If you want to be rich, dear reader, I’d like to invite you to take all your lottery tickets and aspirations of being a CEO and throw them out the window (make sure your aspirations aren’t too heavy).

Because there is a much easier and faster way to get rich: kindness.

Good karma is profitable 

A South Korean man was given a whopping 800 million won (S$926,561.44) by a Dubai tourist after he lent the tourist a measly 300,000 won (S$347.46).

According to Sin Chew Daily, the man was walking alone on the streets of South Korea when he was stopped by a Dubai tourist.

The tourist said he had lost his wallet and needed to borrow around 300,000 won (S$347).

Now, be honest, if someone came up to you on the streets of Singapore and asked to borrow $300 because they lost their wallet, the nicest thing you’d probably do is laugh at the request before pointing them to the nearest police station.

But this kind Korean man had something many people in the 21st century don’t – empathy.

Empathy and trust, that is. The Korean lent him the money and the two traded contact information so the man would be able to pay him back at a later date.

And pay him back he did.

Nice guys finish first

A few days later the Dubai tourist contacted the man to ask for his account number so he could pay back what he owed.

But, to his astonishment, the Korean man found S$926,561 (800 million won) in his bank account sometime later.

This must be some sort of mistake, surely?

Nope.

The huge sum was apparently a token of gratitude for the kindness he showed to the Dubai tourist.

It pays to be kind

If there’s any lesson to be learned here, is that we should be kind to others so we can get rich.

I’m joking, of course. Am I really saying that you should be nice to others because it’s financially advantageous instead of doing it because you genuinely care about others and want to help?

Yes, yes I am.

In all seriousness, this was an incredibly admirable act of kindness on the Korean man’s part and generosity on the Dubai tourist’s.

We should help other humans in need because we’d want the same if we needed it too. Not everyone is out to scam us. Some people just need a little help.