Let’s be real for just a few minutes: we all over-hear conversations.  When you’re sitting at a restaurant enjoying your nice warm vegetarian panini and sipping some hazelnut-cream coffee, past the drone of corporate’s poor choice in music you fish out the words of someone else’s table.  It’s inevitable.  “You wouldn’t believe what he said!” or “So I told her…” flood the room and sometimes it’s hard to keep your head surfaced above it.  While swimming through a sea of voices I fished out some less-than-pleasing things and it got me thinking.  To avoid a full-detailed report of the exchange I’ll sum it up with saying that the subject was that of flattery.  What is flattery? 
     The dictionary defines this as “insincere praise”.  The person accused and set on trial had done a friendly gesture towards someone and the person accusing them interpreted it as petty flattery.  The keyword here is “insincere”.  If the act was done fallaciously and with ulterior motives then it would be deceitful, classifying it as flattery. 
     Let us take a moment to close our eyes and think back to a time when we gave something to someone.  It can be material or intangible, both apply.  Now, was what you gave given out of genuine generosity? 
     Without attempting to sound like a saint or edify any quality in me, I am a benevolent person.  I would much rather give and give and give than receive.  While I enjoy receiving things from people, there is a certain satisfaction I get from seeing the smiles of others when in their hands I place something that provokes felicity in their day.  I’m the kind of person that buys people lunch, buys them their movie ticket and shops for that one thing they want.  While I don’t have a couple thousand in my checking account to spend, I do whatever I can with the amount I have at hand.  Giving is a beautiful thing and it’s something I wholeheartedly enjoy doing.  If my heart was an evergreen pasture, people’s smiles would be the sun shining down on it keeping it aglow. 
     We unfortunately live in a world where any good deed or act of generosity is questioned for motive.  Whenever anyone does anything nice for us, we’re quick to turn to suspicion,  digging deep into the other person’s eyes for reasons why they could have possibly done what they did.  I’m not going to say that everyone does things out of kindness, it would be ignorant of me to state so, but I will state that there are still individuals left in this world who give to give.  Like they say: “Chivalry’s not dead”.  It really isn’t.  Society may not put a shiny crown on old-fashioned ideals or morals but there are those who believe in upholding righteousness in all they do, or at least endeavor to do so.
     To put this into modern perspective, let’s create a hypothetical situation, shall we?  Imagine a friend of yours offered you a movie ticket.  “Want to come to the movies with me?” they ask with a simple smile on their face.  This takes you aback.  “Why are they being so nice?” we internally question.  You hold the ticket in your hand.  You look down and read it.  Sure enough, it’s a Friday-night showing of a popular movie that just came out.  You rummage through the drawers of our mind searching for possible reasons this person has asked you to attend a film with them.  You remember hearing a whisper hear and there that they had interest in someone and that it didn’t work out too well.  “They could be picking up on me” you think.  Or if they’re the same sex we could think they got invited and didn’t want to be a third wheel and were desperately looking for someone to fill the gap so they wouldn’t be miserable.  “That’s probably it” you think.  “This person got ditched and they’re asking around to see who will go with them before the day comes so they don’t look like loners”.  You look up at the person and hand them the ticket back.  “No thanks” you reply with an indifferent tone. “I’ve got plans that night.”
     Did you ever stop to think that maybe this person wanted to see a movie with you just because?  Of course not.  Our minds have been molded to think otherwise.  You turn on the news and you see kidnappings, murders and rape.  How can we possibly not question other people’s motives?  There are evil people in this world.  That’s the reality of it all.  But do you know what else is a reality?  There are good people in this world.  We’ve all been invited to the movies, me included.  I’m guilty of performing this hypothetical scenario and it’s one so common that I’m sure most everyone can relate.  We’ve all doubted other’s motives at one point or another, it’s natural… to most, anyways.  I’ve learned, from myself ironically, that benevolence is something that is out there and waiting to be discovered. 
     I love with a giving heart and endeavor to make those around me happy without expecting anything above an acknowledgment and a cheerful “Thank you, Sam”.  I’m not the only one working to make other people’s lives just a little brighter.  I know so.  Before doubt seeps into your heart, remember that there are those who want nothing more than to see you smile.

(11:45pm Nov 28 2010)