I will be the first to admit that the world is really sad. But, I will also be the first to admit that in a sad world, there are infinite opportunities to change people's lives.
The big theory in the movie "Pay It Forward" is that ideas can still change the world. In the story, a special 11-year-old named Trevor has an idea to make the world better. One must do a good deed for someone, and instead of returning the good deed, the person must pay it forward by doing a good deed for three other people. Another requirement is that the deed must be something the recipient could not do themselves. The world would change through three good deeds at a time.
There is something magical about seeing how acts of love spur other acts of love. In real life, you don't always see the ripple effect of random acts of kindness. But in this movie, you do. Something about that is just enchanting -- to know that if your life were a movie, maybe you would see the effect your acts of love would have. Perhaps it would keep your spirits a little higher. The movie offers big ideas on how to change the world, and it also offers some big ideas that can change your world.
1. It reminds you that a teacher with a good question can change the world.
2. It lets you know that it's OK to admit how sad the world is.
It's OK to ask questions, to wrestle with heartbreak and to wonder about the meaning of existence.
3. It allows you to accept the things you cannot change...
Because, to be honest, there will be a lot of them.
4. And to change the things you can.
Because, to be honest again, there are even more things that you can change.
5. It lets your heart feel that feeling you get when a kid asks a homeless man into his house because of the simple fact that the man needed one.
6. It reminds you that it's OK to love people.
Better yet, it's necessary. The world is hard. Trust me, I won't fight you on that one. But what we have left is to choose love. To shackle kindness to our hearts. To choose who we love, why we love and how much we love.
In the spirit of paying it forward, imagine how the love you give others helps them to love others, which can create a ferocious and neverending cycle of love — a cycle of love that you can start. You can see it in this movie, and you can make it real in your own life, today.
