Drive-Through Generosity

     A recent article in Upfront Magazine called "Drive-Through Generosity" discusses the trend of what is called "paying it forward." This means repaying a kindness to someone other than the person who paid you a kindness. According to the article, people have been paying it forward by paying for the food of the people behind them at drive-throughs. It is common in the US and Canada - in fact, in 2012, 228 consecutive customers paid it forward at a Tim Hortons in Canada. Some people think that the trend is due to increasingly negative and gloomy news, both in the US and around the world.
     The author wants me to think that this is a good thing. Paying it forward is a much-needed act of kindness in a world that can be gloomy and depressing. With everything I hear on the news every morning - murder, pollution, greed - it is nice to hear about something as small as buying a stranger a hamburger. The author uses a quote from a woman who pays it forward frequently. She says that the trend is about "letting people see... there are nice people out there and maybe we can turn it around." The author is biased in that they believe that paying it forward is a good thing for society. Of course, the opposite view - paying it forward has a negative effect on society - seems more than a little ridiculous to me.
     Before I read this article, I did not know that paying it forward existed, let alone that it was a trend. I think that paying it forward is a great thing to do. This article is similar to other stories I hear about random acts of kindness to strangers. After reading this article, I have realized that I want to be the kind of person who pays it forward whenever I can.







Works Cited

"Drive-Through Generosity." Upfront Magazine 13 Jan. 2014: 3. Web.