'I can't ever forget what she did...' UAE residents share unforgettable stories of kindness
These acts just make people believe in others a little more
Sometimes, help comes when we need it most, whether it's a passerby stopping to assist when you're stranded on a highway without phone signal, or a stranger quietly staying by your side in the hospital during moments of raw grief. It might even be a colleague offering a ride home after a particularly tough day. In these moments, we’re struck by the realization: People are capable of going out of their way to do unselfish, kind things for others, without expecting anything in return.
Dubai-based Katriona Marcas, a Scottish expat and marketing professional, and self-professed cynic couldn’t imagine this truth, till she lost her job in the beginning of her career. “I was scrambling,” she recalls. “I barely had savings, no family here, and I felt too ashamed to return home to London.” Days blurred into a cycle of running between interviews, worrying about groceries, and dreading looming rent payments. “It came to a breaking point. I had to prepare to move out of my apartment. I didn’t know where to go next or what to do.”
In an unexpected twist, an acquaintance from her previous job reached out to check on her. Marcas tried to sketch the bare details, but her friend caught on quickly. “She took me into her home for four months, helped me prepare for interviews, and just listened, without once asking for payment or anything,” Marcas says. “I can’t ever forget what she did. I’m still so overwhelmed, that I thank her to this day.”
‘I’ve been there; I couldn’t turn away’
Why should one go out of their way to help another? Often, it's because they don’t want the other person to experience the same struggles they once faced.
Marcas’s friend, who prefers to remain anonymous, feels a little awkward at this profound gratitude. “I’ve been there before; being alone, not having money. it’s a terrible place to be. She needed help, and I couldn’t turn away.”
Her words ‘I couldn’t turn away’ is rooted in a profound sense of empathy that often compels people to act selflessly, especially when they’ve experienced the same struggles themselves. It stems from a deep understanding of the pain, fear, or helplessness that others experience, explains Elsie Baroque, a Dubai-based clinical psychologist. “Having been through it themselves, they understand just how important support is during those vulnerable times, and they feel a strong sense of duty to offer the same kindness they once needed or wished they'd received."
It's also connected to empathetic concern. “When someone recalls their past hardships, they’re more likely to connect emotionally with someone facing similar challenges. This connection activates a strong desire to change the other person’s suffering, not out of pity, but because they’ve been through the same thing too,” she says.
For instance, Tanushree Gupta, an Abu Dhabi-based homemaker, recalls how her neighbour stepped in and helped paying hospital bills, when her father suddenly fell ill and was in a critical condition, and her husband was between jobs. Afraid of being in debt and that this was an act of pity, Gupta at first refused. “But then I saw that she was genuine and sincere. She had lost most of her family members before in succession and knew the trauma of it all. I still remember her words, ‘I’ll handle it’ and she did. And it saved me, and I could be more emotionally present for my father too back then,” recalls Gupta.
These words and actions cannot be quantified: They just make people believe in others a little more, as both Gupta and Marcas agree. It softens a hardened expectation: not everyone is acting out of self-interest or a desire for reciprocity. Some people simply help because they cannot bear to see another suffer, Baroque explains. And it’s a ripple effect: These acts compel people to want to help others too, as Gupta says. Whenever she sees someone alone and in trouble, she remembers the neighbour who had lifted her out of misery and wishes to spread the same generosity.
He said that he would rather help me out because that is what he was supposed to do. It’s the kindness of strangers, that always gets me...
These actions stir deep emotions in others and can shift their perception of the world, even by just a little. For instance, Dubai-based Mita Srinivasan, a businesswoman remembers being stranded on a road with an overheated car, and the kindness of an elderly Emirati man, who stopped and waited with her till her car service was finished. “He said that he would rather help me out because that is what he was supposed to do. It’s the kindness of strangers, that always gets me.”
‘Just breathe’
As these different experiences show, to go out of your way for someone could have many implications. You don’t necessarily even have to physically save their lives or pull them from debt: It could just be helping them breathe, through a panic attack, as what happened to Dubai-based Rhiannon Elizabeth, who had to make a sudden stop on the road after hearing that her mother had been hospitalised. “This stranger drove by, saw me, standing outside my car, just holding the phone. I wasn’t even crying, but I wasn’t breathing. He stopped, rushed to me, and just kept saying the words, ‘Breathe. Breathe’ and offering me water. I didn’t even have the chance to ask him for his name or thank him; I only registered the significance of it all later,” she says.
