Count That Day Lost- George Eliot 21.9

This picture shows a group of people who are climbing a mountain, celebrating their trip at the top.

They are holding hands, helping each other to climb up, wanting to make sure that not only they, but the people who are with them will make it to the end.

None of them had to- they could each think only about getting to the top themselves, and chose not to help the others. We can see a person, who is almost at the top, turning around to help another, with only one step separating him from his goal.

If each of them thought only about his own success, they probably wouldn’t get to that point, they wouldn’t be celebrating together.

“…and counting find, one self denying deed… Then you may count that day well spent.” They got to the top at dusk, at the end of the day, and if they choose to reflect about their day, they’ll be able to think about the way they helped each other, about how they stopped, waited, and helped each other, in order to reach the top together. They didn’t surrender to the urge to continue and succeed themselves, they did the selfless deed of caring for their team success as much as their own.

In this picture we can see an old couple, holding hands and looking at each other’s eyes.

It looks like they have been standing like that for a while, and like they want to keep standing there with each other for longer. The look on the woman’s face is very soft and loving, and for that reason, I think they are in love. The way they stand so close together, without talking, leads me to think that they have been together for a long time, long enough to enjoy each other in silence. The way in which they look at each other seems to be so comforting and relaxing, it seems to make them feel so safe and at home with each other, just by being in the other person’s presence.  “One glance most kind That fell like sunshine where it went – Then you may count that day well spent.”- their faces are litten with love, they seem to enjoy that moment so much, it seems to me that the way that each of them looks at the other brings them so much joy and connection, that that moment alone has made that day a happier, more fulfilling day.

In this picture we can see a person in need of help, lying on the floor. We may not know what his problem is, but it’s obvious that he has one. Around him there are many people, all looking at him, but despite the amount of people, he is offered no help. Their thoughts are visible to us, we can see that all of them are aware of him, but choose not to help, they tell themselves that someone else will, or that it’s his fault, or even that he doesn’t even need help. They will all continue with their day without doing anything, maybe he needed something they wouldn’t have been able to give, but maybe all he needed was someone to listen to him, maybe some water or a little food, maybe even for them to call someone else to help him. “No act most small That helped some soul and nothing cost –Then count that day as worse than lost.” They didn’t take action, they refused to do the smallest act of kindness towards him, one that will require almost nothing from them, and for that reason, they can count that day lost.

This picture shows a crowd of people, all sitting in groups or couples, talking and laughing, and only one woman sitting alone with no one to talk to in the middle of all of them. None of the people approaches her, or gives her any attention, she is completely ignored by them, most of them probably don’t even notice her. She seems to be very lonely and very bored, all she needs is one person to talk or sit with, but there is no one.

 Sometimes, we don’t notice the people around us who are alone, or worse, notice and choose not to do anything. We can go on about our day with our friends, while they will sink into deeper sorrow, caused by the zero attention they receive.

“But if, through all the livelong day, You’ve cheered no heart, by yea or nay”- all of those people could have helped her simply by smiling at her, sitting next to her or talking with her. Cheering her heart could’ve been an easy task, but they all ignored her, deciding no to do the tiniest act of kindness towards her.

Bibliography

https://www.neugroup.com/helping-hands-how-corporates-are-aiding-customers-and-suppliers/

https://mymodernmet.com/elderly-couple-in-love-irina-nedialkova/

https://timothybullard.com/2019/06/26/random-acts-of-kindness/

https://jborden.com/2018/06/30/there-i-was-alone-with-all-these-people-around/