Today, as the madness prevades what with the War in Iraq, the War in Lebanon, the terrorist strikes in Israel, the raised terrorist threats in the UK and US and the numerous other atrocities currently being inflicted on our fellow human beings can we take a moment out.
How about starting something good amongst the debris of human nature going wrong? Hate, anger and violence escalate at a phenomenal rate but so too can kindness, empathy and love. So today and over the next few days if we all tried to carry out at least one act of kindness to begin a chain of kindness at least some light is being spread.
Don Morris over on SelfGrowth.com and Oprah to name but a few have advocated such chains for a while and I just think if at least one other person who reads this blog does something kind we can put a little goodness swimming around out there. The idea is that you do selflessly do something unexpectedly nice for someone else either someone you know or don't know. Hopefully a dominor effect is created. As Don states "One person receives a kindness, then passes it on to others, who pass it on to still others. Tiny points of light are multiplied, until the whole world becomes brighter."
While you're at it, why not take the time to smile at that old person standing in the queue next to you - little things make big differences. Yesterday I was driving up town and a young guy who obviously had spina bifida was trying to cross the road. I stopped to let him cross and his smile was something to see, honestly - it would light up a room.
All I'm suggesting is that we try to re-balance our world a little. Positive energy is just as strong as negative energy!
"Kindness gives birth to kindness."
Author:Sophocles (447 BC)
"We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give."
Author:Winston Churchill
"A person's true wealth is the good he or she does in the world."
Author:Mohammed
"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Author:Maya Angelou
Technorati Tags: Don Morris Kindness Chain Oprah Smile
9 comments:
About 12 years ago, someone unknown to me gave a room in her house in Paris for a night when we both arrived off a late flight and I missed the last train back to Brittany where I was living at the time.
Last week, I met a 22 year old Austrian student at a concert. She'd gotten the bus from Galway to go to that concert, hadn't arranged accommodation. She'd had half thoughts of going to a club until it closed and then hanging around the city centre until the first bus back to Galway at 6am.
I didn't like that idea, so I brought her back home and let her sleep on my sofa.
I'm still a bit weird about it (I have flatmates), I guess it was the right thing to do but still...on the other hand, it had resonances within my own life, and things other people have done for me.
Don't know how I ended up reading your blog but I'm glad I did. I too despair at the blind hatred by so many led by fools in pursuit of their own interests. It seems mankind has learned little from the past but I live in hope that maybe todays children will watch the destruction around the world and learn that it solves nothing creating only more violence. Will continue to join you in spreading kindness and smiles :)
Have a read of Join Me by Danny Wallace - the pioneers of Good Friday and Random Acts of Kindness. A really funny and sweet wee book.
Hola Miss Crurly K--
Thank you for this posting. You have inspired me to be good to one person today. I have not yet decided who it will be, but the lucky person will not know what has hit them! You have made me realize my own capacity for beneficnence, but i have a question also. Should I exercise my goodness in secret, or should I let my victim know who I am?
WINDS: Any kindnesses that have been given to me resembling the one shown to you years ago I have also passed on - it makes you stand outside your box for a while and go with your gut feeling to trust and do good.
DAVE: Good to see you drop by, glad I brightened your day and more importantly that you are going to spread the kindness!
CAT: Read a tiny bit about him via a guy involved in his network of kindness.
MANUELO:Hola, recepcion amigo! With regard to whether you should tell the person or not, it doesn't really matter. Some say give your kindness annoymously others that you should let the person know that you would like the kindness to be passed on. Don't think it really matters; the truly important thing is that some of us are putting out some positive energy into the universe (ooh, don't want to sound too hippy, man - but you know what I mean!):-)
I let people out in traffic as often as I can...but I expect others to do the same ...so that's not really selfless is it?...but they're all strangers, so that must count for something :-D
Like pay it forward, the movie with haley " i see dead people" joel osmont? Good idea. I've been trying to cheer peeps up on my blog today by posting some amusing stuff. BTW, you know your blog roll? How do you get your's like that with the descriptions and everything?
Pippa
I like the randomness of this idea.Not to knock anyone who performs acts of kindness on a more organised basis like volunteer or charity work though.Sometimes being on the receiving end of a decent act by a stranger can make your entire day/week/life.Once years ago I was waiting for a lift to arrive after getting off the ferry from Le Havre.They were a no-show so I unpacked the sleeping bag and camped out for the night in a field next to the terminal.In the morning I was roused by an elderly French tourist who brought me over a cup of coffee and a croissant.It was the best breakfast I ever had.
MISE: I always try to let people out of traffic too but I have to admit I do regret doing so if the person hasn't the manners to wave thanks - so still not quite as altruistic as I would like to be either.
PIPPA: My blogroll is simply the list of links in the blogger template. I simply put a space after each link and wrote what the descriptions there.
DEVIN: You've hit the nail on the head, random kindness from strangers can make your day / week etc.
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