#061 THE WORLD IS A WONDERFUL PLACE


A true story, happened in 1892 at Stanford University:
An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. He and a friend decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.
They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck and the boys began to work to make the concert a success.

The big day arrived. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire $1600, plus a cheque for the balance $400. They promised to honour the cheque at the soonest possible.
“No,” said Paderewski. “This is not acceptable.” He tore up the cheque, returned the $1600 and told the two boys: “Here’s the $1600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep
the money you need for your fees. And just
give me whatever is left”. The boys were
surprised, and thanked him profusely.
It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being.
Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives. And most of us only think “If I help them, what would happen to me?” The truly great people think, “If I don’t help them, what will happen to them?” They don’t do it expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it’s the right thing to do.
Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were more than 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them. Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.
The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover — who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of foodgrains to feed the starving Polish people.
A calamity was averted. Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, “You shouldn’t be thanking me Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college. I was one of them.”
The world is a wonderful place. What goes around comes around!




Comments

  1. Unknown17 August 2018 at 23:46

    This is definitely a great story! That's why I always say "we sow what we reap." From my view of point sometimes we make any favour and we think that our help is not worth a lot, and we never expect something in return. But life always has a sorprise for us and we received something that we hadn't never expect. I always remember this saying "People should do what is right, come what may" and it's totally right. ;D

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    1. Anonymous19 August 2018 at 11:58

      Right, I suppose you are Julio, life has a suprise for us, in fact many surprises and we received things that we hadn't expected to. Come what may, we ought to help everyone who needs it, even if they ask us or not, cus' sometimes people need it but don't mention it. Give love and you'll have it back

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  2. July Ancco19 August 2018 at 15:32

    What a great story !, I think it's a good story to share with other people through social networks because it would help them reflect on their actions. The world needs people with empathy. Today education should be focused on emotional education. I remember a good movie that is about helping others without expecting anything in return, this is "Pay it Forward" in Spanish is "Cadena de favores". Recommended if you have not seen it yet !

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    1. Anonymous26 August 2018 at 14:41

      Well July, that is one of my favourite films, If I'm not wrong (because I watched it long time ago), it was three favours to do for other people. A good way to help others withouth knowing them, without asking who they are or judging them, and what is better than to do it without expecting anything in return.

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  3. Unknown19 August 2018 at 22:51

    Definitily it's a good story, in fact there are many examples about this because some people who make favour, which might be so small that we don't realise, they don't wait anything for these favours. However, always severals years after they will receive more than they gave to another people. I remember a phrase:"The human being is able to help, but a virtue is don't give them only something that you don't use". To be honest, I agree with the world is a wonderful place and I consider is very small.
    In addition to this story, we could remember of Newton's Third Law of Motion - that for every force, there is a force equal in magnitude acting in the opposite direction :)...

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    1. Anonymous26 August 2018 at 15:03

      Great examples Americo, Newton's third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Definitely, forces always come in pairs. So every time we help others, we could say that God will help us, maybe through other people but not immediately , he knows when and why, he knows the right time. As you said the world is such a small place that we would find lots of people many times but some of them would fade away, what is more sometimes we will get surprised and other times in shock.

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  4. Unknown28 September 2018 at 20:49

    this is a good example for apply to our lives ,because most of the people that makes favours always are expecting something in return but now our mentality needs to change if we want to improved in our lives because it's time to changed this world and also this generation. this generation needs to be different , a generation with values and the most important thing: that not wait anything in return if they do a favour because it would return when you need it more , in the perfect moment.

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  5. Unknown28 September 2018 at 22:10

    I must accept that this story was completely deep, it teaches other people to love and to improve their generosity with other people. Because could think that we are right, but we aren't sometimes. And for being self-centered you will belittle other people. But when you have a hard plight, no one will help you

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  6. Gabriela Boggiano27 January 2019 at 10:59

    It’s a good story and a great example for the reality that our society lives. A lot of people don’t help others because they always think about their own benefit, but you never know when you need help from some else. A few people help others without expecting something in return, but in the end your reward is higher.
    This world needs more people who want to help others.

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  7. Sandy Mandy12 June 2019 at 21:24

    Life makes sense when this type of situation happens to us. This story is a great example of that. There isn't greater satisfaction than giving without expecting anything in return. Stories like these are motivating and positive because they make us believe that there are still good people who are willing to help others. We should all be attentive to be part of a better world and have the opportunity to be happy making others happy. Sometimes with small actions can make a big difference.

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  8. Sandra18 September 2020 at 10:02

    It is a very interesting reading that leaves us a beautiful lesson. In some cases, people help others because they expect to receive something. However, it would be best to help without receiving any reward. When we do, we experience a sense of gratitude from them. The world needs good deeds and we are the ones who can help others feel better.

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  9. Lucia Ronquillo12 April 2024 at 06:53

    What a powerful story that illustrates the ripple effect of kindness and generosity! It's amazing how small acts of kindness can play out over time and impact lives in ways we may never fully realize. Paderewski's selfless act not only helped two students but also left a very good impression on Herbert Hoover, who later played a pivotal role in helping Paderewski's country during a time of dire need. It serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of compassion and how it can shape our world in unexpected ways.

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