Pay-it-Forward Day Thursday April 24 2014
The Surprising Reason We Pay for a Stranger’s Coffee. Buying coffee for the person behind you in line seems altruistic. But the instinct to play by the rules of the “pay it forward” game may have other evolutionary sources. Why are so many people obeying the unwritten rules of the pay-it-forward movement? The usual explanation is that fairness is a product of altruism, the tendency to help other people at a cost to ourselves.
Last December, more than 1,000 customers at a Starbucks drive-thru window in Newington, Conn., did something irrational. They paid for the order of the person behind them in line.
Inspired by the movie ‘Pay it Forward’ starring Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt, Pay it Forward Day involves people performing random acts of kindness for others without expecting anything in return. Instead, recipients are instructed to ‘pay the kindness forward’ to others in need, essentially creating a positive ripple effect of giving. Pay it Forward Day has spread to 60 countries inspiring over 500,000 random acts of kindness. There have been over 30 state and city proclamations for the day and 100‘s of schools and businesses are now involved. It is a global phenomenon featured on numerous radio stations, magazines, newspapers and on television networks.
The founder of “Pay it Forward Day” Mr. Blake Beattie, says “he is overwhelmed at the support. Of course we should be paying it forward every day, but many of us get so caught up in the busyness of everyday life that we lose sight of what is most important. Pay it Forward Day is a great reminder of the positive energy that occurs when we give to others”
Make a difference and experience the true power of giving. Together we can change the world – one good deed at a time!
Information courtesy of http://payitforwardday.com/