Humanity is a complete upheaval. This is the time for everyone to band together and fight for the greater good... or at least a few simple daily rewards, like kindness. Sometimes, when you're at your lowest it's in the eyes of a stranger that you find hope.
Redditor u/DC9Fancap wanted everyone to share some much needed faith in humanity stories, asking.... What is the nicest thing you've ever done for a complete stranger and vice versa?
The Fall....
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Had a patient who was an older gentleman who fell and hurt his arm. Patient was crying at the scene because we had to cut the sleeve off of his shirt to get to his arm, and patient stated that he couldn't afford to replace the shirt. Came back to work two days later and my crew and I went to WalMart, bought him some new shirts, and went back to his house to deliver them. He was so surprised and so happy. And his X-rays were negative on his arm, which was even better. MyStacheHasAStache
The Save....
A homeless guy camped out in front of a Dunkin' Donuts ran inside to tell me the meter maid was coming. Saved me $45 and he wouldn't even let me buy him breakfast. raymond17funches
Umbrella-ella-ella....
Maybe not the nicest, but this has had the greatest impact on me. An elderly Asian woman was walking past my home when a sudden down burst of rain started with no end in sight. She took shelter in our entry under the canopy at the front door while it poured. I looked out the window to see the rain and noticed the woman. I walked to the closet and took out a large umbrella, opened the door, and offered her the umbrella. She spoke no English and was confused. I gestured that she could have the umbrella. She smiled and walked off into the rain. A week later, a woman dropped off a note and a package at our door. It was written in Chinese. I took it to a friend to read.
The woman had been in the states to attend the death of a child and had a terrible trip. The rain and lack of communication had her very upset. The simple act of offering an umbrella was an act of kindness she had never experienced. No one had ever simply given her something for no reason and she had no good experiences here except that simple act of kindness while in the states. She has sent me letters, pictures and gifts for years since that day. I replied with a letter written by my friend thanking her for the gift. We now share photos from major life events. Kindness has no boundaries and makes the world a wonderful place! NotJustAnyDNA
The Bike Ride....
Saw an old man riding his bike while trying to hold a large bucket and felt obligated to ask if he needs a ride. He said yes. We loaded his stuff up and off we went. He said he was heading to dollar general. I said no problem, anywhere else you need to go? He was going to ride his bike 15 miles to the Human Resources office to get his food stamps. I said I got you man. Asked him his favorite music. I put on "sitting on the dock of the bay." He just sat there eating his chips from dollar general and bobbing his head to the music. On the way back we got some McDonalds. He said it was the best day of his life. It was the best day of mine. beefcase2
We all need Store Moms....
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In high school I worked at a grocery store next door to a subway. It's where I would eat during my lunch everyday cause I knew the people who worked there and they were really nice (occasionally get a free cookie or chips for no reason) and the places were partnered so we got a discount.
We also got punch cards that said every 6th or 7th sandwich was free. I had a free sandwich that day I was looking forward to, however I overheard a coworker I didn't know yet (we were both 17) talking to another coworker (the "store mom" who everyone loved and knew) about how hungry she was. Apparently her family was really poor and she hasn't been paid yet so she wasn't gonna get to eat today. I waited till the girl went to go do something in the back and gave my free meal card to the "store mom" and told her to say a customer left this or something and give it to the girl so she wouldn't be embarrassed.
She did and the girl cried and then got a FAT sandwich. It apparently made her whole week. I never tell this story cause it makes me sound like I'm stroking my own ego. refertothecalendar
Keep Smiling....
I was driving a truck (18 wheeler) in an urban residential area of Houston TX. I had taken the wrong exit looking for the place I was supposed to deliver and evidently my paperwork also had the wrong address. Traffic was bad and I was somewhere trucks were most definitely not supposed to be. I pulled over onto a sidewalk and set my flashers to try and figure out where to go before I really screwed anything up. I was blocking several driveways and this family in a minivan. I got out and and the man (I'm assuming Dad) driving the mini van got out too. I was asking him for directions but he didn't speak English.
So he got his 10 year old daughter and she translated for us. When he didn't know where I was trying to go he got on the phone and called one of his friends. They drive up in another mini van with a family. At this point there are two separate random families helping me figure out where I'm supposed to go while my truck is blocking their road during Houston rush hour. They never stopped smiling. Eventually we figured out the best way for me to get back to the interstate without causing problems. Never learned any of their names but I still think about them whenever I'm sitting in bad traffic. They were beautiful families who really saved my ass in a bad situation. Limorides
Save the Cookies....
Recently, I was in line at a grocery store and the lady before me had two items. One was essential (can't remember what) and the other was a box of cookies.
The cashier told her they don't accept visa there. The woman was pretty upset about not being able to get what she needed before having to bus pick her children up. I told the cashier to throw it on my bill. The woman was so grateful and wanted to put the cookies back but I bought her the cookies too. I could tell I really made her day. I offered her a ride as well but she declined and ran off to catch the bus. Affinity-Charms
Teachers Rule!
I was struggling keeping up in college, trying to learn Arabic, so my teacher, a very sweet 70 year old lady, gave me 2 hours of private tutoring per week for free for a year and a half. She retired after that, but I'm still very grateful. Best teacher ever. RtotheStotheD
Insurance for All!
I have some pretty severe chronic health issues. So I've been saving money ever since I got my first job to have a cushion just in case I was unable to work/without insurance.
I just found out a little girl has the same type of cancer I had a few years ago (pretty rare). She and her family are immigrants without health insurance and have apparently been trying to raise the money for her treatment for a bit. I'm in a good place financially and have great health insurance and am working in a field that is flexible and understanding of my health issues, so I did something arguably irresponsible and donated my health savings account to this girl anonymously.
My vice versa is that I didn't have to pay anything out of pocket for my treatment. What wasn't covered by my insurance was covered by charity that I never even asked for. That treatment was horrible but it saved my life and I was so grateful that I was given that opportunity and didn't have to worry about the money. I felt like this little girl deserved the same. VDaineSarassri
Pokemon brings us together....
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Maybe not a complete stranger, but we definitely didn't know each other beyond being in the same classes.
In 6th grade, I had 2 copies of Pokémon Silver. I had lost my copy, and my cousin who was given a copy by a friend gave me his since he already had Gold version. I end up finding my old copy a couple months later, and around that time I hear this guy saying how much he wished he could play a Pokémon game on his gameboy that his older cousin had given to him (it was an old Gameboy pocket). The next day, I bring my second copy to school, and give it to him at lunch.
That guy became my best friend, and we still keep in contact today, 17 years later. Anteres
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.