Children, if they’re polite and raised correctly, express gratitude by saying “thank you.” This is good and there’s nothing wrong with it, but the reason children do this is because in general, there’s not much else they can do. When you do something for a child, you generally do it out of responsibility or simply the joy of making a child’s life better, because it’s not like the child is typically going to give you much more than a smile in return. (Not to knock the smiles of children – they’re one of the best things in the world!)
If you’re an adult though, saying “thank you” falls short. I’m not saying every favor or gesture has to be “paid back” in equivalent measure. That’s not always possible or practical; if someone saves my life there might be nothing I could do that could repay them. But that doesn’t mean I won’t try!
I consider it a moral duty of a responsible adult to put those positive externalities back into the world whenever possible. A basic example: If someone notices a fire outside my house and quickly puts it out, they may have saved me a great deal of money, effort, even harm. Cooking them dinner, buying them a gift, or something else doesn’t come close to the cost of what they saved me, so why wouldn’t I at least do those things? Why think the words “thank you” are enough?
Be an adult, and take care of your community – especially those who take care of you!
The Opportunity Machine 