Pay It Forward
Pay it forward or paying it forward refers to repaying the good deeds one has received by doing good things for other unrelated people.
I did a bit of research and according to Wikipedia the idea of "paying it forward" appeared in a letter from Benjamin Franklin to Benjamin Webb, dated April 22, 1784. The phrase "pay it forward" as a moral philosophy appeared in Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel "Pay It Forward", which was also adapted into a movie of the same name. Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, used the phrase in "Between Planets," a book published in 1951, some 50 years before Ryan Hyde's novel.
I haven't read Ryan Hyde's book but I loved the movie. "Pay it Forward" is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in repayment of a good deed that one receives, and that such good deeds should be things that the person cannot accomplish on their own. The recipient of such acts of kindness is then expected to do three good deeds for others in repayment for the help they have received. In this way, the need to help each other can spread exponentially through society creating a social movement with the hopes of making the world a better place. In practice the philosophy of pay it forward has broadened relative to its literary roots, and now it incorporates a more general flavor of social responsibility and desire to help others in recognition of the help one has received for one's self. It is also sometimes described as being "good for a favor", meaning a willingness to help others, even strangers, on the expectation that it will all come back around in the end.
The idea of the book has been championed in real life by the Pay It Forward Foundation . The Foundation focuses on bringing the idea of paying it forward to school age children, parents, and educators. The simple idea of doing good works for others to repay the good that has happened to you is one that can easily be conveyed to children and encourages them to be socially aware and take a role in making the world a better place. The main character of the book was a 12-year-old child, thus giving other children someone they can relate to.
Why should kids have all the fun? Shouldn't paying it forward be part of our everyday lives? If you think so then add your link below!
I did a bit of research and according to Wikipedia the idea of "paying it forward" appeared in a letter from Benjamin Franklin to Benjamin Webb, dated April 22, 1784. The phrase "pay it forward" as a moral philosophy appeared in Catherine Ryan Hyde's novel "Pay It Forward", which was also adapted into a movie of the same name. Science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, used the phrase in "Between Planets," a book published in 1951, some 50 years before Ryan Hyde's novel.
I haven't read Ryan Hyde's book but I loved the movie. "Pay it Forward" is described as an obligation to do three good deeds for others in repayment of a good deed that one receives, and that such good deeds should be things that the person cannot accomplish on their own. The recipient of such acts of kindness is then expected to do three good deeds for others in repayment for the help they have received. In this way, the need to help each other can spread exponentially through society creating a social movement with the hopes of making the world a better place. In practice the philosophy of pay it forward has broadened relative to its literary roots, and now it incorporates a more general flavor of social responsibility and desire to help others in recognition of the help one has received for one's self. It is also sometimes described as being "good for a favor", meaning a willingness to help others, even strangers, on the expectation that it will all come back around in the end.
The idea of the book has been championed in real life by the Pay It Forward Foundation . The Foundation focuses on bringing the idea of paying it forward to school age children, parents, and educators. The simple idea of doing good works for others to repay the good that has happened to you is one that can easily be conveyed to children and encourages them to be socially aware and take a role in making the world a better place. The main character of the book was a 12-year-old child, thus giving other children someone they can relate to.
Why should kids have all the fun? Shouldn't paying it forward be part of our everyday lives? If you think so then add your link below!
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