Every now and then a story is just so touching and sugary sweet that it gives you limitless hope for humanity.
You know the type: puppies/kittens/ducklings are saved from certain death by big burly firemen; an anonymous stranger buys an entire Christmas for a needy but humble family; a woman lives a meager life doing laundry for others, only to donate $150,000 to a local university for needy students. You just can’t help but appreciate that humanity can be good, even in the midst of madness or adversity.
The story of Caine’s Arcade is one such story. On the surface it just seems like any other filler story on the late-night newscast. But it’s so much more.
Caine is a nine-year-old boy from East L.A. who has a love of arcade games—not video games, but old-school arcade games with actual prizes. To fill his time last summer, he built his own arcade out of used cardboard boxes, tape, and toys. Surely he never thought he’d have much more than a lot of fun and maybe a few customers. But his imagination and the kindness of one customer built it into a legend.
That one paying customer was so taken with Caine’s creativity and business savvy that he arranged an event to make sure Caine felt good about his hard work. This is what happened:
The result? Others were so impressed by Caine’s creativity that donations have rolled in to make sure Caine can go to college unhindered by finances. To date, over $99,000 has been donated. What our culture needs most right now are ingenuity, dedication, and hard work. Caine exhibited all of these and has learned that they can all pay off in a big way.
If we all rewarded the small things that show a tiny spark of something much greater, we would rebuild the world. Instead, we revere gossip, senseless celebrity, and mindless entertainment. The fact that those get us nowhere is pretty obvious.
See also: http://cainesarcade.com/
and sometimes it’s getting out of your own way, you know? the philosophy that it’s always going to be like this, it’s never going to change/get better. and…putting up with a shit job for now so that you can get a better one later. getting your foot in the door and all that.
@Susanne! Exactly. Lots of kids are raised to think nothing changes. “You don’t need to learn that in school, you’ll never be anybody,” or “You’re just wasting your time with that!” etc. etc. So I hope this kid learned at LEAST that he has power over where he goes and what he accomplishes.
The group has now accepted over $100,000 in donations to his college fund! In three days!