 13 December 2010 - 08:10 PM

[Banter]

Oh, ok

[Ryo-go]

That's amazing honestly.

[Wildstriker]

I find holidays bittersweet, not because of my lack of faith in any religion in general, but because I often wonder why we cannot show that level of empathy year round. Heart warming story though, thanks for that.

[Vigilous]

They do happen, you just never hear about it because it would interfere with the regular news rotation. When I and two squads worth of my unit got back from the cat box, we ate lunch at the Cracker Fuck Barrel (that same afternoon). An old dude who was eating next to us (who was surprisingly undisturbed by all of our talk of getting some sweet poon tang) picked up our tab. Yes, people can be generous, it's just that death, destruction, war, Orange Guido Americans, and two groups of giant assholes make for better year-round news.

[Banter]

Wildstriker, on 13 December 2010 - 08:26 PM, said:

I find holidays bittersweet, not because of my lack of faith in any religion in general, but because I often wonder why we cannot show that level of empathy year round. Heart warming story though, thanks for that.

This. Believe it or not, I try to do nice things for people whenever I get the chance.

[Corrderio]

Wildstriker, on 13 December 2010 - 08:26 PM, said:

I find holidays bittersweet, not because of my lack of faith in any religion in general, but because I often wonder why we cannot show that level of empathy year round. Heart warming story though, thanks for that.

QFT

Other than that, screw the Holidays. My family is pretty much drifted apart, and I don't see that "christmas magic" crap anywhere around where I live.

[Tsuji]

Wildstriker, on 13 December 2010 - 08:26 PM, said:

I find holidays bittersweet, not because of my lack of faith in any religion in general, but because I often wonder why we cannot show that level of empathy year round. Heart warming story though, thanks for that.

^
This.

[Doodlebug]

It's just coincidental this happened in December, I'm quite sure this man would've done it smack dab in the middle of spring

[Mirae]

That's a touching story Doodles. Some people out there have a heart of gold. Christmas isn't bittersweet to me, I love it.

[Wildstriker]

Mirae, on 14 December 2010 - 11:43 AM, said:

Christmas isn't bittersweet to me, I love it.

Them be fighting words. Bittersweet isn't a bad thing.

[firefeng]

Par for the course for most things in my life these days: I absolutely loath society's blase response to prescribed events, but the actions of a few individuals shore up my waning hopes for humanity.

I don't think the holidays are bittersweet. I think the possibility that the student and the kind benefactor will never meet again far more bittersweet. We are not meant to be psychologically capable of discarding the people who effect great change in our lives.

[Vigilous]

firefeng, on 14 December 2010 - 03:14 PM, said:

.... the possibility that the student and the kind benefactor will never meet again [is] bittersweet.

WHOA! Great prono tag line!

If the student isn't an ungrateful cunt, he will stay in touch with the man to let him know it was a worthy investment. Unless of course he fails miserably.

[Doodlebug]

Yea, I honestly hope the kid keeps in touch and tells the man how he did in the tournament (providing he doesn't fail lol)

I should just go back up there and see if the kid is working (He said he works at that place) and ask him if he did... On my To Do list!

This post has been edited by Doodlebug: 14 December 2010 - 03:40 PM