Theory
The best way to make the world a better place is to give a helping hand
of ours to others. It is all about having a mindset to improve beyond
ourselves. Helping others might be the key to happiness for many. The act
of helping someone, expecting nothing in return, makes us all the more selfless.
Well, here are 10 benefits of helping others.
1. Helping others makes us feel good. It gives us a heightened sense of
well being.
2. Helping others creates a sense of belonging. Hence, we feel like more
connecting with others and the community.
3. Helping others gives us more identity and character and shows the
purpose of our life.
4. Identifying the unlucky and giving our helping hand gets us to the right
perspective in life.
5. Our generosity and act of helping others is contagious. It will induce
the same thought in many people who watch the same.
6. Helping others induces selflessness, less stress and more life in you.
7. Helping others is a kind of activism which renews us through
experience and insights.
8. Helping others boosts our self esteem and well being.
9. The act of helping fetches us a lot of friends from the society.
10. Helping others enhances our positivity, outlook and attitude.
Story
Arvind took the same route to his office every morning, a quiet lane where
old houses whispered their histories and bougainvillea spilled over broken
compound walls. Every morning, at the end of that lane, sat an elderly man
named Babu Uncle, thin, frail and eyes full of years .He sold homemade banana
chips in small packets for ₹10 each.
Most people passed him without stopping. Some were in a hurry, some
pretended not to see, some felt pity but didn’t know how to help. Arvind, too, had
walked past him countless times, offering only a polite nod, never a pause. He
always told himself, “I’m running late… maybe tomorrow.”But tomorrow never
came.
One rainy Monday morning, Arvind noticed that Babu Uncle’s usual spot was
empty. A strange discomfort settled in his heart. The road looked incomplete
without that old man’s quiet presence. Later, as he reached the bus stop, he
found the old man sitting under a tree, soaked, shivering, and clutching his bucket
of unsold packets. Something inside Arvind broke. He walked up to him and asked
softly, “Uncle… did you eat anything today?”The old man smiled weakly.
“Ah, son… some days it is slow. But it is alright, God sends buyers when he
wants.”That sentence hit Arvind harder than he expected, not because of the
words, but because of the gentleness with which they were spoken. Without
thinking further, Arvind picked up the entire bucket. “How much for everything?”
The old man blinked in disbelief.“Beta… you don’t have to do this.”But Arvind
insisted and he paid for the whole lot and helped him cross the road safely.
As he walked away carrying fifty packets of banana chips, something felt
unusually light in his chest,as if he had finally listened to a voice he had been
silencing for years.
The next day, Arvind didn’t walk past. He stopped again, and this time, he spoke
to the old man, not as a customer, but as a friend. Over the next few weeks, the
lane witnessed something heart-warming: more people began noticing Babu
Uncle, some stopped to buy, some offered tea, and some simply sat beside him
for a few minutes. Kindness, like fragrance, had begun to spread.
One afternoon, Arvind decided to share the old man’s story on social media.
He spoke not about charity, but about humanity, about how a small act of love
could change someone’s day… and someone’s life. The post went viral.
Within days, a local community group came forward with support. Someone
arranged a covered stall for him. A doctor volunteered to check on his health
weekly. A college student offered to redesign the packaging to help him earn
more. The old man’s quiet life blossomed — not because of a grand miracle, but
because one person had stopped, listened, and cared.
One evening, as Arvind walked back from work, Babu Uncle called out, “Beta…
come sit for a minute.”Arvind sat beside him on the little wooden stool, with
trembling hands, the old man offered him a warm packet of freshly made
chips.“Take this, son… This one is not for sale,” he whispered, his eyes moist.
“This is for the hand that didn’t walk past me when the world did.”Arvind felt a
lump rise in his throat. He had done so little, but the old man had given him
something far bigger, the realisation that a hand extended at the right moment
has the power to lift more than just a person… it lifts humanity itself.
Arvind walked home that evening with tears in his eyes, not of sadness, but of a
joy that can only be felt when the heart chooses to be human.
Learning
A helping hand doesn’t always change the world, but it often changes someone’s
world. We wait for big moments, big opportunities, and big gestures, but most
lives brighten through small, quiet acts of compassion —a pause, a question, a
smile, a touch, a moment of seeing someone who feels unseen. Kindness doesn’t
demand wealth, only willingness. And when one person decides not to walk past;
they inspire the next…and the next…
until a whole lane of indifference blossoms into a street of humanity.
Activity
List out the number of people you help every day. Let these numbers grow day by
day
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Quote
“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us
every day.”– Sally Koch
Takeaways
1. The best way to make the world a better place is to give a helping hand of
ours to others.
2. Enjoy the 10 benefits of helping others.