Premium Essay

Pay It Forward

In:

Submitted By FrankBassetti
Words 1377
Pages 6
Frank Bassetti

It was a warm summer evening as I drove home from work. I was taking in the beautiful Alaskan scenery and thinking of how far that I had come with my life. Feelings of thankfulness ran through my thoughts as I remembered all of the help that I had received during hard times. Those times seemed to be so very long ago, but yet so vivid in my memory. The ability to lift my head up gave me a different perspective on life. It was that much easier to relax and focus while taking in the beauty around me. Driving home that day I can remember that there were a few puffy clouds in the sky that they reminded me of cotton balls. There was a gentle wind off of the Pacific Ocean that carried the smell of a fisherman’s hard day at sea. Along with that breeze came the reminder of winter from the chill that followed. Off in the distance I could see a Subway sign. Instantly, I had a vision of freshly baked, warm, fluffy, honey wheat bread topped with crisp, juicy vegetables and partially heated moist, tender chicken teriyaki. Since my taste buds had been awakened, I had no choice but to pull in and eat. I walked in and right away I noticed that there was a little boy up against the ordering glass. The little guy was rocking from foot to foot in a sideways motion with great enthusiasm. He had on some frayed Wrangler jeans, and a tee-shirt that was too small for his quickly growing body. His oily head of hair was reflecting the incandescent lights above, and his eyes were slightly hidden by his finger print contaminated spectacles. The boy was so full of excitement that he reminded me of a balloon that had been filled with too much air. It was evident to me that the boy being there was most definitely not an event that happened very often. Each time the lady behind the counter would ask him if he wanted, this or that on his sandwich, he would look up to the older man

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Pay It Forward

...One of my favorite figures, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wisely wrote, “In the order of nature we cannot render benefits to those from whom we receive them, or only seldom. But the benefit we receive must be rendered again, line for line, deed for deed, cent for cent, to somebody” and this is exactly what “paying it forward” is. Kant says that morality is not just doing the right thing by helping other people, but doing it for the right reasons as well: simply because it is the right thing to do. He holds true that for an action to be moral, it must be done out of a principle which can be applied to everyone equally, a maxim that can be willed to become a universal law. The movie and the book, Pay it Forward, progressively rises towards the moral standards of Kant as the characters come to understand the meaning of this movement and their duty to the world. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said, “Think globally, act locally.” That is what the kids in Mr. Simonet’s class are really being assigned to do and that is what the Pay it Forward movement demonstrates. We are all connected to each other. The world may be broken but in watching and helping those around us for the right reason, the benefits spread worldwide. Kant agrees that the world is broken, that the human condition is flawed or Trevor in the beginning says, “the world is shit.” Trevor looks at all the bad around him; the trailer homes, the bullies, all the starving homeless people. His mom is a drunk and working as...

Words: 3169 - Pages: 13

Free Essay

Pay It Forward

...What do you do when someone does you a favor? Instead of paying him back, Trevor Mckinney tells you to pay it forward. Pay It Forward stars Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) as 7th grader Trevor McKinney, the son of an alcoholic and single mother Arlene (Helen Hunt, What Women Want, Cast Away). Eugene Simonet (Kevin Spacey, American Beauty) is Trevor's unconventional Social Studies teacher who gives his class an unexpected assignment at their first meeting: "Think of an idea to change the world and put it into action." Simonet wants his pupils not only to know current events but also to think of making a difference in society. Trevor comes up with an idea: he will do an act of kindness to three people and instead of being paid back with gratitude, he will ask each recipient to pay it forward to three more people. They in turn must pay another good deed to three other people, and so on. Trevor works on a homeless man, his teacher Simonet, and his classmate Adam. Four months later, a reporter's (Jay Mohr) car crashes while on a beat and a stranger gives him his Jaguar to keep. The reporter tries to find out why anyone would do such thing and was told to simply "pay it forward." Leslie Dixon's screenplay based on Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel is a powerful story. Director Mimi Leder (Deep Impact) is Steven Spielberg's protégé and shows the same ability of maintaining the balance in creating realism without falling into melodrama. The lead characters are fully developed and superbly...

