Kindness as an Agent of Radical Change
Eclipse
When was the last time someone did something kind for you? Was it a little surprising that someone might be going out of their way to help you? What if acts of kindness were the norm, instead of the exception?
I learned recently of a message board in my middle school where people could write a note about a kind thing that someone did for them. It’s a demonstration of how much small acts of kindness mean to us, and it’s an opportunity to give some of that kindness back to the world. Someone might love to know that something they did for another person mattered to them, and it might mean a lot to them. More than that, it’s an opportunity for others to share in the warm feeling that kindness brings.
I imagine myself standing in front of the board reading each message, a smile on my face and a satisfied feeling in my heart. Noticing acts of kindness in public is something that helps me feel hopeful in a largely depressing world. I love to hear two friends laughing together, or seeing someone return a dropped item to a stranger. These actions may be small, but the feeling they spark is not. I think we need to notice this feeling more, and put more effort into creating it.
I find that these small acts tend to remain crystal clear in people’s memories, and I don’t think that’s for the sake of “niceness” or anything so superficial. They feel so good because kindness is human nature! For major survival-based reasons, kindness and generosity are core values of humanity. People survive and thrive when they cooperate and support each other, not when they compete for selfish purposes. The damages of a culture that incentivizes greed and personal gain are becoming more and more obvious to many, and many people know already that our society is being torn apart by corporations that prioritize profit over all else.
So let’s change this culture, and let’s start by being kinder to each other whenever we can. Recall the random, sweet interactions with strangers that leave a grin on your face and content in your heart. Go out of your way to help someone else, and be confident that someone will do the same for you. As kindness becomes the norm between individuals, it will follow into generosity and cooperation in workplaces and institutions. In this manner we will transform our society into one that provides freedom and happiness not through vast and blind declarations, but through intentional care and love for one another.