The Stranger At The Airport Taught A Lifelong Lesson

A few years back, I was flying from Delhi to Bangalore for work.

My eyes rested on this fine gentleman clad in smart casuals at the airport - waiting in the queue. I usually don't get swooned by men, but this guy had something about him that made me looked at him for a tad longer. Apart from the fact that he was attractive, he was also finely dressed. Since I was studying styling at that time, it made me give him some brownie points. 

The guy must have been in his mid-20s. He appeared alluring because he had no idea how calm he looked in the queue with terrified and restless faces. 

After a few minutes of looking at random strangers to pass my time, I thought of being productive and read my Jeffery Archer novel. As I boarded the plane, I found the guy from the airport right behind me. 

We were flying on the same flight.

I was excited because I hadn't got a window seat and had to manage with the aisle. But the guy happened to be sitting precisely two seats ahead of me across the row. The sitting arrangement allowed me to have a clear view of him, which I wasn't really forward to.

My seatmates were both ready with their neck pillows to sleep. To keep myself occupied, I took out my novel and tried to engross myself in the story of Kane and Abel. 

The airport stranger was also sitting at the aisle seat and shared his seat with an old couple. Halfway through the flight, the old lady sitting next to the airport stranger got sick. She was unable to breathe and was struggling. The older man, her husband, checked her breath and tried to fix the fan above clear ventilation. By the time he could do anything else, this gentleman called the air hostess and asked her to see if there's any doctor on board.

This news went straight to the cabin, and an announcement was made. Luckily, a doctor was present on the flight, and he volunteered to check on the poor lady. Meanwhile, the airport stranger tried everything he could to make the lady feel better. He offered his neck pillow and helped her place it properly around her neck.

A few minutes later, the doctor on board arrived and checked on the lady and gave her some medicine. It worked, and everyone on the flight went back to what they were doing.

I went back to my book. Suddenly the old lady started feeling cold and tried to cover her in her saree pallu, while her husband tried to reduce the cooler knob from the top. The old couple had no layering as it was peak summertime in Delhi. The airport stranger sitting next to them got up from his seat, took out his blazer bag from the cabin compartment, took out his blazer, and gave it to the old lady. She was reluctant but eventually accepted it.

I wasn't trying to invade their privacy or to sneak too much, but it all was happening right in front of my eyes. I saw the airport stranger asking the lady if she was doing fine now and then just how her son would have done.

This simple act of kindness showed me who he really was, then his style or his charm. You can look like a million-dollar, but nothing's going to matter at the end of the day if you're not kind. 

Our character defines who we really our.

Our kindness defines how admirable we are and nothing else.

We would do the same if it were someone we knew, or maybe a bit for a stranger we meet on a flight. It's a rare quality to take care of people you don't know. He was generous enough to offer everything he had to help the old lady and even helped them take their luggage out of the conveyor belt. As a blind audience, I watched what was happening in front of me, and thinking about what had stood out most about that guy I had seen at the airport was his kindness.

I wouldn't even remember this incident after 3 years if he just happened to be a good looking guy I saw at the airport; his kindness and generosity have made me share this story with the world.

"Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are."

 - Harold S. Kushner

No matter how attractive you are and how much money you make - kindness will always be the number one trait. The face can be fixed, the bank balance can be filled, and what can't really change in your heart. 

Your little act of kindness can create a ripple effect might enough to change the world.