Words: 861 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Pay It Forward

...Pay It Forward Danielle R. Wyatt PSY / 490 Instructor: Stephanie Towns 11/23/15 Pay It Forward Random and anonymous acts of kindness happen every day within society, but not always are they noticed. Taking pride in doing something anonymous means more than gloating or bragging amongst others about the "good deed" that you did yet you demand notation for it. By expecting gratitude from others, that overrides the true meaning of paying it forward. This author gets up rather early to make her morning commute to work every day which is a little over an hour away and every morning she stops into a local fast food chain for morning coffee. This particular morning there was an older gentleman standing next to his motorcycle with his head down and a sign that read "out of gas". This author went inside for her usual coffee (with extra espresso booster) and bought this gentleman a coffee and a breakfast as well. After the order was ready she went outside and handed it to the gentleman as well as asking the man to come over to the gas station so that she could fill up his tank. Now, let it be known that no one was around and perhaps a chance was being taken at 0330 in the morning, but it was a chance that needed to be taken on this day. The gentleman let a few tears escape before he explained his situation and expressing his gratitude. It was a heartwarming and eye opening experience. The gentleman asked what he could ever do to repay me, now we both knew that the odds of our paths...

Words: 1049 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Pay It Forward and Honour Systerm

...Pay It Forward; An Honour System March 26th 2012 Pay It Forward; An Honour System In the movie Pay it Forward the young boy Trevor McKinney believes that everyone is capable of good. He believes that if an individual receives helps from someone they will be grateful. However, he has created a system where rather than reimbursing the individual who helped you, you help three other people. Hoping that over time this will grow larger and everyone will be getting help and helping others. He states that “it has to be something really big, something they can’t do for themselves (Leder).” Trevor helps a drug addicted homeless man named Jerry to get cleaned up and buys him clothes so he can get a job interview. He expects Jerry to help out three other people rather than paying him back. This is quite challenging for Jerry and at first he returns to his life as an addict, which causes Trevor to believe his system has flaws. He perseveres and helps his mom to make a new friend and stop drinking. His mom pays it forward by forgiving her mother and allowing her back into her life. The grandmother pays it forward in an amusing way by helping a criminal to escape from the police by allowing him to hide in her car. Now we may think that the chain would stop here, which it may have, however the grandmother used reverse psychology and told the criminal that he was not capable of paying it forward. This motivated the criminal to prove her wrong and therefore he carried the chain forward...

Words: 444 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Pay It Forward

...Pay It Forward Wendy Easton March 12, 2012 PSY 490 Radha S. Shanker, Ph.D. Pay it Forward Philosophers for centuries have debated if a prosocial act regardless of the degree of generosity or unselfishness the act may appear on its surface exists genuinely altruistic (Kowalski & Westen, 2009). People who volunteer to work at the local food closet may do so based on a genuine desire to help other people or to assist in alleviating a personal anxiety. I believe altruism exists and will provide a personal example to support this belief. In addition, I will explain further altruism, how it relates to psychology, and to personal, professional, and social responsibilities, and its effect on the future of psychology. Personal Experience Summary My life as I perceive it exists busy; consequently, I reside perpetually behind schedule. However, I do make time to drop food and personal hygiene items off and visit with the managers of the local food bank the first Wednesday of every month. The individuals and families that enter the building are each gracious and grateful for the food and other products offered. I have never witnessed any person display embarrassment for the need for assistance, in fact, I had not thought about that emotion until this assignment. Each person I have encountered either dropping off or in need have resided authentically friendly and appreciative. Genuinely, I do not believe that any person possesses expectations. Consequently, I do believe...

Words: 933 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Pay It Forward

...Pay It Forward Jacob Martinez BSCOM/100 January 19, 2015 Professor Mary Lee Cunill Pay It Forward Building an environment of teamwork pays off in the world of retail. A group of seven sales personnel remind me how effective teamwork can be. Companies are focusing more on teamwork, stating that by “cultivating our team, we inspire longevity and provide a path for the company’s growth” (Elting, 2011). Working together towards a common goal brought success to the company and the team. Listed are a few tips that I have learned through this experience. Talking Without Speaking During high school, I worked as a retail salesman at a popular clothing store. Luckily, I discovered that I had a gift to sell. I managed to do so well that I was promoted to supervisor after only six months of working part time. Many different responsibilities were given to me with the promotion. The one I focused on the most was the direct supervision of the same seven employees that I would battle against for the “commission” that came from a sale. After my promotion, I wondered whether or not the flow of communication would be polluted by emotional or mental noise. Some of the employees had very colorful outlooks on the management team at the time. We were well past the orientation phase of getting to know each other and the task at hand. In my first meeting before the store opened, I reinforced that I nor the task at hand where any different than the day before. I reminded the sales team that...

