AT a time when we are constantly being warned the world is becoming more insular and selfish, it is nice to occasionally be reminded that it’s actually human nature to enjoy helping others.
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It is never hard to find bad news in our world and the immediacy of social media means an atrocity in any country can be beamed to us live within seconds.
At the same time we are told that globalisation means the rich get richer while the poor get poorer, and demographers can show us the data that proves the divide between the haves and have-nots is continuing to grow.
With all this coming at us it is easy to form the opinion that people are intrinsically bad. But not so.
Time and again our community proves that people tend to be at their best when times are at their worst.
There is something about human nature that compels us to rally behind a cause when it is most desperately needed.
A case in point is Bathurst Community Transport’s wonderfully successful radiation bus that shuttles between Bathurst and Orange each day.
The bus takes people for their radiation treatment as they continue the fight against cancer.
Those passengers are facing one of the most frightening ordeals of their life but you wouldn't know it to hear their stories.
Instead of tales of sadness and fear, we constantly hear inspiring stories of love, courage and support from those who have had to make these daily trips.
The radiation bus is driven by volunteers whose payment is the satisfaction of doing something good for people at a time in their lives when they most need support.
The bus is also supported businesses who take great pleasure in giving back to the community that has helped them prosper.
On Wednesday, the Reliance Bank committed another $45,000 in sponsorship to keep the radiation bus on the road for another three years.
That’s three more years of local people supporting local people.
This could not happen in the terrible, me-first world we are too often told we are living in.
Rather than hunger for the good old days, sometimes we would be better served simply being thankful for every day – and remembering there is always far more good than bad in the people around us.