The Gas Station

[Justin]

Yesterday evening I had to stop at the gas station store and was waiting in line. I observed the lady ahead of me waiting for her turn and she gave the cashier $2.00 in change and said, "Pump #9". It was a combination of nickles and pennies and dimes as I watched the cashier count it out while she waited for him. Once it was verified that indeed there were two full dollars, she exited the store to start pumping gas...

Quickly I told the cashier to add $5.00 to her purchase so she'd have $7.00 in gas and handed him my last $20.00 bill. One of the attendants that was working with him showed him how to void the $2.00 transaction out before she started pumping and then she ran out to notify the lady that she was to pump $7.00 instead of $2.00.

I then checked out for my own purchase and left the store without being noticed and drove off.

The reason I'm posting this is because of the feeling I felt when I was able to help this woman. Before I left the store, the old lady that was waiting behind me gave me a high-five and the cashiers were smiling and eager to help. As I was driving down the road after leaving the station, I had this wonderful feeling of peace and joy I would have never had, had I not been willing to give a little something.

Isn't this how we are supposed to treat others? I've given to the beggars on the street but nothing felt quite like it did last night. A small gesture of $5.00 probably made someones day. I felt it was something I just had to do, and the rewarding feeling afterwards was absolutely wonderful. Whoever this lady was, she needed that little extra at that exact moment and I felt called to give what I had.

Isn't it in giving, that you shall receive? Aren't we supposed to give before we receive?

The above isn't something I do very often, and may never be faced with the same situation again... but the feeling of joy and peace it brought to me was priceless.

This was a heart-felt experience for me and wanted to share it on the forum and I also feel it has a lot to do with human relations.

[SJC]

What a wonderful deed you did!!!

[perplexity]

"Gas" on my side of the Atlantic alludes more to hot air, as opposed to the addictive inflammable liquid. "What a gas!" they used to say, in my day.

Unfortunately, short of an evident "so what?", the trouble with emotional philosophy is the want of a "so" or a "what?" to follow, nothing to make of it except to forbear, forgo, fawn or fondle.

Or was there a more particular point or purpose to begin the thread?

I fear that until today the topic had rather not been replied to because of a cloying sense of incompleteness, the seeing of but one of too many episodes of an interminable drama.

The story reminds me of a warm summer day, when I was arrested while wandering around the Kings Road, Chelsea, and charged with "suspicion", which in the mean old days of the 1970s was enough of a reason for an idiot policeman to arrest an unaccounted for wanderer, the mere expectation in the mind of the officer that a crime was to be committed.

Anyway, according to the alleged mind of the said officer a large part of what constituted the evidence of ill intent was my carrying of a large quantity of small coins, small in the sense of value, for in those days our coins were heavy, a cause of many a hole in the pit of a trouser pocket, not to mention the strangeness of having too much of the stuff, but not enough, as may otherwise be said.

Once again then it is all about perception, so to therefore supply a philosophical theme to suit, is it enough to convince ourselves of our own good intent, regardless of the broader context, or the longer term?

I had rather come to a different conclusion: Narrow mindedness is the eventual cause of much that is painful.

It was for me, anyway.

-- RH.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by perplexity

"Gas" on my side of the Atlantic alludes more to hot air, as opposed to the addictive inflammable liquid. "What a gas!" they used to say, in my day.

Unfortunately, short of an evident "so what?", the trouble with emotional philosophy is the want of a "so" or a "what?" to follow, nothing to make of it except to forbear, forgo, fawn or fondle.

Or was there a more particular point or purpose to begin the thread?

I fear that until today the topic had rather not been replied to because of a cloying sense of incompleteness, the seeing of but one of too many episodes of an interminable drama....

I'm not aware of this emotional philosophy described above. It's more referring to helping someone in need and I'm finding that in giving of oneself, a person can find themselves. Maybe it touches someone in a special way and possibly "pays it forward" the next time they come across someone in need.

We're all in the same boat. All of us are a part of this one universe and we can either kill each other or work together to make the world a better place. If we all treated each other with dignity and respect, we wouldn't be fighting with each other. We are in a boat that's sinking as every day passes. If we all don't start bailing water, it's going to sink and the only reason it will sink is because we are not working together.

So, when we start giving more of ourselves to each other, then we will start to see the rewards in giving. Mankind's self destruction will not slow down until we realize that there is no separation other than that which mankind makes.

