What Goes Around…Comes Around

Someone once said: “What goes around comes around. Work like you don’t need the money. Love like you’ve never been hurt. Dance like nobody’s watching. Sing like nobody’s listening. Live like it’s Heaven on Earth.” These words of wisdom elucidate how I have lived my life and how I continue to live it, from the moment I was born to the day I am taken to be with God. God gave us life to live and make something of it, something extraordinary that will have a lasting effect for the generations to come. If you take a moment to think about it, life is all a test; God is studying our lives, and we’re studying for our fate. There is no right or wrong answer since you influence the way you live your life, but there is one element that affects our afterlife, either pushing us toward Moksha or away, and that is the nature around us. People who exhibit signs of prejudice, racism, discrimination, or whatever it is that may hurt others are pulling themselves away from liberation. On the other hand, those who pay it forward and lend a hand to others around them are pushing themselves toward freedom, as well as a second chance in life. It’s all based on one intriguing principle: the law of Karma. I believe helping others is the best accomplishment anyone can achieve in life, just by performing small acts of gratitude that will make a remarkable difference in the way we live our lives, such as helping others, which in return, help you as well.

Ever since I was in middle school, I always had a tendency to say “thank you” to everyone around me and shake their hands and greet them and open and hold doors until everyone except for me left the room. It was like a way of life rather than a task. As I held the door for them, one girl would always say “thank you” with a smile on her face as she left the room, leaving me with an unexplainable sense of joy. From that day on, more and more people said “thank you” and what surprised me the most was that, the next day, that one girl who always said “thank you” at first held the door for me and the others. In just a few days, I knew almost everyone in my class and by the end of the year; almost everyone had their turn to hold the door open for the rest of the class. I was overwhelmed with contentment how much one little thing could do to make a difference in our society. I learned from then on that holding the door for others doesn’t only help others, but helps you, in a sense of belonging.

As I progressed into high school, I was always nervous to eat lunch with everyone else in the cafeteria, so I just went into the library and read books. Every day, my stomach growled and craved for food until one day, when it stopped for good. A girl in a wheelchair came up to me and sat right next to me and started talking to me. The next day, she brought two of her other friends to sit with us and we all got to know each other and eat lunch at the nurse’s office. As she observed my behaviors over the semester, she eventually trusted me to take her to some of her classes and to her bus. Through helping her, I learned many things about her and vice-versa and felt like I meant something significant to her since she trusted me in taking her around school. As the year passed, I knew almost a third of the school by just helping her.

Doing positive things to others can make a big difference in our society and can influence how others act as well. Nothing lasts forever; tangible or intangible. The only thing that does last forever are your actions, leaving a lasting impression on others as well as you. You will pass the test no matter what path you take, but helping others throughout your lifetime will get you farther.