When it comes down to it, most traditions agree that karma, or a related concept, has something to do with reincarnation. But whether or not this turns out to be true, it’s irrelevant in the here and now. We have no proof and no instant gratification. And that’s precisely what makes the sorts of act you’ll read about below truly heroic and selfless. What if we we’re guaranteed tit for tat with a score card? Would our kindnesses remain truly kind, or would they become currency? Mystery is the cog that runs this system…

Australian “Angel” Saves Lives at Suicide Spot
For 50 Years He’s Used Simple Kindness to Persuade Countless Troubled Souls Away From Nearby Cliff’s Edge

(AP)  In those bleak moments when the lost souls stood atop the cliff, wondering whether to jump, the sound of the wind and the waves was broken by a soft voice. “Why don’t you come and have a cup of tea?” the stranger would ask. And when they turned to him, his smile was often their salvation.

For almost 50 years, Don Ritchie has lived across the street from Australia’s most notorious suicide spot, a rocky cliff at the entrance to Sydney Harbour called The Gap. And in that time, the man widely regarded as a guardian angel has shepherded countless people away from the edge.

What some consider grim, Ritchie considers a gift. How wonderful, the former life insurance salesman says, to save so many. How wonderful to sell them life.

“You can’t just sit there and watch them,” says Ritchie, now 84, perched on his beloved green leather chair, from which he keeps a watchful eye on the cliff outside. “You gotta try and save them. It’s pretty simple.”

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Mary Regan

 

M.J. Rose is the author of the best-selling Reincarnationist series and the founder AuthorBuzz.com, a marketing company for authors.

“It’s all a game of what can we do — what on earth can we do — to make books more noticed and stand out from the crowd,” she says.

After 11 novels and multiple book contracts, Rose still works tirelessly to promote her books.

It’s midday in New York and suspense novelist M.J. Rose has spent much of her morning dropping in on area bookstores to promote and autograph copies of her new book, The Hypnotist.

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Imagine yourself in pre-earthquake San Francisco, riding a cable car, observing the people as they go about their lives…