Sunday Snippet: Nishan Panwar

“The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.”

It’s a philosophical and religious question that has plagued thinkers for centuries. Are people inherently good and life experience slowly corrupts them? Or are people born evil and they have to fight this natural inclination in order to be good? Regardless of the direction that we travel, I think we’d all agree that the world would be a better place if everyone was just nicer to everyone else.

You may not have ever heard of Nishan Panwar and you may never hear of him again. He is a young writer from India who has a habit of posting profound thoughts and insights through his various social media channels. He’s a thinker and a writer. In his own words, he didn’t start writing to gain fame, but rather he wanted to find “a person who can listen, not someone who can hear.” His life philosophy seems to echo this sentiment.

Nishan Panwar surely recognizes the evil in the world. He has surely witnessed wrongdoing and encountered “bad” people. At the same time, he remains optimistic and he understands, as Mahatma Gandhi did, that you must “be the change that you wish to see in the world.” Sometimes, the simplest gestures of kindness can have the biggest of impacts. Help the single mother carry her groceries to car. Smile at upset child on the subway. Pay it forward. Do good deeds with no expectation of receiving anything in return. We’re all in this together.

“Think good thoughts. Speak good words. Take good actions. Three steps that will bring more to you than you can ever imagine.”

As an aside, it just happens to be Nishan Panwar’s 25th birthday this Tuesday. Send your well wishes to him via Facebook or Twitter in a couple days. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your kindness.