After my jiu jitsu class the other night, I spent quite a bit of time talking to a good friend. One of those sincere people that you can trust... without any doubt in your mind.
We got on the topic of people. Specifically, we were talking about opening and holding doors for people. We talked about how it seems that not as many people are doing it any more.
Why?
Maybe it's because no one says "thank you" anymore. Maybe it's the downward sprial of, "They are not holding doors for me, so why should I hold doors for them." Maybe it's because (most) people just don't seem to appreciate it any more.
If all of that is true, does it mean that I should stop doing it? If I take a hard, honest look at my motivation, why was I holding the door in the first place? Because I wanted a "thank you"? Because I wanted someone to hold a door for me in return? Because I wanted someone to appreciate how polite I am? Or, was it because it was the right thing to do?
If you're doing things for the right reason, the response you get from the outside world is irrelevant. Keep doing the right things and don't let the world change your definition of "right." I know it's easy to be swayed by the winds of negativity, but don't fall for it. It's a trap. The good news is that with any trap, if you know it's there, it loses its advantage.
So, should we still hold doors for strangers? Absolutely. Because whether we hold a door for a stranger is not a reflection of them, it's a reflection of us.