"That there are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind," is one of the most important, and eye opening quotes from the story, The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This quote means that all lives, whether unknown or obvious, are connected to each other. "That there are no random acts," means that everything that is said or done, happens for a reason. Mistakes made, that you believe don't benefit yourself, benefit someone else. It could be in a small, discreet way, or a life changing experience. Your mistake could mean the life or death of a person, such as the tale in the story. When young Eddie dives into the middle of the street to get a ball, he doesn't realize that he cause the person, the Blue Man, to swerve, and die. "That you can no more separate one life from another, than you can separate a breeze from the wind," means that there isn't one person completely unaffected, or separate, from everyone else, much like how the breeze is part of the wind, nearly impossible to differentiate from one another.
All of our actions, whether good or bad, affect someone somewhere, positively, or negatively. For example, you are walking in the city, completely care free, and relaxed, when you come across a homeless family of two, a mother, and her young daughter, begging for food. You aren't sure whether the mother and daughter are really homeless and starving, like they say, or if they're faking, and the mother just wants to spend your money on drugs for herself. You decide the latter, and walk merrily away, completely unaware of the true situation of the mother and daughter. The next day, you are home, the possibly homeless family erased from your memory with ease. While your healthy and happy, the homeless family is dead from starvation, and it's your fault because you didn't give them any money, or food even though you had the chance, and could easily spare enough money, or food. You will never know about the family, because they were so easily forgotten in your mind. But now, because of your actions, they are erased from this world, as easily as they were erased from your mind. That little girl could've become your doctor, your lawyer, or our next president, but now she will never have that opportunity to make the world a better place. This story helped me realize how important our actions are to others. I now know to think twice before doing something. Maybe, if everyone would stop and think, "If I do this, how could it affect someone," before doing it, the world could become a better, and safer place.
