The world is in a race into the future. The rate at which digitalisation is taking place is exponential and never-before-seen. Humanity is now living in societies more and more steeped in materialism. People are becoming pragmatic and materialistic more than ever, obsessed even, to the point that many even forget fundamental spiritual and mental values such as family.

The modern world is becoming overly concerned with individualism, which young people have come to the point of abusing its value and using it as an excuse to disregard other people’s constructive opinion and criticism, which simply sound against their ears, and take it as a privilege to be. As such, people are boxing themselves in their own space simply dismissing others’ presence as violation, even though there are matters that are but pettifogging. Things are just taken for granted.

Taking things for granted is becoming more and more pronounced in everyday life, because people’s lives, for the most part, have never been easier, better and more convenient with more personal rights to make their own decisions. Thus, the real problem is, generations born into the fruits grown by predecessors – who have shed blood and tears, have endured social unfairness and unthinkable hardship and adversity, just to fight to revolutionize the way we live – have taken all that as natural and supposed-to-be, but hardly know and/or remember how the forefathers dedicated their lives to their own ideals.

In today’s time, life is too full of everything, as access to things is too easy, and choices available have become so abundant, so much that people have come to waste a great many things which could help other people of lesser lives become better, and that they have come to failure of paying due appreciation to certain things. A “thank you” now has turned more or less formalistic and bears little to no heartfelt feelings to any acts of kindness in everyday life.

It’s not uncommon to come across those who take another’s help for granted. They may exert instant appreciation to some degree, but it soon falls out of mind in a matter of even just seconds. However, the irony is, when people don’t get the help they need, many start blaming others for being insensitive or heartless, but when they do get help, they only take it lightly. Of course, no true heartfelt help is offered with the expectation of anything in return, but that can make us forget what kindness really means and why it’s there in our life, or even lose faith in one another.

To put it concisely, there may be a good-to-follow philosophy on mutuality that’s best expressed as: “The giver remembers not, and the receiver forgets not”. Perhaps it sounds simple enough, but to be aware of and practice this plain and simple principle is what many in modern societies have failed to do.

Such a principle will raise your awareness, making you pay attention to the smallest act of kindness and appreciate it to the fullest, as well as never forget a favor offered out of selflessness when you are in need of it most, so even if it takes you ten years to return that favor, you will still do it, for you bear it in your heart with lifelong gratitude, and not with the thought of paying all the debt just to get it over with, but with the inter-connecting human affection that we can give each other. And so, as you feel it deeply what kindness means, you will be able to open your heart, and you will give more generously, with a greater thought and ideal of building this world together, where we stand together and united as one – the ultimate power of mankind to overcome hardship in the darkest of times.

It’s hard, but it can be done.

Note: Truly successful people, in my opinion as the post’s author, are those who made tireless efforts and struggled to realize their own dreams, and they know how hard it was. Thus, they are generally well appreciative of everything in their lives, as they understand the values of things, thanks to the tough times they have been through.