Hello, friends. Many people believe that doing something good for one person won’t have any effect on the world in general. However, you shouldn’t forget that for that person, the world might change forever not only thereby setting in motion the ripple effect of kindness to us, but also by changing this person’s attitude towards life. I don’t know who said it, but I really want to believe that it works out this way. Well, today’s story begins in Turkey.
A woman named Igor shared the story of an incident that restored her faith in both people and miracles. Or what else could you call what the hero of this story did? It all started when a twelve-year-old boy named Kareem received his dream gift for his birthday. The boy’s been dreaming of a bicycle for the longest time, spending his days staring through the shop windows at the newest models shining with their fresh paint. Given the realities of the modern world, a bicycle isn’t something that most kids dream about.
However, Kareem’s family was extremely poor, especially after the death of his father, who was the breadwinner of the family. Thus, the boy’s mother could never afford to buy Kareem a new bicycle. But being aware of her son’s dream, she saved up as much money as she could for several months and bought him a gift at the flea market. To say that the two-wheeled construction she bought didn’t quite look as good as the bikes in the shop would be the understatement of the century. However, it turned out that Karim was so jealous of his friends that he didn’t care about any of them.
He was on cloud nine. He dreamed that he would be able to race with his friends on the street and even ride his bike to school, but he ended up having to part with this iron horse very soon. The thing was that a few days after Karim received a long-awaited gift, he returned home empty-handed. He burst into tears and told his mother how he accidentally sped up too much going down the Hill, and when he finally saw the expensive car parked in front of him, it was too late and the bicycle crashed right into it. Kareem tried to avoid the collision at the very last moment, but unfortunately, he didn’t succeed.
The tail light of the car was shattered in the crash and its bumper and rear Fender were bent. It was only by some incredible fortune that the boy managed to avoid injury, but when a respectful man came out of the car and saw what had happened to it, the boy burst into tears. He was so scared that all he could do was look at his shoes and be quiet. Karim understood perfectly well what had happened and was well aware of the consequences. And only when the stranger asked this question again did the boy tell him everything.
As it was, it turned out that the brakes on Kareem’s bike didn’t always work properly. He usually tried not to ride fast, but this time he underestimated his own strength. And when the car owner called someone on the phone, glancing sideways at the damage done to his car, Kareem clearly realized that now the owner wouldn’t just take away his bike, but would also make his mother pay for the expensive car repairs. At that point, the boy would have gladly accepted getting some sort of physical punishment. Instead, however, the man took a completely different approach.
He wrote down the boy’s last name and home address and told him to wait for guests. Then he got into his car and disappeared in an unknown direction. I don’t think I need to tell you what the poor woman felt like. After she heard what had happened to her son, she took a quick look around her house and began to cry. The mother and son spent the next two days in anxious suspense.
The poor woman was preparing for the worst, but she definitely could never have imagined what would happen next. Imagine the surprise of Karim and his mother when they saw the owner of the expensive car on their doorstep. However, the man was smiling. He was also holding a brand new modern bike with all the latest features and modifications. Not letting the dumbfounded owners of the house say a word, the stranger simply handed the new bike to the boy and said, I thought it was time for you to change your wheels.
At that moment, Karim and his mother thought it was some kind of a dream, but this was reality. Beaming with happiness, Kareem was riding his new bike out by the house. Meanwhile, the man named Yusuf thanked his mother for the fact that despite all the difficulties, she found a way to get her son a bicycle and managed to raise him as a good person. Later, Yusuf said that looking at Kareem’s old bike, he involuntarily remembered his childhood. Even though it seemed like a fairy tale, the fact still remains.
Many years ago, the exact same story happened to Yousef. His family was also poor, and he also hit an expensive car. And then the owner did exactly what Yousef is doing now. Thank you for the trip down memory Lane. Repairing the car or buying a new bicycle isn’t that big of a deal for me.
While it’s a very big deal to you, I hope that many years later Kareem will also give some boy a break and won’t break this chain of kindness. At the party, the man shook hands with Kareem and told him to take care of his mother. Of course, Yusuf did touch the woman so much that she soon shared this story on the internet. Unfortunately, there were no photos of this event, and therefore we had to improvise sort of thing. Nonetheless, this incident once again proves that a person’s greatness shouldn’t be measured by the thickness of their wallet.
But by the kindness of their heart and their attitude towards the less fortunate. And the most important thing is that even a single act of kindness can cause a ripple effect. Inspiring people around the world to be more compassionate and just better friends. Do you agree with this premise? Also, let us know what you would do if you were this man.
