When you are travelling out and about our fair city, engaged in your daily activities and interactions, would a reasonably informed bystander say that you are a kind person? Or, might that impartial observer see you as a reasonably hand drawn facsimile of Oscar the Grouch?
Relax Ebenezer, I am not purporting a new reality television series here with drones, Go Pros, and film crews following your every move, just simply asking the question: is your default setting switched to kindness? Do you consciously think about being kind to others or does it just sometimes happen? Maybe you couldn’t be bothered because the world has been unkind to you? Perhaps you need all three ghosts to visit you overnight in order to have a change of heart?
Random Acts of Kindness Day will be celebrated on Feb. 17. It is a day of intentional mindfulness dedicated to doing something kind for others for no other reason than it is a good thing to do. No reward is required nor expected. The act you choose to set loose upon society, whether it be holding a door open, letting a car go ahead of you, or donating a pint of blood, will simply lead to the world becoming a better place. There is comfort in that! Celebrated American author Mark Twain says: “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Truly a wonderful sentiment, Twain effectively captures the hopeful notion that kindness is a universal act, which transcends race, culture, and creed. Everyone is therefore, capable of kindness.
In a world that increasingly seems a place where random acts of violence and hatred are all too prevalent, Feb. 17 accords us all the opportunity to not just think about putting others first, but to act in such a manner to make it manifest. By doing something, anything that makes a positive difference in the life of another human being, or even an animal, you can have a lasting impact on increasing the world’s kindness quotient. Do the math … if you and I are kind, or even kind of kind, then others will be kind in kind! Kind seems contagious! Pay it forward.
That we need a special day to be cognizant of the why and how more kindness is required in our world speaks to the tall order of work ahead of us to truly serve the common good. Novelist Henry James states: “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” What was the second one again? Be kind … got it!
Desmond Tutu gives sage advice as to why we need to be kind to each other: “Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Imagine a world overwhelmed with kindness … I wonder if you can? Wouldn’t that be a world worth seeking? All it takes is a little more mindfulness on our part, and a lot more practice.
In any event, we have two full weeks to prepare our hearts and minds for Random Acts of Kindness Day. Let’s just hope the Ground Hog is kind to us in advance of the 17th!
Tim Cusack is an educator, writer and member of the naval reserve.
