FOR many of us, following the news lately has been nothing short of despair. Wars and civil strife have become commonplace in our headlines. The conflicts and the avarice of humans always seem to hog the headlines. Killings, whether state sanctioned or otherwise, lead most of the columns in the newspapers or the television reports that are beamed to our homes. And if that is not enough, then there is the depressing state of the global economy.And yet through it all, good deeds are being carried out daily, and good things are happening to people, unnoticed and unreported. I have been recording instances of unsolicited deeds by everyday people who were inspired to sprinkle some sunshine among their fellow residents amid the shadows of war and bankruptcy. Many were not aware of my interest in their activity, and they all remain anonymous. But each individual played a part in that fleeting moment to rise above his/her personal world and spread a little comfort to a total stranger. In one incident, I recollect waiting impatiently behind a vehicle at the pick-up window of a burger outlet. It must have taken the window attendant over 15 minutes to get the order ready, and by then my impatience was at its peak. As the orders were being delivered, I was surprised to see the customer get out of his car and point to a field adjacent to the burger joint. There were some barefoot underprivileged kids playing soccer, totally unaware of the forthcoming bounty. The burger man then packed over a dozen bags containing food and balancing them gingerly on two trays walked over to the kids and started distributing the bags to the eager children. By then the vehicle in front of me had driven away, leaving me somewhat ashamed at my self-centered behavior. An expatriate lady upon being informed that her days on earth were numbered would spend many hours at the local orphanages providing music and art lessons to the little orphans. She could have chosen to spend her time selfishly in many other activities, and yet chose this noble deed as her calling. On weekends she would bundle up a few of them in her van and take them to the seashore and for pizza afterwards. A group of office workers at the national airline pitched in a portion of their monthly salary to send a financially destitute young man to a neighboring Arab country for his airline certification course, a project that would obligate them for 20 months. Each of these individuals was touched by the economic plight of that young man which he dispelled with his energy and initiative, and committed themselves to his success without seeking compensation when he returned. A government office worker noticed that the construction of a house adjoining his property had stopped all activity for a few months. The owner of the unfinished dwelling would drive by weekly to look at his place, but there was no new activity. When the neighbor inquired, he found that the work had stopped because the man had run out of money. His wife had suffered a serious illness and the funds earmarked for finishing the construction were quickly eaten up in high medical costs. The neighbor, though not financially affluent, then started a neighborhood funding drive to help out each month until the house was finally completed. An elderly Indian man was standing by the side of the road, trying to hitch a ride to the downtown bus station in Jeddah. He wanted to go to Makkah to perform Umrah, but his funds were very meager. The motorist who passed by and picked him up then bypassed the downtown bus station and drove the full 80 kilometers to Makkah to ease the elderly gentleman's monetary concern. Not only that, he left the man with a few hundred riyals to help him during his time there. There are many such individuals who daily perform acts of kindness without expecting anything in return. They do it time and again in many different ways, year after year and without drawing attention to themselves. Some have taken it as a calling to help out the needy within society. And then there are others who, at the spur of a moment, are triggered toward a charitable deed. It may seem regrettable to some that such people or their good deeds do not grab headlines. But for these charitable individuals, that suits them fine and they remain content. For their motive is simply to help their fellow human beings without public recognition. They are indeed the good news people.
