Jaden Hayes

I have proof that God exists.

He is six years old, he lives in Savannah Georgia and his name is Jaden Hayes.

Check out news clips, Youtube, whatever your access to reality is and you will be blown away.

Jaden's father died when he was four years old. His mother died last month, unexpectedly in her sleep. He now lives with his aunt.

That much tragedy that early in a life would destroy most humans. Confuse them, make them bitter and afraid.

A couple of weeks ago Jaden told his aunt he was tired of so many people looking sad all the time and he asked his aunt to buy him a bunch of little toys and to bring him to downtown Savannah so he could give them away.

He picks people who are not smiling, walks up and gives them a toy.

The reactions are amazing.

People light up. They smile. They laugh. They hug him.

They are blown away by this little boy giving away toys and asking for nothing in return but a smile.

He has a very cool southern accent, a toughness whose source is ethereal, and a connection to other humans that gets to the very heart of what it means to be alive. 

I am pushing it with the god thing. Where I'm coming from is that Jaden's thing is perfectly in line with all the best any religion has to offer. The concept of showing love no matter what you are forced to deal with in life. Not taking out your problems on others. Trying to make people happy regardless of your own tragedies.

Digging deeper, what I see is the perfect expression of human nature untainted.

We are all so vicious and closed up and cold and selfish because that is the way we have to be to survive, and to deal with everybody else who is backed into the same goddamn corner by life.

On one hand Jaden has the advantage of not having to earn money to feed himself and to pay rent. This unavoidable thing that gradually grows a protective shell around us all in an attempt to keep enemies out and unfortunately resulting in the imprisonment of emotion.

On the other hand he lost both his parents in two years and he is six years old.

That kind of cancels out the lack of life experience thing.

What I see is human nature as it would naturally develop if the world were not so cold.

Jason explains his goal simply: "I'm trying to make people smile." He's shooting for 33,000 smiles.

I'm guessing with internet and TV exposure he has probably already exceeded that.

When I saw him I smiled with tears running down my cheeks.

Maybe the school of Jaden Hayes is the ultimate university. A kid who has been slammed by cruel reality and yet is young enough to not give up, somehow remains untainted and turns his tragedy into gold for others.

I cannot think of anything more inspirational than that.