https://youtu.be/1Km8cvlv6V0
When a young Birmingham college student’s car broke down the night before he was supposed to start a new job, he didn’t panic. At least not for long. Instead, Walter Carr walked. From Homewood to Pelham. All night. In the dark. 20 miles or more.
Source: Birmingham college student walked 20 miles to 1st day of work so his boss gave him his car | AL.com
My take
What I like about this story is the lesson it teaches. This young man could have been one of these millennials steeped in the entitlement mentality. Walter Carr could have either blown off his new job, or phoned in his problem, asking for forbearance and a lift. He could have been angry, expecting someone else to solve the problem.
But no, he prioritized making a good impression on his first day, to keep his agreement to show up on time and start his new job, and not complain about his car breaking down at the worst possible time. He had the gumption to hold his head up, solve the problem himself, at no small sacrifice of time and energy, with no excuses.
And we see how well he was rewarded by the cops, by the clients, and by his boss. His determination to get to that gig no matter what brought a shower of love, support, and admiration from everyone involved. And the boss’s decision to give the kid his own car as a reward is just as astounding in its own right.
It’s all about attitude. And voluntarism. Walter Carr voluntarily took it upon himself to exceed expectations. And as a result, the cops who found him walking alone voluntarily fed the guy and saw to it that he made those last few miles to his job (perhaps southern cops are not all racist bigots targeting black youth?). The clients voluntarily opened their hearts to him, firing up a GoFundMe in gratitude. Then the boss caps it by voluntarily giving the guy HIS OWN CAR to solve his transportation problem (so much for the notion that all CEOs are bloodsucking assholes only concerned with the bottom line)!
It’s no wonder this story has gone viral. It demonstrates so much about the inherent good in humanity, so much about what’s RIGHT about being Americans. There’s an entire generation of angry, spoiled, indolent, whining, entitled adults-in-age-only that sorely needs to learn a thing or two from this story.