Words: 785 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Pay It Forward

...Pay It Forwards “Pay it forward” is not only a movie but also a thinking of little boy which talks about Trevor’s life and his assignment. Trevor is eleven years old, in seventh grade, and studying in social studies. He lives with his mom who is an alcoholic, has two jobs. On the first day at school, his professor, Mr. Simonet gives his class an extra credit assignment for the year. Mr. Simonet asks the class, “What does the world want from you?” Trevor answers, “Nothing.” Mr. Simonet replies, “You are absolutely right, you are in seventh grade you can’t drive, can’t vote, heck you can’t even go to the bathroom without a pass from me, but not forever, one day you will be free.” He continues, “But what if on that day your free, you haven’t prepared you are not ready and then you look around and you don’t like what the world is. What if the world is just a big disappointment?” One of the kids in the class replies, “We’re screwed!” Mr. Simonet says, “Unless, you take the things you don’t like about this world and you flip them upside down on their ass. You can start that today. This is your assignment extra credit it goes on all year long.” On the board written in chalk it says: Think of an idea to change our world and put it into Action! Everyone in the class complains about how weird, strange, and hard it is. Mr. Simonet then very slowly replies, “How about possible, it’s possible. The realm of possibility exists in each of you. So you can do it or you can just sit back...

Words: 743 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Ethical Resposibilities

...Ethnical Responsibility for businesses When companies are making billions of dollars because of the hard work of their employees I believe it’s time to pay it forward. So yes, I do believe that a business has an ethical responsibility to give back to society. Shareholders are making high six figures salaries for watching the workers work and maybe sometimes in a blue moon improving the work flow. But for the people who actually have to spend more than 9 hours at a job a day for five or more days a week, putting their bodies and health on the line should be getting paid more than $9.50/hour. A family of four cannot successfully live off an income of $25,000 a year, unless they honestly have no bill which is highly unlikely. I believe a business who makes millions and have the extra money should praise their workers with that extra dollar or two raise. I also think that to help motivate people and to give back having things such as a once a year or even up to 3 times a year cookout is giving back. This will give the workers a place to eat for free or even pay a certain price for the family to eat free. It will give coworkers a break from only meeting up to work and everyone will be able to meet and get to know each other. A business that has given raises to their employees would be Brazos County. The juvenile officers have received an almost $1.30 raise and the jail officers have received an almost $2.00 raise. They also give back by hosting holiday events for staff and...

Words: 437 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Self Reflection

...to help others as well. I like helping people find solutions that meet their specific needs. This habit also grew into the nonprofit organization I started three years ago. I'm passionate about making a difference. When I'm involved with a project at work I want to do my best to achieve success. I feel the same way about what I do in my personal life. Values and Motivation: My Belief in Others, It is my approach and attitude that lifts someone up when they are feeling down. Their uncertainty can be wiped away by my confidence. I believe it is contagious, the more I trust and believe in others the more you will come to recognize your “Awesomness.” Caring for others, as well as self preservation, allows you to lend a helping hand and to Pay it Forward. When we take a moment to convey the most simple sings of generosity it renews the fact that there are still plenty of good people left in this world/bushel. Commitment illustrates reliability, bravery, and tenacity. A commitment is a promise made as well as a expectation we have created upon ourselves. In honoring our commitments to ourselves first, we can make the difference between achieving what’s most important to us or feeling disappointed and defeated....

Words: 1114 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Eth 316 Week 5

...Pay It Forward ETH 316 Pay It Forward “Pay it forward” is not only a movie but also an assessment of child which dialogues about Trevor’s life and his assignment. Let us consider the impending impact 11-year-old Trevor McKinney as portrayed by actor Haley Joel Osment. As seventh grade student who is challenged by his Social Studies teacher Eugene Simonet played by actor Kevin Spacey in an extra credit assignment to change the world. Living is difficult for the young Las Vegas resident Trevor and single mother Arlene played by actress Helen Hunt. Challenging issues of both physical and sexual abuse, along with extreme alcoholism plague the McKinney family. Arlene has dissociated from her son by her severe drinking problem and habitual poor decision making. She is a casino worker by day and strip club waitress at night. Her son Trevor is no run of the mill son. The child sees the potential difference he can make in a world that he does not like the look of. His plan for change is to influence the lives of three people. If the three people accept, it will become their duty and obligation to continue with his idea of “paying it forward”, instead of taking it back by impacting the lives of three other people. This becomes the idea of “one person reaching another” to “one person reaching out to three.” Ultimately the results can revolutionize the earth. The movie “Pay It Forward” is conveyed in an interesting present-day to earlier and back to the present type storyline by...

