In A Heartbeat-- Post 2

Continuing to read about the story, I learned that the Tuohys decided to do something small by giving Michael Oher a couch to sleep on for a night, and this gradually turned into them giving more to him and drastically improving his life. Offering their couch to Oher for a night was definitely not the type of charitable giving that would direct positive attention towards them, in fact it directed a lot of negative attention, but it was that small thing that caused a world of difference in Michael's life. Many people questioned the Tuohys and asked them if they had considered the dangers of letting a large black man that they didn't know into their house. This was the thought that I had, because it is something that I could never imagine my family doing. Leigh Anne Tuohy responded by putting our lives into perspective. She asked if you worry every time you cross a bridge that it will fall, every time you cross the street if you'll get hit by a car, and similar risks that we take every single day. Life is uncomfortable at times and there are risks that are taken every day, but it is the little risks that people don't realize can change a person's life. One quote from this chapter specifically stood out to me, and I'd like to end my post with it, letting my readers think about this question because it really got me thinking about changing the way that I act... "Try an experiment. At some point in the next twenty-four hours you're going to come across someone who seems of no consequence. Ask yourself if you see value in this person. It might be a young woman in a restaurant clearing off the tables. It might be the young man who parks your car in a garage. It might be someone standing on the curb at a red light or waiting at a bus stop. Pay attention to how you respond. You will glance at them, barely, and you will place some type of value on them. (You're lying if you say you don't.) You will pass right by them and if you give them a second thought, it will be this: you're better than they are." This really struck a chord with me, because as much as I'd like to say I'm a good person, I definitely think that this is true. I challenge you to try "the experiment" because I am going to. Be conscious of your actions and really ask yourself if you are giving everyone a fair chance or if you instantly judge people without even giving them a chance to prove who they really are inside.