Kindness should be celebrated every day of the year. Be it Halloween, be it Christmas, be it Easter, be it a regular November Monday—we at Bored Panda love us some good wholesome content that helps us stay warm from within as the chilly season approaches.
Although Halloween has come and gone, there are still remnants of the spooky season that continue to resonate with their goodness. Today we’ll look at a pair of boys who came upon a house during their trick-or-treating adventures, only to find their candy bowl had been emptied by the time they got to it.
Instead of leaving for the next one, the two boys decided to share some of their treats with others who’d be coming to the home, helping to spread the holiday cheer. It’s cute, it’s adorable, and it warms our hearts, so let’s get into it!
Also, don’t forget to leave your thoughts in the comments after you’re done reading, and upvote this post for more! Thank you kindly!
More info: Facebook
Homeowner Jodie Laithy captured a pair of trick-or-treaters performing an unexpected act of kindness on her Ring doorbell camera
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
Some celebrate Halloween by decorating their front lawn with intricate skeletons, others dress in their spookiest apparel, while others take to the streets for some good ole trick-or-treating (mostly treating; tricks ain’t gonna fill the stomachs up with sugary sweet goodness). We don’t mention those who don’t celebrate—you’re missing out!
One home’s Ring doorbell camera captured something that would make even the most stone-hearted person say ‘awwwww.’ The home’s owner, Jodie Laithy, took to social media to share the moment, quickly going viral with 1.2M views and 23K likes on Facebook and multiple news outlets picking up the story to share with their readers.
The two boys came up to her home on Halloween night, eager to get some treats, but Jodie and her family were out at the time, leaving behind a bowl of sweets
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
Two little lads with Halloween masks came up to Jodie’s well-decorated home, eager to get some sweets. They rang the doorbell, but after a few good moments of stillness and silence, they understood that no-one was home. One of the boys noticed an orange pumpkin bowl set up by the entrance, meant to offer all the treats one could want; yet it was empty.
“Somebody has taken [the sweets],” he exclaimed, before propping the bowl back in place. Without hesitating, he propped open his white bag full of treasures, taking some of the candy and placing it into the no-longer-empty bowl. His friend watched the boy for a second before following his example, opening up his backpack to help refill the bowl.
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
Once the boys completed the reverse trick-or-treat, they both turned to the Ring doorbell camera, waved goodbye, and wished the homeowners a “Happy Halloween!” The moment touched Jodie, making her think of ways to show her gratitude to the boys.
She decided to share the clip on Facebook in the hopes that the boys’ parents would recognize them and know just “how amazing their children are.” Jodie wrote in the post that she didn’t know who the kids were but couldn’t believe how cute they’d been, especially when most would have just chosen to leave.
Jodie told the Liverpool Echo that they’d “left a bowl of sweets out for the kids while [they] were out.” She continued to say, “I didn’t expect that from two young lads, amazing they are. And their little wave and 'Happy Halloween' was the cutest thing ever.” It can be said that thousands would agree with those statements.
However, the orange bowl was empty, as other kids had taken everything. One of the boys immediately opened up his bag to add some of his own candy to the bowl
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
With a myriad of different kinds of videos being shared this Halloween season with people stealing sweets from similar bowls left out for trick-or-treaters passing by, this gets us questioning: why do some people lead with kindness and compassion while others lead their lives with greed?
Greed is one of the most common features of human nature, yet it is also one of the most demonized qualities that anyone can possess. But what makes people greedy? Sofo Archon, a psychologist and philosopher, argues that greed arises when we have some deep unmet emotional needs and we try to meet them by seeking objects that, on their own, cannot achieve that, yet the action of possessing them gets us closer to feelings of impermanent satisfaction.
The other boy followed suit, taking candy from his backpack to help refill the bowl for other trick-or-treaters and wishing the homeowners a Happy Halloween
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
Sometimes those objects, such as handfuls of Halloween candy, can provide us with a temporary sense of joy or happiness. Yet they can never give us what we truly need, as they’re not what we’re actually looking for. But as people are often combating situations, whether physical or mental, where they have to compete for never enough, someone’s success becomes the downfall of others.
However, we as people are not predisposed to wanting negative outcomes for others or ourselves. On the simplest level, kindness is showing consideration to others, as opposed to being insensitive, harmful, or apathetic to another. However, both kindness and greed are incredibly complex emotions.
Jodie found the moment absolutely adorable and shared it on her Facebook page in the hopes of their parents seeing how amazing their little boys were
Image credits: Jodie Laithy
According to Michael Karlin, Assistant Professor of Psychology, our most basic motivation as humans is to strive for survival, well-being, and happiness. Being treated by others with cruelty, indifference, or insensitivity goes directly against this basic wish. So, we want others to treat us with kindness, and this is common to all humans.
These kinds of feelings begin in infanthood. Neuroscientists have found evidence that our brains are hardwired for compassion. So yes, we are born with the capacity for kindness, but psychological research also tells us that kindness needs to be nurtured and grown through practice.
The video soon went viral with over a million views and 23K likes on Facebook alone, with multiple news outlets picking it up and sharing their good deed
Image credits: Marco (not the actual photo)
Although kids are predisposed to kindness and are likely to be compassionate from birth, they need to be taught how to act in ways that kindle said kindness and make it take physical form. So we can give a huge bit of thanks to the boys’ parents for setting a good example and leading them to this lovely act of kindness.
One doesn’t have to put in much effort to make someone else’s day. An article by the Coppice Valley Primary School gave a few examples of simple actions everyone can take: let someone know they are doing a great job; paint kind messages on rocks and leave them somewhere people will find them (definitely trying this!); call your grandparents for a chat; let someone go ahead of you in a queue, etc.
Yet, Michael Karlin argues that in order to have a fully formed capacity for kindness, one must first learn to be kind to oneself and practice self-compassion. When we are not emotionally aware or are unkind towards ourselves, it is very difficult to be kind to another. So take yourself out for an ice cream, look in the mirror and compliment yourself, and buy yourself that perfume you’ve been wanting. You are worthy of love!
“I didn’t expect that from two young lads, amazing they are,” Jodie said. We wish them all the best, and we know this isn’t the last time we’ll see the dynamic duo!
Image credits: Daniel Lewis (not the actual photo)
We’re super grateful for Jodie sharing the wholesome moment, and we congratulate the boys, whoever they may be, for bringing back a little bit of hope for humanity! We’re sure this isn’t the last time we’ll hear of them, and we wish them all the best for the future!
You can watch the full video here
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Don’t forget to upvote, and I shall see you in the next one!
People online have absolutely loved this sweet moment (get the pun?). Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
