This article was written in 12/28/2011 on my other blog http://www.fatherof4.com.

The Daily Post post a day has the following question.

Are you good to people you don’t know? How, when and why (or why not)?

I try to be nice and polite to people I don’t know all of the time.  You never know when the kindness will be returned to you when you are in need of help. 

It is part of my character to be this way and it is how I’m raising my kids to be as well.  There is enough selfishness out there in the world and not enough kind, helpful people. 

It is more interesting to see how people react to you after being kind and helpful to them.  Some people are so grateful for the help and sometimes offer things in return like money or coffee.  Which majority of the time I decline to take anything from them. 

There are other people that you are kind to that act hostile towards you.  They are the people that don’t believe kindness comes free and that you want something like money from them for helping them or have too much pride to except the kindness of strangers.

Here is one of my favorite scriptures from the Bible.

New International Version (NIV) from http://www.biblegateway.com

Luke 10:25-37 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

 ²⁵ On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  

²⁶ “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

²⁷ He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’^[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[b]”

²⁸ “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

²⁹ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. ³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

³⁶ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

³⁷ The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

   Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”