Catherine Ryan Hyde's Pay It Forward

“Pay it Forward”

Sometimes in life we encounter experiences that alter the way we view ourselves and the world around us. These happenstances can be as informal as meeting a new person or as simple as stumbling upon a new book. These unexpected twists of fate can now and then make one reconsider who they are and what actions they put forth into their everyday life. My life altering chance encounter was with a 1999 novel written by Catherine Ryan Hyde titled simply, “Pay it Forward”. One night in a very unwelcoming location, Hyde was inspired with the words to write this beautiful novel after two complete strangers rushed to her aid moments before her car was engulfed in flames. Unable to locate the two strangers after the incident, Hyde

Being a bit pessimistic, it was difficult for me to imagine the possibility that any one single person could change a world inhabited by 7.4 billion people. What was even more challenging for me to perceive was if that person were a child; but in this novel, Trevor not only created but also implemented a goodwill chain that began to impact the world around him. As I continued reading this book, I began to wonder if something like this were actually possible.
Even after reading this novel, Hyde’s concept of paying it forward remained firmly on my mind. As demonstrated in Trevor’s plan to change the world, what if all it took was performing three random acts of kindness to three complete strangers who then performed three other random acts of kindness to three additional strangers? If all who received these random acts of kindness stayed under the same commitment to pay it forward to others, could we see a chain reaction that would change the world? Could someone as young as Trevor with a similar background, really make a positive impact in today’s