The holiday season is filled with phrases and promises; one of the most popular of that may be New Year’s resolutions that seem to always fail once the New Year has begun.
The Pay it Forward Movement is especially prevalent during the holiday season. One central definition of the movement describes it as an expression for describing the beneficiary of a good deed repaying it to others instead of to the original benefactor.
This movement has origins dating all the way back to Athens in 317 B.C. when a play named Dyskolos was performed; this translates to “The Grouch”. Many inspirational people, like Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson, have taught and written about this movement.
When someone hears the phrase “Pay it forward”, it is likely associated with paying for others in line at a coffee shop, fast food restaurant, or in a drive-through location.
One year, in 2014, an act of paying it forward even made national news. In a Starbucks drive-through, a woman took the initiative to pay for her own drink as well as the person’s in the car behind her. For 11 hours, and 378 customers, this trend continued.
Senior student, Will Mercer, enjoys the idea of the movement but commented that he believes it is easy for people to get caught up in the idea of giving just to do a good deed instead of giving thought to the deed.
“I think the idea of paying it forward is wonderful, it’s a reminder to do something to benefit others as someone has done for you,” said Mercer. “However, I think people should more focus on doing good deeds simply to aid others rather than to fulfill some balance of getting so must end up giving, yet, all-in-all, I see it as an excellent idea.”
This is just one example of how to pay it forward. Although the example mentioned earlier has to do with monetary value, there are many ways to do something kind for another.
Many people feel that the most important part of part of paying it forward is seeing someone else smile. One example of this occurred in Wesley, Massachusetts when a woman noticed a sock monkey on her car after walking out of a CVS. It made her laugh to see it and decided to put it on someone else’s car to see them smile.
There is even the Pay it Forward Foundation, which is dedicated to people setting up fundraisers to have money to support an important cause.
Junior Carly Lundry believes that paying it forward is an important part of the holiday season. She said that she believes the “trend is a great way to spread kindness and promote positivity. When you are the subject of someone’s good deed, it can make your day so much better and I think more people should participate in paying it forward.”
Even though the idea of paying it forward is often seen as some big act, this is not always the case. In regards to this, Lundry said, “Something you can do to pay it forward, especially in the winter, is help with shoveling for neighbors,” With this advice, everyone should be encouraged to go out this holiday season and pay it forward.
Trikle Trade • Feb 25, 2020 at 3:35 am
It’s very interesting article. Thanks to share real meaning of “Pay it forward”