Chain Of Love
by T.W. Winslow

Trying to find a radio station on my car stereo the other day, I happened to hear a song which made me sit back and think...I think the lyric was; Don't let the chain of love end with you.

Trying to find a radio station on my car stereo the other day, I happened to 
hear a song which made me sit back and think. I didn't catch the title or 
artist, but the song was about doing selfless acts of kindness. Rather than 
accepting some form of payment for the good deed, it was asked of the person 
being helped if they would simply return the favor by helping somebody else 
in need sometime in the future. I think the lyric was; Don't let the chain 
of love end with you.

This reminded me of an old movie - Magnificent Obsession, which had the same 
basic story-line. One person doing random acts of kindness for others - 
never asking for repayment of any kind and specifically requesting that no 
one be told of the assistance they had provided. By not accepting any reward 
and never seeking praise from others for what they had done, these were truly 
selfless acts of kindness and is precisely what made them special. For the 
person in the movie, this became a way of life and these acts of good-will 
became a ‘magnificent obsession.' Furthermore, this prompted the people who 
were helped to do likewise, setting off a chain-reaction of sorts. 

Thinking of all this I wondered how many times I've had the chance to act - 
to lend a hand, to give of myself, my time, my money, but didn't? I thought 
of the excuses I make in a feeble attempt to justify my inaction - Someone 
else will come along to help, I just don't have the time, I can't spare the 
money, It's not my place to become involved, How much could I really help 
anyway - I'm just one person? ... the list goes on and on and on. 

The reality is, I'm just making excuses - a desperate attempt to keep from 
feeling guilty I guess. The fact is, I could help in the vast majority of 
situations, but simply elect not to. I'm beginning to wonder who I'm letting 
down the most - the person in need of help or myself? 

By not helping when I could I've let someone down, I've also robbed myself of the pure pleasure of doing a good deed - of knowing I've made a difference, no matter how small, in someone's life. Moreover, as the song suggests, I've let the ‘chain of love stop with me.' 

I recall a lesson from a physics class I took long ago - every action has an 
equal and opposite reaction. Pretty basic stuff, but when applied to people, 
it's actually quite profound. If I were to help two people this week and ask 
that they in turn help two others, think of the possibilities - a ripple 
effect of love (hmmm... is there a song in that?). 

I've been helped many times in my life by many people, both by those I've 
known and a few times by complete strangers. I guess it's time for me to 
pick up the "chain of love" I've let lay and add a few links of my own. With 
any luck, and by the kindness and compassion of others, perhaps the chain 
will continue on and on... I hope so.

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