People Can Still Show Kindness Despite all the Evil Out There

The world we share is a beautiful place. Not just the places we can go or the things we can see, but the people around us. There is a lot of good left in this world, even if it’s hard to see. Everyday we are subjected to the wicked things of the world. On the television and in the news we see wars, terrorism, crimes and hate. Good people suffering for no apparent reason. We are exposed to a constant barrage of negativity, which can make our views skewed to the truth. The reality that humanity is still moral at heart and there is hope left for the future. That people can still show kindness towards perfect strangers without reward. This is how I see the world now, but it was not always this way.

For the longest time I saw the society, as a whole, negatively. I perceived people in an undesirable light, due to what I saw every day at work. It was at this time, I worked for the Department of Homeland Security as a security officer. My job was to stop people from smuggling illegal drugs, stolen goods and human trafficking in and out of the country. I would interact with people everyday that had nothing more than self-preservation at heart. I saw what they would do to others only for personal gain and this caused a change in me. It made me see only the dark side of people. I came to believe that everyone was selfish and had no sense of community, only a sense of selfishness. I started to believe that the world no longer had any good in it.

One of my first experiences as a security officer, I encountered a group of five passengers attempting to board a flight overseas. The group consisted of two Hispanic men, both wearing nice clothing and jewelry, with visible tattoos on their necks and arms. While the others in their group were three...

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...chases into her car, just a few spots down from where I parked. I decided to make my way over to help the pregnant woman, when I noticed three young men walking near the woman. The three juveniles were wearing backwards hats, saggy pants and were acting rowdy, being loud. They seemed like the type of kids that go around and cause trouble, not caring about others. Then to my utter surprise, they stopped and helped the struggling woman load her things into her car. It was in this moment that I had a ‘light blub’ turn on within me. I realized that all my negative views and thoughts towards society and people were sorely skewed.

This small and simple act had a profound effect on my views. It was the turning point that changed my opinions for the better. It opened my eyes to the reality that good people still exist. It gave me a much-needed new perspective on the world.