Many people that you’ll run into will speak of Karma and can often be heard repeating canned statements such as “what goes around, comes around.” But you have to wonder just how many of us truly understands what it means to be connected to one another and to share in each other’s experiences.

If you toss a stone into a pond, you will see the ripples in the water echoing outwards, away from where the stone landed. So it is with our own actions. But just as the rock travels down to the depths of the pond and never bears witness to the ripples – so it is with us. We don’t usually get the opportunity to see all the effects our everyday actions have on others. But it’s important to know that they’re there. For good or ill.

Case in point. On October 13, in the city of Foshan, China a two-year old girl, named Yue Yue, wanders alone out into the street (in front of her parent’s shop). She is hit and run over by a van. The van hesitates and then continues on (running over the child again with its rear wheels). Now if this isn’t horrible enough in its callousness, consider this. As the young child lay bleeding in the street with her legs crushed, she is completely ignored by a total of 18 passing pedestrians! Worse still, the child is run over four more times by two additional vehicles! Finally, a woman stopped to help and the child is then soon discovered by her mother, who rushes her to a local hospital.

At this point, you’re left to wonder how so many people could just continue on with their day while virtually stepping over the body of an injured child? The answer, believe it or not, is quite simple. The focus of those who ignore the people that need their help are pointed inwards. Their world is a small place that revolves only around them. But before you point your finger, there’s more to this concept than you might be willing to see. While you may certainly have stopped to help that injured little girl, ask yourself this – how many opportunities have you let slip by, where you could have shown some small kindness to someone. Rather than doing so, did you just walk on past? Our next video illustrates the cycle that, we, as human beings, have the power to create by our caring.

And the little girl? I’m, sorry to report that Yue Yue passed away on October 21, 2011…

~ George Parker, N.D.