[perplexity]

Originally Posted by Justin

I'm not aware of this emotional philosophy described above. It's more referring to helping someone in need and I'm finding that in giving of oneself, a person can find themselves. Maybe it touches someone in a special way and possibly "pays it forward" the next time they come across someone in need.

One symptom of an emotional philosphy would be to presume to know the need of another person better than they know it themselves, which happens all too often online, where in order to make any sense of it so much of what transpires does so only by virtue of that which our imaginations immediately contribute to fill the tank, so to speak.

If you happen to meet with somebody at gas station who is not in need, do you kneel and pray to him?

Seriously, I'd like to know how it works, this finding of the self, and why the self is so much in need of the search.

In my expereince the special way to be touched has rather been to the effect that there is nothing more offensive to a person's dignity than unsolicited help from a self obsessed other person.

I am rather inclined nowadays to decline to help in any case because of the pain of the bite of the hand that fed; to Hell with them.

The people who helped me most in life were those kind enough to appreciate what I had to give to them, not vise versa.

--- RH.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by perplexity

If you happen to meet with somebody at gas station who is not in need, do you kneel and pray to him?

Pray to him? .. No, I don't pray to anyone. What does this have to do with an act of kindness?

Seriously, I'd like to know how it works, this finding of the self, and why the self is so much in need of the search.

Mankind has been searching for answers all along. Scientists and Philosophers alike have searched for answers on every end of the globe, only to come up without an answer. Are you not searching?

In my expereince the special way to be touched has rather been to the effect that there is nothing more offensive to a person's dignity than unsolicited help from a self obsessed other person.

So you've taken an act of kindness and turned it around to an unsolicited self obsession.... am I correct? I beg to differ. At some point everyone is in need of something and we as a people rely on the services and products that another person provides. That's how the economical system works. If you see self obsession, you're simply taking a positive action and focusing on the negative. We make the choice as to what we see and that's our choice.

I am rather inclined nowadays to decline to help in any case because of the pain of the bite of the hand that fed; to Hell with them.

I've also declined help in the past, the Me against the world mentality. It just doesn't work. Lets all work together and lift our brothers and sisters when in need. Just so happens that every single individual is also part of a whole.

The people who helped me most in life were those kind enough to appreciate what I had to give to them, not vise versa.

When you give, what if they didn't want to accept. Isn't that what you've said above? Should be a two way street.

[perplexity]

Originally Posted by Justin

Mankind has been searching for answers all along. Scientists and Philosophers alike have searched for answers on every end of the globe, only to come up without an answer. Are you not searching?

I search for things when I lose them, for the want of remembering where I left it. That happens all the time. Searching for something if I don't know what it looks like, that to me is jealousy, the fear of not possessing what somebody else might possess, or the desire to peosess before they do.

Originally Posted by Justin

So you've taken an act of kindness and turned it around to an unsolicited self obsession.... am I correct? I beg to differ.

Somebody not so self obsessed might have been polite enough to have noticed that I had deliberately referred to my experience, the separation which mankind makes, so to speak, and somewhat more, if one may be permitted to humbly submit, than a single act.

So no matter what I have to say about it, you are going to continue to see it your way anyway, right?

-- RH.

[pilgrimshost]

I question the purpose of the human race altogether. Every generation arrogently assumes they are better, superior and more advanced than the generation before. This is clearly rubbish and so is that we also assume technilogical advancments are a natural part and contributer to the evolution of the human race. I believe it is a hinderance dispite its 'modern convieniances' etc.

It is a fact that if a single creature becomes exstinct it criticlly effects its environment for the worse, in some cases the environment collapses. If the same happened to the human race, not only would it not damage the enviroment, but it would be better off.

Human beings are the most dangerous animals on the planet (possibly the universe).The biggest threat to the human race is.... the human race. We are arrogent enough to naturally assume we are not animals, I see nothing to prove otherwise. 'Civilization' is an advanced stage or system of social development (social evolution).'civilize' is when a people comes out of a barbarous or primitive stage of society (enlighten;refine and educate). This doesnt mean to not kill and destroy others or not seek power over whom ever you will it. And should the definition be changed if it is not fitting to our society? In other words the human race are on a whole- scum, and the few who have 'good' intentions are more or less rebels with a lost cause-sorry.

[perplexity]

I have always felt ashamed on behalf of the race, and that there is never much thanks to be found from that.

'A wise man sees as much as he ought, not as much as he can.'

(Montaigne)

[chad3006]

For a moment (at least) there was happiness--whether or not the little old lady really needed or appreciated it. It was a bargain at only $5.00.