Recently, I came across a story about Dr. Friedrich Haass, a 19th-century physician known throughout Moscow as “the holy doctor” for his selfless service to the poor and imprisoned. His life motto was simple yet profound: “Hurry to do good.”

At first glance, that phrase puzzled me. “Do good” — yes, that’s clear. But why “hurry”? Can one really be too late to do good? The more I thought about it, the more I realized — yes, you can.

We often live as though we have endless time. We work, plan, chase comfort, and tell ourselves we’ll help others later — when things settle down, when we have more money, more time, more energy. And then one day, it’s too late. We look back and realize that we’ve lived only for ourselves, and that a life spent entirely inward is, in the end, an empty one.

I once watched a documentary about men serving life sentences. One of them, a forty-year-old who had already spent half his life behind bars, was asked if he regretted anything. He said:

“You know, I first read the Gospel in prison. I’ve thought a lot about my life since then. I realized how much good I could have done — and no one stopped me from doing it. I just didn’t. Now I want to, I can in small ways, but here I’m limited. That’s what I regret — not having done good when I had the chance.”

His words struck me deeply. We assume opportunities to do good will always be there. But sometimes, they don’t come back.

Not long ago, I was reminded of that lesson again — this time, on my own doorstep.

Coming home from work one evening, I saw a homeless man asleep on the bench near my building. He was dirty, dressed in rags, clutching a plastic bag with half a loaf of bread. My first instinct was to help — to bring him something hot to eat. I ran upstairs, glanced out the window — he was still there. I told myself I’d eat first, just a quick bite, then bring him food and some warm clothes.

But when I finally went back down, he was gone. Vanished. I searched the yard and even checked the nearby trash bins — nothing. Just moments earlier, he’d been right there. And suddenly, I heard Dr. Haass’s words echo in my mind: “Hurry to do good.”

In that small, ordinary moment, I understood what it means. To hurry doesn’t mean to rush thoughtlessly — it means not to delay what your heart already tells you to do. Because kindness, postponed, often never happens at all.

I lost that chance to help, but perhaps someone else will find him and offer what I didn’t. Still, I learned something I won’t forget: doing good is not just about generosity — it’s about timing.

So, don’t wait for the perfect moment, the perfect plan, or the perfect reason. If you can help, help now. Smile now. Forgive now. Speak kindly now. Because the opportunity to do good is as fleeting as life itself.