Small act of kindness part 1

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 to 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 guarantee fee of $2000 for the piano recital. A deal was struct 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 will 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. Look out for ''Small act of kindness'' part 2