Compassion Is Not Enough, We Must Act

On Thursday I bumped into these two fine gentlemen who have taken it upon themselves to give free food to homeless people in London.

It was the day the UK had started airstrikes in Syria, and another mass shooting in the US left 14 dead in San Bernadino, California. Lee Stentaford and his cousin Perry Stentaford decided they we going to do a simple action to help the homeless in London, that would inspire thousands of people all over the world.

With war unfolding in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut, Bagdad and elsewere, there is a world-wide reaction of kindness and peace movements by people who want to make a positive difference.

Thursday lunchtime, at the top of London's iconic Carnaby Street, Lee and Perry parked their car and opened their boot, and put up a makeshift sign: "Free Sandwiches for the Homeless." It was filled with trays of sandwiches, crisps and drinks.

When asked who they we working with, assuming it was a charity organisation or something similar, the answer was stunning. "Nobody," said Lee, "we are just doing this ourselves, we want to do something good and give something back."

But what prompted the owner of a pest control company and his fire-fighter cousin to open their car boot to the hungry?

Perry recalls that as a 17 year-old he worked in a designer suit shop opposite Harrods on Knightsbridge. There was a homeless guy that walked past every day who through the bins. "He was mentally ill and like most people, I assumed 'he's lazy' or 'into drink or drugs'. And that's when the owner of the shop told him, "See that guy? He used to always buy suits from here. He's very wealthy and was the nicest man you could meet, until he's wife and child died in a car accident. He still has all of his wealth, but he doesn't have his happiness". "That story has stuck with me from 17 till now."

Even in our darkest moments we can unknowingly inspire others.

As Perry's story of the homeless man demonstrates, no matter what we are going through in life, the ripple effects of our actions can be extraordinary. By choosing to do good deeds, we will almost certainly will have a positive effect on society.

The Dalai Lama says, "It is not enough to be compassionate, we must act." Lee and Perry giving sandwiches to the homeless of London is a testimony to that idea.

A quick photo and a handshake to thank them, the image was posted on Facebook. The reaction from the public was immense. Within 48 hours there were 20,000 likes and ten thousand shares from all over the world. "Somebody tagged me" said Perry "I had no clue till that point!"

Their idea of giving free food to homeless struck a chord with people.

"We just felt with the world the way it's going and all the stuff we can't influence we could maybe do something very small to influence our city," says Perry.

Perry's has advice for those who are inspired to do an act of kindness? "Go for it as it will make you and a lot of other people feel good about themselves!!"

And that's the resounding lesson of altruism, by helping others with selfless acts you bring happiness to yourself, everyone wins.

Peace doesn't just happen, we need to create it. Great work Perry and Lee!

Here's a lovely thank you message from the guys:

They will be there again on Thursday 10th December between 12-3pm at the top of Carnaby St, and every Thursday or Friday during December. Let homeless people know where to go, or just stop and say thank you to them.

Perry and Lee will be speaking at a Gift of Peace on 21st Dec to speak about how we can all make a difference. https://giftofpeace.eventbrite.com/

If you want to support by contributing to Perry and Lee feed the homeless, they started a just giving page: https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/PerryandLee

To learn more about Road to Peace click here to watch the trailer on iTunes