What is there for me is often the main concern in most of our decisions. Self-centeredness is the greatest weakness of humanity. You may have read the story of Alexander Fleming (he discovered penicillin) and Sir Churchill in the article What Goes Around Comes Around .  Likewise, there is the story of Dr. Howard Kelly who while as a hungry boy was offered a glass of milk by a woman who later became his patient (Milk of Human Kindness) .

An act of kindness is always rewarded in many different ways and in many folds. In life, we may be conditioned to think that our welfare depends upon what we can get. However, sometimes great moment in our lives catches us unaware in a beautifully wrapped opportunity which we consider small but a life-changing break  if we would consider what is there for others.

Here's another true story of an act of kindness derived from a forwarded email shared by Rey C. It had happened in 1892 at Stanford University. It's moral is still relevant today.

A young, 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. He was an orphan, and not knowing where to turn for money, he came up with a bright idea. A friend and he decided to host a musical concert on campus to raise money for their education.

They reached out to the great pianist Ignacy J. Paderewski. His manager demanded a guaranteed fee of $2,000 for the piano recital. A deal was struck. And the boys began to work to make the concert a success. The big day arrived. Paderewski performed at Stanford. But unfortunately, they had not managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1,600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and explained their plight. They gave him the entire$1,600, plus a cheque for the balance of $400. They promised to honour the cheque soonest possible.

"No" said Paderewski. "This is not acceptable" He tore up the cheque, returned the $1,600 and told the boys "Here's the $1,600. Please deduct whatever expenses you have incurred. Keep the money
you need for your fees and just give me whatever is left."  The boys were surprised, and thanked him profusely.

It was a small act of kindness. But it clearly marked out Paderewski as a great human being. Why should he help two people he did not even know? We all come across situations like these in our lives.And most of us only think , "If I help them, what would happen to me?"  The truly great people think, "If I don't help them, what will happen to them?"  They don't do it expecting something in return. They do it because they feel it's the right thing to do.

Paderewski later went on to become the Prime Minister of Poland. He was a great leader, but unfortunately when the World War began, Poland was ravaged. There were over 1.5 million people starving in his country, and no money to feed them.

Paderewski did not know where to turn for help. He reached out to the US Food and Relief Administration for help.

The head was a man called Herbert Hoover who later went on to become the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food grains to feed the starving Polish people. A calamity was averted.

Paderewski was relieved. He decided to go across to meet Hoover and personally thank him. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his noble gesture, Hoover quickly interjected and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me, Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college in the US. I was one of them."

The world is a wonderful place. What goes around usually comes around.