When someone does you a big favor, don't pay it back... PayItForward! To PayItForward, do an action described as this: 1. It has to be something that really helps people. 2. Something they can't do by themselves. 3. I do it for them, they do it for three other people. Film by Mimi Leder. http://www.payitforwardmovement.org/ ---- http://www.payitforwardfoundation.com/home.html http://www.cryanhyde.com/PIFSynopsis.html ''In the spirit of WikiGnome''''''s'''''', I took down the broken link to cinephile, and replaced it with these. Perhaps it has something to do with the idea of PayItForward...it may be utopian, but it's still working...'' ---- Isn't this a little bit utopian? ''Any idea to change the world for the better will always seem utopian at first. But even if only a few people do it, it's still a big step towards making life easier for everyone, and improving our quality of life. Thinking about PayItForward always makes me feel more optimistic about everything!'' : -- JoscelynKleingeld It would seem to me the that essence of a society is that you put into the pot even if you don't derive direct benefit from it simply because you are weaker on your own. Hence this is not a utopian ideal - it's a necessary behaviour for a well functioning society. : -- JamesHollidge ---- I don't know if it's Utopian, but it's a concept truly simple that everybody can put it to work (even if not everybody does so, like in the movie). * It's also something that many folks are inclined to do at a specific time in their lives. e.g. ** Successful people as they enter their retirement years, are quite inclined to become Mentors and Charitable donors. ---- This phrase is often attributed to RobertHeinlein. I don't know if he said it first, but he apparently said it a lot. * RobertHeinlein used the phrase when helping out younger, less established authors. I don't remember whether he had it from his own mentors; anyway, the application to programming should be obvious. ---- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad-tNkoRvSo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcyQtHAnt-s&feature=player_embedded#at=13