Jermaine Gresham’s kindness shows who we could be

Jermaine Gresham helped out a stranger at the airport on Wednesday, and in doing so, displayed what we should be about, instead of who we currently are.

You’ve probably already seen the Twitter thread. It went from a young woman talking about the random kindness of stranger, helping her get on her flight with the help of $50, to finding out the stranger was NFL tight end Jermaine Gresham.

Gresham, 29, is a fine player, but not a star. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, only to underwhelm. All told, he has 3,658 yards and 29 touchdowns over eight pro seasons. In terms of a top pick, he was a miss.

Yet Gresham is now and forever will be seen in a different light. Those who remember him far after he retires won’t think of the stats, they’ll think of the person. Not a bad return on $50.

These days, all we do is argue with one another. Twitter is a cess pool of humanity, with folks finding a way to argue about what color the sky is. Touch on a topic that really matters, or whether Jordan is better than LeBron, and the fangs come out. It’s ugly, and in some cases, sick.

Gresham’s random act of kindness, one that followed a wonderful demonstration by Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones earlier in the week, is what we should all focus on. Hell, it’s what we should all become.

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I’m as guilty as anybody. I argue with people on Twitter, and I walk by homeless people everyday treating them more as nuisance than human. Even if I don’t have a dollar or some change to spare, the least I could do is smile.

Gresham’s moment won’t change the world. It’s not going to give us peace in the Middle East or stop the next school shooting. It won’t make racism go away, either. Still, if everybody followed Gresham’s lead and cared a bit more, and then showed that love, we’d all be better off, one act of kindness at a time.