Act of Charity

Recently, I've been spending some time catching Glitz up on some much needed experience. I spent a good portion of my playtime yesterday killing mobs in Azshara, which netted me a good amount of XP and took me from Lvl 47 to Lvl 48 with very little effort. Good stuff. Even better is that in just 12 more Lvls, I can finally get that Red Skeletal Warhorse I've been wanting since taking over Glitz, and can then get rid of this THING Blizzard tries to pass off as something other than a Chocobo. Definitely something I look forward to.

I also spent some time working on Glitz's Enchanting skill. I sat in the UC most of that time, handing out free Spirit and Strength bracer enchants to whoever wanted them (and some to those who didn't XD). I didn't think much of it at the time, especially since people didn't make a big deal about it and weren't tipping me or anything, so I just kinda went along with it. Towards the end, however, one player whose bracers I enchanted reopened a trade window with me and gave me 5g. I was a little taken back by it, since the mats for the enchant didn't cost more than 30s. She (I think it was a she) insisted I take the tip and that she was grateful to see someone giving away enchants for nothing, even if it was for my own gain. I thanked her and went along with it, continuing to give out enchants left and right.

This morning, I login with Glitz and find about 30 various shards in her mailbox, a high-lvl enchanting formula, and a message that read "I hope this helps with your enchanting. Good luck, and thanks again." It was from the same person, the only person, that had tipped me yesterday. I was stunned.

I responded to the message with a lot of "wows" and "are you sure?" and she responded back to me saying she just wanted to help and good luck. There were no expectations for repayment, no favors, nadda. It was just a completely selfless act of charity, and it really got me thinking about what I do to help people out, and if I do it enough. I mean, I give away items people need all the time, go on runs people need every now and then, and try to do my part, but is it enough? Is it ever enough?

I dunno, I may be having one of these random philosophical moments of clarity, but it seems to me that there isn't enough of what I saw yesterday and today on our server. And I'm not really talking about people being too loot-whorishness or selfishness or anything like that. I'm talking about people being good to one another, who look out for one another, who are willing to set themselves aside for a moment for someone else. That's a very rare thing on Alex, where egos seem to rule all.

I challenged myself to keep this experience in mind whenever I am approached by someone who needs a favor, a quest, or whatever. Now, this doesn't mean I'm always going to say "yes" or go along with whatever someone else wants or needs or hold everyone's hand, but it does mean that I'm going to keep checking myself to make sure that I'm in this not just for me. This is a very social game, and it's good to look out for one another. I think it'd be more fun that way.

Tweet