Words: 735 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Salary vs Satisfaction

...Henderson, author of the 2010 Salary and Satisfaction Survey, mentioned that more pharmaceutical companies are looking for more regulatory, stronger qualities, and knowing the clinical roles while hiring employees. Henderson (2010) also states that employees struggle with the workload pressure that tan employee can develop due to not being fully satisfied with the work environment. Situations that threaten your personal income or the fear of unemployment create an enormous level of stress. Authors Bang-Cheng Liu and Thomas Li-Ping Tang developed a study in China on the satisfaction of full-time public sector professionals as well as a part-time student. A quote that Liu and Tang mentioned in the article read, “Money per se does not lead to pay satisfaction. The value of a given reward is not absolute, but is relative to other rewards with which is compared (Greenberg and Ornstein 1983).” Personally I cannot speak on behalf of the...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Reflections

...Line The purpose of this short film was to display how many individuals go about their lives living in a tunnel vision world. In the film Danny Glover the actor was shown as a business man who did not pay any attention to anything in his surrounding as he journey to work. In the world of which we all live many people are so caught up in their own world, not even taken the time to smell the flowers. People who tend to live in such a matter are not just blind to their own needs but also the needs of their community. The term tunnel visions which can be describe as one who is only focus on things within narrow vision. The main character of this film display this very term. This short film showed the main character who started out his day having car trouble. He really did not try any other options to see what the problem with his vehicle was. His goal was to get to work due to time that reflected on his watch. The issue I took from the film is neglect in not broadening his horizon in contributing to his community. As citizen there are times one must give back to the community of which they live in helping it grown and become as one with thy surrounding neighbors. In the film the role that external social pressures had in influencing ethics was that of paying it forward. At times big companies...

Words: 805 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Pay It Forward Research Paper

...good deed can be demonstrated. One way is topay it forward. Although personally I was sick on the day of the event I still feel compelled to write about it. This is because for a few years I have been a huge fan of paying it forward. There are many ways that you can pay it forward, it has a huge impact on society if done correctly, and it has personally effected me. Paying it forward can be done at any time anywhere. For example you can be at a mcdonalds drive through and decide to pay for the persons meal behind you. As a result of this someones day can be made. Another way you can pay it forward is as a business owner you can set up a program. A couple years back there was a perfect example of this on the news. A small business owner almost straight out of college decided to open up a pizza shop. what he did was sold dollar slices of pizza. The significant thing that he did was gave everyone the oppurtunity to pay an extra dollar to go to the pay it forward account. Also for every dollar someone put in the pay it forward account the owner of the shop would match this dollar. The cool part about this is anybody that may not have cash on them or whatever the situation may be could take a dollar out of the account an buy a piece of pizza. As a result of this thousands of people where buying each...

Words: 825 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Why I Pay It Forward

...BillyWright Mon., Wed. 7:30-8:45 Why I Pay it Forward In Bill's Story he wrote “While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given to me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others”. My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic. For if I an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge my spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, I could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If I do not work, I would surely drink again, and if I drank, I would surely die. With me it is just like that. I for one would not be here today had one man at my first meeting appointed himself to be my sponsor, and herein lies what I believe to be the miracle of AA. He was just over 5 years sober at the time and was experiencing difficulty, he shared this with another member and was told to get a newcomer and work with him. He asked where am I going to get a newcomer all the rest of you seem to grab them. He was told to pray for a wet alcoholic to work with, at this point in his life he was not too heavily into prayer but he had no better ideas so he did what was suggested and he shares...

Words: 685 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Gefgdsffw41242Rwc

...infrastructure. The users only have to consume the resources as a service and only pay for those that they use. This being said, as a Service model, the users can be billed either no longer have to own their own infrastructure. The users only have to consume the resources as a service and only pay for those that they use. This being said, as a Service model, the users can be billed either through a utility computing or subscription basis. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is that the users are no longer are faced with business limiting capital expenditure, instead they can make the decision to convert this expenditure into operational expenditure. This will result in enabling the business to move forward on a level IT playing no longer have to own their own infrastructure. The users only have to consume the resources as a service and only pay for those that they use. This being said, as a Service model, the users can be billed either through a utility computing or subscription basis. One of the key benefits of cloud computing is that the users are no longer are faced with business limiting capital expenditure, instead they can make the decision to convert this expenditure into operational expenditure. This will result in enabling the business to move forward on a level IT playing no longer have to own their own infrastructure. The users only have to consume the resources as a service and only pay for those that they use. This being said, as a Service model, the users can be...

Words: 1340 - Pages: 6