Some nights ago, a Facebook friend shared a forty-second video on her account. Though it did not receive that much likes or comments, I still find it worth sharing. The video is about how a big brother helped his little sister cross a small gap (though it appears really wide for their age) on a pavement. Seeing his little sister’s difficulty, the brother laid and stretched himself out over the gap, acting like a bridge for her. It is truly a funny and cute moment, watching these two adorable kids helping out each other. At the same time, it is heart-warming and thought-provoking, teaching us a thing or two about true brotherhood.
When we were kids, we find it easy to lend out a hand to other people, whether they are our sisters, brothers, parents, friends, neighbors, and even random strangers (maybe that is why moms and dads keep telling their kids, “Don’t talk to strangers”). We just see their helplessness or their plight, not caring about who they are, what they mean to us, or whether we had prior troubles and fights with them. We help because they need it. It is the type of kindness that springs from the heart, out of compassion and giving.
When we become adults, we find it less easy to help needy people, whether they are strangers, neighbors, friends, and even family. What comes between our urge to reach out is our mind. We evaluate people and situations before extending a hand. It is a form of humanity shaped more by the mind than the heart. In this process of analysis, we see flaws, faults and grudges, and the kindness becomes short-reached. Oftentimes, this kindness comes in year, decades, and ages. But sometimes, it does not come at all.... Like friends torn by envy, families by hate, and even countries by greed.
Well, maybe when we were kids we see only small gaps, breaches which we can easily span out by our mere little bodies. But when we become adults, we see only large gaps, and small ones become larger. Reaching out becomes harder, for fear of falling or failing. Or maybe, we simply have weights in our hearts that we neglect to build bridges to other people.
Image courtesy of Desktop Nexus.
