Our generation seems to be born with the gene of empathy. Somewhere on the streets, in volunteer groups, I always see the silhouettes of students or even middle and high school students - people who have never had a stable income, even dependent on their families. However, in their eyes sparkle love, in those small hands are warm lunch boxes, simple bread that contain a sky full of kindness. They give without hesitation, without calculating gains and losses - because for them, sharing is receiving.
Charity is not simply giving material things, but giving each other the belief that there is still kindness in this life.
PHOTO: Duong Quynh Anh
Once, we accidentally met an old beggar on the sidewalk. Some people advised us not to help, for fear of being cheated. Some whispered: "Help today, tomorrow they will be hungry again." But our hearts told us that, in this life, sometimes a sincere action is more valuable than a hundred times of doubt. We chose to believe - believe that even a tiny cake today can be a lifebuoy for a soul struggling in the midst of an indifferent life. It was those experiences that taught us that: true kindness does not need insurance, it takes risks to be oneself.
A warm lunch box can light up hope, a timely handshake is enough to ease loneliness.
PHOTO: Duong Quynh Anh
Perhaps the most beautiful moment for me was the charity cooking session. Pots of fragrant sticky rice, pots of braised meat, we carried them all over the streets as if bringing the warm spring with us. The bright eyes of the sweaty worker, the toothless smile of the old lady selling lottery tickets - those were the most beautiful and valuable "profits" we received.
In a world where people can easily connect virtually, real actions must be even more sincere.
PHOTO: Duong Quynh Anh
The moment the yellow light shone on the worker's face covered with cement dust, his eyes filled with tears as he received the steaming lunch box, I felt my heart tighten as I watched him hurriedly bring spoonfuls of rice to his mouth as if afraid that small happiness would disappear, he choked: "The children are like my children in the countryside...". In that moment, I suddenly understood that charity is not simply giving material things, but giving each other the belief that there is still kindness in this life.
"The toothless smile of the old lady selling lottery tickets - that is the most beautiful and valuable 'profit' we receive"
PHOTO: Duong Quynh Anh
Wearing the green Youth Union shirt that day, I suddenly realized: Gen Z is rewriting the definition of kindness with the simplest actions. We don't need to wait until we are rich, don't wait for great things, we learn to love from the little things - a warm lunch box can kindle hope, a timely handshake is enough to soothe loneliness.
In a world where people can easily connect virtually, real actions must be even more sincere. And perhaps the true miracle of youth is the ability to awaken compassion even when society is gradually becoming indifferent. I am proud to be a part of Gen Z - a generation that is not indifferent or insensitive. And above all, I am proud to be a Vietnamese youth.
Titled Gen Z: Writing the History of Kindness in the "present tense" is my way of affirming: love is not something to be saved, but a fire that needs to be lit right now; because the history of kindness is always written in the present tense, not the future tense.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gen-z-viet-lich-su-tu-te-bang-thi-hien-tai-18525070211501115.htm
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