The young man in this image was on a commuter train, apparently on his way to a job interview and struggling with his tie. Seeing his difficulty, this woman told him to stand still and she’d tie it for him.

People, once they see each other directly, help one another, and willingly. It is small kindnesses like this that make the world a better place. They matter a very great deal. We need to do these things and see these things: they change us – improve us – on the inside, where it really matters. When enough of us see and participate in enough events like these, the world will improve organically. If, on the other hand, we are divided by labels and theories and artificial loyalties, we are atomized, separated and diminished.

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Now, before you go back to the mundane, please imagine yourself in the position of this woman, this young man, or another passenger in the rail car. Then, try to carry that feeling with you for the rest of the day, stopping to recover it from time to time.