10 Real Stories That Will Make Us Believe Again in Humanity

Being kind is really important. Even when someone does something small to help us, it can make a big difference. It can change how we feel or even change our whole life. Kindness reminds us that people are good, and it inspires us to be kind to others too.

• When I was 17, I moved to a new city and started a new job. However, I hadn’t budgeted my money properly, and I also didn’t know how to cook. One day, I tried to make something tasty with just rice and tomato paste, but let’s just say it didn’t turn out great.
  A colleague noticed that I wasn’t eating lunch and, three days later, he complained about having too many sandwiches from his wife. He offered me one so that it wouldn’t go to waste. I must have devoured it so quickly that for the next few days, his wife kept packing him ’extra’ sandwiches every time. © Bill Castello / Quora

• When I traveled to Germany to pursue opportunities as an opera singer, I encountered numerous challenges and ended up living in a hostel. Despite my efforts, finding work in my field seemed futile, and I began contemplating a return to a more ’normal’ job back home.
  However, a turning point came unexpectedly when a group of schoolchildren from Thailand visited our hostel. The landlord, prioritizing profit, attended to them promptly. Then, on a particularly dreary day, these Thai guests surprised me with breakfast. They brought Thai rice, boiled eggs, pepper, and soy sauce, and what struck me most was their genuine kindness—they didn’t ask for any payment.
  This simple yet heartfelt gesture lifted my spirits and renewed my emotional strength, reminding me of the beauty of unexpected kindness and helping me persevere in pursuing my passion. © topman20000 / Reddit

• A taxi driver stopped and gave me a lift home when I was walking home in torrential rain once, without making me pay. He said it was because he had a daughter around my age and would like to think other people would do the same for her. © Titchelll / Reddit

• It was a gloomy day, and I’ve already forgotten the reason why, but I went to a local restaurant and bought some dumplings and sat by the window staring at the rain like some dramatic middle schooler. The owner of the store comes by and offers me some more free dumplings, and brings me a drink. It seems like a small thing, but it made my day. I thanked him of course, but he was like «Naw naw, my job.» © Unknown author / Reddit

• As a student working part-time as a waitress, I’ve faced tough financial times. One day, while serving two men at work, they left me a generous tip. One of them handed me the money with a heartfelt comment, ’Just like that! I see what you need!’
  It wasn’t about hinting or pestering; it was a genuine act of kindness. When I counted the tip, I was moved to tears by their generosity. I wanted to thank them, but they had already left the restaurant.

• While riding the bus, I witnessed a touching scene. An elderly woman was enjoying her candy, and across from her sat a young boy, around five years old. I couldn’t resist the warmth of the moment and asked the woman for a piece of mint candy. She kindly shared it with me, and as the boy received the candy and returned to his seat, he suddenly jumped up, ran back to the woman, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
  The entire bus was filled with smiles, and even the woman was visibly touched. It’s moments like these that remind us of the kindness and goodness in people, despite negative perceptions about newer generations.

• I was fifteen. I was alone during my first shift at my first job (small photo studio) a woman came in and asked for passport photos in black and white. I explained to her that we no longer did bw passport photos and only color, which were up to specs with government regulations. After I took them, and she came back, she proceeded to yell at me for them not being in black and white, even though she had agreed to color before I took them.
  This is in front of a line of customers behind her who’d witnessed the whole thing. Because it was still a perfectly good product and I had just started the job, I wasn’t allowed to just refund her and be done with it. After fifteen minutes of her refusing to stop yelling at me, I started to cry.
  An older gentleman in the line walked up to her, handed her a refund from his own pocket, and told her to get out and stop mocking a fifteen-year-old for doing her job. About fifteen minutes after he left the store, he came back with ice cream for me just to cheer me up. That guy was the best customer ever. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My biological father walked out on my mom when I was less than 1 year old. My mom work full time at a pizza place and met a guy named Scott who also worked there. Scott asked my mom out on a date and she told him no, because she was 21 years old with two children, ages 3 and 1 and Scott was a 20 year old single guy who wouldn’t want to deal with that baggage. However. Scott persisted. After a while, my mom gave in and they went on their date. On the way home, Scott’s car ended up getting t-boned and my mom broke her collarbone. Scott felt terrible and insisted on taking care of my mom and helping her take care of us. I’m pretty sure he never left our side after that. Fast forward to now. I’m 29 years old with a younger sister and brother and the absolute BEST father in the entire world. Scott has done everything in the world for me. Raised me, played with me, supported me financially, supported me emotionally, taught me, fed me, clothed me, cried with me, laughed with me, cheered for me, paid for my college, paid for my wedding, but most importantly, he loved me. He never had to do any of those things. He didn’t have to be my father, but he chose too, and that’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. © wish_I_was_a_t_rex / Reddit

• On my birthday, a friend asked what gift I wanted. I subtly hinted at a new bag but also mentioned that her presence was more important than any gift. True to her playful nature, she arrived at my birthday party dressed as a gift herself! She jokingly declared that she was my main gift.
  We all laughed and admired her creativity. Later, she surprised me with the bag I had mentioned, showing how well she understands me. That’s why she’s my best friend — she reads me like an open book.

• I was in a long abusive relationship. It was the holidays and I went back to my hometown and was having a dinner with my friends from high school. While we’re eating, my phone rings. It’s him, screaming at me for going out without asking his permission and accusing me of going out with guys behind his back. I tried explaining quietly to him that I was having dinner with my girlfriends from high school, but he kept screaming so loud my friends heard and became concerned. I tried to look as nonchalant as I could, with some excuse of how I felt sick and needed to go home, my eyes brimming with tears. I guess the waiter noticed when he came to refill our water, and brought me some green tea ice cream in the shape of flowers. I was confused, and told him I didn’t order dessert. But he told me, «You’re a beautiful girl, and you look so pretty when you’re smiling and happy. I know it’s none of my business, but no one deserves to make you cry.» I near started bawling at the table, but later that night I had an epiphany that if my pain was evident to total strangers who were capable of showing more compassion than some guy who supposedly was in love with me, it was time to leave. © Pamelabonita / Reddit

Even the smallest acts of kindness can have a profound impact, altering our mood or even shaping the course of our lives. A simple gesture of kindness can brighten someone’s day, restore their faith in humanity, or provide the support they desperately need. It reminds us of the inherent goodness in people and inspires us to pay it forward, creating a ripple effect of positivity that spreads far beyond its initial gesture.