My homie @jmikey usually starts off his first tweet of the day with the slogan #PayItForward. I never knew what that meant. I thought it was the usual Twitter hashtag and didn’t pay it any mind. It wasn’t until I saw other people using it that I had to lookup what this phrase meant. One thing you will come to learn about me is that I’m a chronic Googler. if I don’t know a word, phrase, or fun fact about the world, I will Google until I find the answer. I was doing this type of research back when Encyclopedia Brittanica was poppin’! I googled the term and found the definition:
The expression “pay it forward” is used to describe the concept of asking that a good deed be repaid by having it done for others instead.
Knowing my dude Mikey, it doesn’t surprise me that he would advocate this philosophy. This is a pretty cool concept and one that I have lived, without knowing that it was a term. Reciprocity to me is summed up by another phrase: “garbage in, garbage out”. You get what you put into life. If you approach a situation unprofessional and half-assed, don’t expect high quality in return. You can work hard and get lackluster results, but you will know that it wasn’t from a lack of effort. You just have to tweak your approach and do better next time. When you do a good deed for someone, it’s great to see that same deed or greater done for others.
As a young Alpha Man, I remember going to my first National Convention in New Orleans (pre Katrina). I was broke with only my travel paid. I had no job or income, but it was important for me to network with the brothers, see a beautiful city, and to do something great with my summer. All throughout the trip, my older brothers/prophytes took care of me. I linked up with my sands from VA to have a hotel room (also known as a piece of ground to crash on), and we ate well. I’m the type to hate asking for things or getting assistance, but in my journey to become an Alpha, I learned that you have to humble yourself and get help if necessary. When thanking these great men for holding me down, all they said to me was “remember to do the same for a brother that we are doing for you”. That stuck with me in all areas of my life.
Soon, I became the prophyte that younger brothers looked to for assistance. I became that brother who would pay for a young Brooke college kids meal. I was that dude who helped people get their sound tracks tight for step shows, made flyers for programs, or gave advice on better business practices. I felt that obligation, because the same was done for me with nothing in return. I became that dude who advised the younger brothers to do the same for another. Pay it forward!
It feels good to help those that need it, without receiving compensation. How great would our world be if everyone passed on the good deeds they received? it’s a simple yet effective concept. It may seem overly altruistic and idealistic, but I think it’s cool. On this Sunday I charge everyone to pay it forward. I’m not asking you to be Mother Theresa, but look out for others in the same way that people looked out for you.
Pretty cool concept huh?
In South Africa, we have a similar concept called “Ubuntu”, i will loosely translate it to “Humanity” but meaning “generosity of spirit”, which i think goes a little further than ‘pay it forward’. Pay it forward, in my view, means show kindness as kindness has been shown to you by another- but what if that kindness has not been extended to you? Correct me if I’m wrong.
Ubuntu calls for you to treat one the way you would treat yourself and your family; to treat everyone- regardless of their circumstances with dignity and the utmost respect. Its very difficult to explain; its something you experience. Unfortunately, these principles are being disregarded by people adopting a un-African mindset where its Umuntu (a person) over Ubuntu (humanity).
#2cents
Yeah that sounds like the Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”. I think Pay it forward is the next part of that. Treat others the way you want to be treated, and if you get something, spread the blessings around to anyone. So if someone loaned me $5 for some food, I should be willing to do the same for another. Thats how I look at it. Thanks for the comment!