“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
***
When was the last time you extended kindness to others? Was it yesterday, last week, two months ago, or have you lost track of time?
In this era characterized by rampant materialism, constant text messaging, the information superhighway, and ongoing financial turmoil, it appears that kindness has become a rarity. We are perpetually rushed and often neglect to assist others or even to inquire, “How are you today?”
Kindness is our “greatest weapon yet,” according to then Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief Jim Plouffe as the world was facing financial disarray and our region was constantly confronting poverty, political instability and natural disasters.
It is never too late to show kindness. What many individuals are unaware of is that kindness not only enhances your happiness but may also contribute to a longer life.
Indeed, you read that correctly! Professor Stephen Post, the author of Why Good Things Happen to Good People, has investigated the evidence indicating that kindness is beneficial for your health. A study involving 2,106 church members revealed that those who frequently assisted others experienced improved mental health and reduced levels of depression.
Other studies found helpful people were less likely to fall ill from chronic disease and tended to have better immune systems. “A strong correlation exists between the well-being, happiness and health of people who are kind,” said Prof. Post.
Kindness embodies love expressed through small actions, actions that may appear insignificant yet hold great meaning for those who receive them. Kindness offers support when another is overwhelmed. It provides encouraging words when someone is feeling downhearted. It offers a refreshing drink of water to those who are parched. It consistently performs good deeds for others. It engages in small acts with a spirit of blessing.
“Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the dumb can understand,” American author Mark Twain said. “Be kind,” Plato urged, “for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around,” Leo Buscaglia reminded.
Joann C. Jones recounts an unforgettable anecdote from her time as a second-year nursing student. On that particular day, their professor administered a quiz. “I easily navigated through the questions until I encountered the final one: ‘What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?’”
She perceived it as somewhat humorous. Although she had seen the cleaning lady on multiple occasions, how could she possibly know her name? Consequently, she submitted her paper with the last question unanswered. Before the class concluded, someone could not resist asking the professor whether the final question would be factored into their grade.
“Absolutely,” the professor affirmed. “Throughout your careers, you will encounter numerous individuals. Each one is important. They warrant your attention and kindness, even if your only action is to smile and greet them.”
This was indeed a lesson she would never forget.
You can show kindness – in deeds or in words. Being nice to someone is already an act of kindness. But Dave Barry, who wrote Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn, said that “a person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.”
Wendy Lyttle was spending a week with her son who showed her about being kind and generous. When they were eating in a café, her son paid the remaining US$2 when the man who ordered a burger didn’t have enough money to pay for it. When he saw a silver five-cent coin on the pavement, he didn’t pick it and instead said, “Some kid will get a kick out of finding this.”
When she got home, she wrote him a letter thanking him. She told him that the other week, a young man was ahead of her in the line at a petrol station and didn’t have enough money to pay for his petrol. She asked the cashier how much he was short, and she handed him US$6.
“He was so surprised and said, ‘But why would you do this for me? I just smiled as I thought of you. Thank you, son, for teaching me that ‘it’s better to give than to receive,’” the mother wrote.
Do you think it’s time for you to be kind again? Best-selling author Og Mandino urges, “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”
The words of William Penn also echo: “I expect to pass through life but once. If there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”
In The Light in the Heart, author Roy T. Bennett wrote: “A random act of kindness, no matter how small, can make a tremendous impact on someone else’s life.” He also penned these words: “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.”
Ray Bradbury also wrote in Fahrenheit 451: “We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.”
Finally, Henry James reminds, “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.”
—###
