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Comment by toomuchtodo | Hacker News Reader

> “I like to randomly do things to help when nobody’s looking,” Benigno said. “I’ll do just random stuff to help improve things that will benefit random people that I’ve never met before … it’s just so that I can do a little thing to fix something so somebody doesn’t suffer down the road.”

We need all of this we can get.

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We also need all of this we can give.

So many people are unhappy these days because they feel they aren't doing anything that meaningfully helps their community. We're a social species. We thrive when we feel we are helping our tribe thrive.

Any parent knows darn well that giving is so much better for the giver than just receiving

A huge part of this is that people who are willing to do so don't know how/where to offer it. Not everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit or the ambition of a trailblazer.

Today, I jump-started a car for a sketchy couple in rough shape at the end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere that I encountered after making a wrong turn. Forensic Files episodes often start this way, but I still stopped to help.

To be happy, I recommend looking at what the media pushes and doing the exact opposite. No matter what it is. Even when you're wrong, you'll be right often enough to negate the losses.

Sob story about ___? The subjects are always going to prove to be criminals or assholes. Avoid them.

Be afraid of these people! They're probably being put upon and desperately need your help.

Don't be afraid of these people! They just want to scam you.

#believewomen! Don't.

It frustrates me to see people in my neighborhood complain about minor things on local social media, but do nothing about it or even go out of their way to make things worse (like complaining about trash on the sidewalk on an especially windy day, or walking their dog on the high school football field instead of the dog park, which is two blocks (!!) further, for example). It feels like it is hard to get people to to extend common courtesy towards their neighbors, let alone do something good for someone they think they'll never run into.

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