Sometimes empathy travels further than we think, and one kind flight attendant’s attitude taught South Africans an important lesson in the one thing we can always give at no cost.
South Africa (06 July 2023) — After Eugene Joseph Kobus hopped on a flight to Johannesburg, he was left with a lesson that should travel to all of us. A kind flight attendant had made it her mission to extend empathy to his baggage. Unknowingly at the time, she would remind South Africans that there is one thing we can all always give even if we have nothing else in our arsenals—empathy.
Taking to social media, Eugene shared his moment dubbing it ‘kindness has a face’.
Rushing to catch his flight to Cape Town on a trek that began before dawn, Eugene hadn’t had the time to make breakfast.
“We took off and I couldn’t even wait for the trays to come through the [aisle],” he humorously shared of his anticipation for a morning treat. Unfortunately for Eugene, his Apple Pay service wasn’t accepted, and his hopes to get a good meal in the air were dashed.
That’s when a kind flight attendant gave him some food for thought.
“This angel looked me in the eyes with so much compassion and apologised for the fact that they don’t accept my payment method…
“See most people just do their job and it doesn’t bother them, but with her I could see in her eyes she actually felt for me she said sorry more than once and spoke to me in the most gentle way that made me feel okay because she was genuine in her apology.”
“The hunger was still there but it really stuck with me for the rest of the flight,” he continued.
Not knowing that Eugene had gone hungry many times before, the passenger shared why the moment meant so much.
“I come from a background of going to school on an empty stomach,” Eugene shared, expressing that he had been raised never to pity himself.
But her kindness touched an old wound for Eugene. It wasn’t pity. It was empathy, something that many of us tend to devalue when faced with situations where we feel helpless to make change.
“The lesson I took home was that you might not always be in a position to stop everyone’s pain or save them from their pain, but compassion and empathy with the right tone might alleviate the pain,” concluded Eugene.
The message rang true for many South Africans, with multiple social media users sharing that this is the kind of perspective more people should embrace. Especially in South Africa where there are so many people who need more than spare change.
Acknowledgement, respect and empathy have their own places of value that shouldn’t be seen as a waste. Although they might not help the immediate situation, they often feed the heart.
The flight attendant was later named and famed as Robin-Karla Van Graan, an everyday hero.
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