“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” —Princess Diana
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Nearly twenty years ago in Bozeman, I visited my sister Elena and her family, who resided in Livingston, Montana. This experience remains vivid in my memory. I was en route back to the Philippines when my sister accompanied me to the Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
After bidding farewell, I entered the terminal. The line was relatively short, especially compared to those in my home country, with only about twelve people ahead of me. To my astonishment, the man standing in front of me was none other than Hollywood actor Dennis Quaid (who appeared in such movies as The Day After Tomorrow and Far from Heaven.) He was dressed in a jacket and carried no belongings.
In front of him stood a rather large woman struggling with numerous bags and a piece of luggage. Noticing her difficulty, Quaid kindly offered, “Can I help you carry some of your bags?”
The woman gazed at her and, without a moment’s pause, handed at least two bags to Quaid. He slung them over his shoulder, and all proceeded smoothly.
As we sat in the waiting area, I found myself pondering. “Do you know her?” I inquired. “No,” he answered. “But she requires assistance!”
Although Quaid is wealthy and renowned, he remains fundamentally human. He is keenly aware of when someone needs help. “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,” Henry James reminded.
Until now, I couldn’t forget what Quaid had done. “A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone’s life,” Roy T. Bennett wrote in The Light in the Heart.
David French explained, “Kindness isn’t a tactic. It’s a command. … Civility and decency aren’t incompatible with ‘taking sides.’ It doesn’t require anyone to fold in the face of angry opposition. Kindness doesn’t conflict with conviction, and our commitments to kindness are biblically inseparable from our commitments to justice. We aren’t to choose between them; we’re to embrace them both.”
American journalist Sydney Harris (of “Strictly Personal” distinction) once shared his observation on kindness. “A couple of weeks ago, a fractured bone in my foot made it necessary for me to hobble around with a cane for several days,” he wrote.
“What was pleasant about this otherwise painful experience was the way I was treated by everyone,” Harris continued. “People opened doors for me, helped me into cabs, gave me room in elevators. Their consideration made it a temptation to keep the cane longer than I need to have. My spirit blossomed under this kind of public treatment.
“Yet, the moment I laid aside this symbol of deficiency, people reverted to their old pushing, jostling selves. And it occurred to me that everybody has some sort of broken bone somewhere, even if it cannot be seen. Not physical bones, of course, but emotional ones that are just as frail and tender.
“There have been many days when I needed more consideration than on the days I carried a cane; when my mind was troubled and my emotions churned, and no one knew or cared. The little broken bone was minor, but it opened a floodgate of human sympathy.”
The Guardian, an English newspaper, asked its readers of the kindness they have experienced. “Most people have at least one story about a stranger’s kindness to share,” it said.
Several readers responded. One of those experiences that caught my attention was this: “It happened to a friend and me in Singapore in 2000. After an 8-hour bus journey from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), our bus failed to cross the border.
“A woman we had chatted to briefly in Kuala Lumpur, helped us to get on another bus, then took us to her apartment (which she lived in with her two college-age kids) and put us up. Her son took us around the city, we had an amazing meal back at their house, and then they came with us to the airport that evening.
“My biggest regret was losing the piece of paper with their names and emails on when I lost my rucksack on returning home. It was the most amazing act of generosity I’ve ever been on the receiving end of, and I wish I could have repaid them.”
Kindness can happen in some strangest places. Here’s the story of Leslie Wagner from Peel, Arkansas, which was featured in Reader’s Digest: “When the supermarket clerk tallied up my groceries, I was $12 over what I had on me. I began to remove items from the bags, when another shopper handed me a $20 bill. ‘Please, don’t put yourself out,’ I told him.”
The man didn’t listen to her. Instead, he told a story to her: “My mother is in the hospital with cancer. I visit her every day and bring her flowers. I went this morning, and she got mad at me for spending my money on more flowers. She demanded that I do something else with that money. So, here, please, accept this. It is my mother’s flowers.”
Now, are you wondering why I am writing this piece? Allow me to quote the words of Nobel Peace laureate Nelson Mandela (whom I personally met when I covered an international conference in Durban, South Africa): “A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”
