r/MadeMeSmile • u/RoyalChris • Feb 25 '25

Wholesome Moments Nicholas Winton helped 669 Jewish children escape the Nazis and his efforts went unrecognised for 50 years. Then, in 1988, while sitting as a member of a TV audience, he suddenly found himself surrounded by the kids he had rescued, who were now adults.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

109.4k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

1.6k comments sorted by

View all comments

9.9k

u/JustAnotherSlug Feb 25 '25

This never gets old.

185

u/ms_kathi Feb 25 '25

I know, this is the kind of world I want to live in!

157

u/windyorbits Feb 25 '25

You’re in it right now!

108

u/xwaspofthepalisadesx Feb 25 '25

i know this is a bit silly but i found this so profound

162

u/birdandbear Feb 25 '25

Everywhere, every moment of every day, there are millions of acts of kindness, compassion, selflessness, and love happening all at once. They're small, local, and don't often make the news, but they're each a little point of light in the darkness.

That's the part of us worth fighting for. Sometimes, it's the only thing that keeps me going.

49

u/Real-Exercise5212 Feb 25 '25

Apparently, I needed to read this as im having to stop myself from crying. Thank you

104

u/bl1y Feb 25 '25

It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.

27

u/Real-Exercise5212 Feb 26 '25

Okay. That did make me cry. It's good to be reminded that there is good with the bad, even if the bad feels all-encompassing. Thanks for the reminder

6

u/bl1y Feb 26 '25

I will not say: do not cry; for not all tears are an evil.

16

u/LittleBookOfRage Feb 26 '25

That's what went through my mind reading it too.

3

u/BnaCat45443 Feb 26 '25

No matter how many times I hear it, it still gives me chills.

3

u/moon_crackers Feb 26 '25

Was hoping this would be posted in the comments. Instantly cried.

3

u/DontLookAtMeFool Feb 26 '25

Was having a hard time convincing myself to get out of bed and try for another day. Thank you (all) for this. And for the 5-minute cathartic sob.

1

u/bl1y Feb 26 '25

Little do you all know that this wasn't me, it was Tolkien! Mwahaha, stolen upvote valor!

1

u/DontLookAtMeFool Feb 26 '25

Oh, I know the source. 😆 But you brought it here at the perfect time. Props to you for that.

1

u/bl1y Feb 26 '25

Yeah, I think the "Mr. Frodo" part kinda gives it away.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/Spiritual_Alarm_3932 Feb 26 '25

What a beautiful post, @birdandbear.

I too believe this is so. Lots of little lights in the darkness, leading to kind acts & goodness. All over the world. 🌎 x

15

u/windyorbits Feb 26 '25

Sometimes it’s hard to look away from something awful because it’s so shocking that you can’t help but stare at it - so you end up not noticing the good things happening right beside the awful.

Like how everyone in traffic slows down to stare at the burning wreckage of a car accident but we don’t really get to see the first responders tending to the burned hands of the good samaritan who pulled a stranger’s family from the wreckage before their car became engulfed in flames.

11

u/dat_asssss Feb 25 '25

Not silly at all— but then again it made me cry lol

1

u/The_Void_Reaver Feb 26 '25

The unfortunate reality is that incredible acts of heroism often require horrible acts of evil.

2

u/Efficiency-Holiday Feb 26 '25

Do you mean many opportunities to save people from nazis lie ahead?

8

u/windyorbits Feb 26 '25

I mean there are opportunities to save people from Nazis right now AND there’s already people taking those opportunities.

1

u/NoGloryForEngland Feb 26 '25

Fuck yeah (although your first message gave the opposite impression)

1

u/windyorbits Feb 26 '25

My first comment wasn’t really about Nazis but rather just pointing out that they already live in a world full of heroes.

1

u/SockNo948 Feb 25 '25

from where I'm sitting I'm not entirely sure that's true

3

u/windyorbits Feb 26 '25

Try standing up to get a better view.

1

u/Cutsdeep- Feb 27 '25

not me

1

u/windyorbits Feb 27 '25

That makes sense since you do seem like someone living on Mars.

13

u/EnvironmentalAngle33 Feb 25 '25

You are 🤗 living it.

2

u/ShredGuru Feb 26 '25

Just don't ask how many people the Nazis killed compared to how many the nice person saved

1

u/ShredGuru Feb 26 '25

Don't focus on the Nazis, focus on all the people fucking with them.

0

u/scarredMontana Feb 26 '25

You want to live in a world where a man has to save 669 children from a dictator and possible death?