Sometimes just reminding someone breathe in the worst possible situation, is the best thing you can do for them.
‘I feel we have to give back to the world’
For some, the motivation to help others goes beyond responding to crises. Dubai-based Dutch entrepreneur Rachel Moinak-Bastak feels strongly that helping is a fundamental belief.” I feel we just have to give back to the world," she says.
In professional terms, I have been a recipient of support from some great mentors and i have paid it forward mentoring people in need of advice and support...
For Bastak, this means going out of her way to assist others — whether it's offering financial help to former colleagues, connecting people with job opportunities, finding freelancing gigs, or even buying medicine for a recently laid-off employee and filling her fridge with essentials. Bastak doesn't hesitate to help, driven by the belief that giving back is a fundamental way to contribute to the world. Similarly, Naheed Maalik, a partner consultant at the Loop, Dubai has similar ideas: Paying the kindness forward. "It's a concept that I have practised for years, now. In professional terms, I have been a recipient of support from some great mentors and i have paid it forward mentoring people in need of advice and support," she says.
Why a healthy amount of altruism matters
These small acts of kindness have the power to rebuild connection and mend trust, especially for those who view the world through a lens of skepticism. Such gestures can compel even the most guarded individuals to pause and reconsider the belief that the world is dominated by selfishness, psychologists explain.
There is a pervasive sense of distrust surrounding acts of kindness. Baroque explains, “Many people struggle to believe that someone could genuinely do something for them without expecting something in return. They fear being burdened by an invisible debt. 'They did so much for me; how can I possibly repay them, even when the other person asks for nothing?' This belief often stems from childhood conditioning, where we’re taught that any good deed should be reciprocated. Over time, this leads to deflecting or downplaying kindness.”
Baroque adds a personal note: “I can relate to this feeling myself. I find it awkward when someone goes out of their way for me. There’s an instinctive discomfort, as if their generosity demands an equal response, even when none is asked for.”
The fear of debt and a question of motives
However, it’s not just the fear of debt that complicates how kindness is received. Some people question the motives behind altruism, believing it serves a more self-centered purpose. Dubai-based Adele Spencer prefers to not let others do go to extremes for her, “I am not sure that there is entirely a selfless good deed. I am grateful for the help that I receive no doubt, but I always feel that people do it, to feel better about themselves,” she says, recalling how she has witnessed several people praise themselves for helping others, diminishing the act altogether.
The helper’s high
While psychologists acknowledge that many people help others to feel better about themselves, there are important nuances to consider. This emotional boost is linked to the ‘helper’s high,’ which explains the positive feelings that arise when individuals engage in acts of kindness. “It’s based in neuroscience,” explains Satish Chandran, a Dubai-based neuropsychiatrist.
When we help others, our brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins. And so, acts of altruism improves the giver's mood, reduce stress, and even enhance overall well-being. Acknowledging the criticism that this ‘reward’ diminishes the sincerity of altruism he adds, “The motivation to act kindly and the emotional benefits that follow are not mutually exclusive. A person can genuinely want to ease someone’s burden while also reaping the psychological benefits of their actions.”
A helper’s high doesn’t necessarily mean the act of self-serving; it’s simply a natural reward mechanism that encourages kindness. “The important part is the intention behind the act. If the intention is genuine, then the positive feelings are just a bonus.”
This dual benefit, the giver’s emotional uplift and the receiver’s tangible support, helps sustain altruistic behaviour. “Kindness becomes a ripple effect: one act inspires another, creating a cycle of giving that establishes stronger connections,” adds Baroque.
However, bragging or gloating about acts of selflessness can tarnish the gesture entirely, and amplify feelings of indebtedness, explains Chandran. “A truly selfless act of compassion isn’t something to be flaunted because that signals you did it for selfish validation. What people remember is being there for someone, offering help without expecting anything in return. You’re not saving someone so that you status is elevated; you’re doing it because you genuinely want to.”