This I Belive

This I Believe

By Katie Allison

Honesty has always been a big part of my life. I’ve always believed that if you think you deserve the truth it is only fair to be honest with everyone you talk to. There have been times when people have been dishonest with me and it nearly caused me to lose faith in humanity. For a period of my life, I assumed that everyone was just out for their own and that there was no point in showing common courtesy to someone if they weren’t going to pay it forward. This way of thinking caused me to lose trust in friends and even my family. This was until I met my friend Jared. He showed me that there is hope and there are still good people in this world.

            I met Jared the summer of 2009. Jared was very different from the people I typically talk to. He wasn’t necessarily the most well known kid, and I could see when I spoke to him people around gave confused looks. One friend in particular asked me why I would even associate myself with him. He had a friendly attitude and was very polite. Jared told me stories of when he was bullied by kids at school for not playing sports and being anti-social. He always laughed it off and said “if that’s the kind of people they want to be then that’s their decision.  I wasn’t used to seeing that kind of attitude in a person; high school students are typically more interested in drama and their well being rather than being polite and respectful.

            During the school year, Jared came up to me after class and was telling me about his weekend. He told me that he had lent his iPod to someone who he recently met. I laughed and told him he would probably never see his iPod again. Jared told me that he wasn’t entirely sure if he would get it back, but remained positive. He was convinced that if it was stolen that karma would have plans for him. In a way, I admired his ability to trust someone so easily, despite the possibility of having his iPod stolen only a few months after getting it. Unfortunately, his iPod was stolen. I expected him to show some kind of anger towards the kid who stole it from him. Instead, he made light of the situation and said “I hope he enjoys it”.

            As time went on, he told me stories of times in his life when people abused his honesty and kindness. I was amazed that after all he went through he was still able to trust people and even forgive them. A few weeks went by without hearing anything about his iPod or the kid who stole it. One day, I get a text from an unfamiliar number. It was Jared using a texting app from his iPod. The kid apparently felt bad about taking it and went out of his way to apologize and return the iPod, and even offered to get him a gift card. Jared laughed and said “sometimes bad things happen to good people, but it always works out”. He believes that his optimistic attitude and honesty creates more optimistic and honest people. Jared compared it to littering, saying “people think when they throw trash on the side of the road that it won’t matter because it’s just one person. Then you look at the road a few weeks later and see it covered in trash, it all adds up. If I treat people with respect and honesty every day of my life, even if it is just me, then hopefully people around me will begin to act the same way”. I couldn’t disagree with that.

            Jared moved away in 2011. We still talk every once in a while, and he says that life is good. I am happy to know that there are still good people in the world and try to apply the lessons he taught me to my everyday life. Jared made a significant impact on me, making me not only a more positive person, but more open to others despite their social background. If someone as anti-social and quiet as Jared can continue to be an honest and positive person even after dealing with dishonest and rude people, then there is no excuse for me to immediately make judgments about someone because of how they live their life. Sometimes the people we as a society ignore because of how they present themselves turn out to be some of the most influential people you could ever meet. Because of Jared, I believe in honesty, optimism, and hope for a better world.