My idea is not large scale, but it is something that I try to practice as much as possible. I believe in the power of kindness. Kindness can be a small act like smiling at someone as they walk by, or "paying it forward" in a drive through line. I bet we can all think of a time when a small act of kindness turned a bad day around, or gave you something to smile about. When a stranger gives me a compliment on something I am wearing, or my hair or anything, it does really brighten my day. Just think about it, one small comment can make another person happy for an entire day! I think that is a pretty amazing idea and that's why I believe in the power of kindness and it is my hope that we can all understand this power we posess and put it to good use.
Kindness can be as simple as saying "thank you" or "have a nice day" to someone. In this day and age we are so consumed by everything going on in our own lives, not that I blame anyone because having the power of an iPhone at your fingertips is pretty hard to ignore. But because we are so consumed by little things, it can become easy to disregard the people around us. If we take a second to look up from our smart phone when we are checking out at a register to smile and say thank you, it may have a more profound effect than you would think. Last class when we did the social change project, my group rode around on buses and made a point to say thank you to every bus driver and it was apparent that they really appreciated it. Most people walk past the driver buried in their phone, but the small amount of effort it takes to say thank you can brighten their day!
When thinking of this idea, three of the seven Cs stood out to me. Congruence, commitment and citizenship are important to my idea of being kind. Congruence is "thinking, feeling and behaving with consistency, genuineness, authenticity and honesty towards others" (page 385). This is important to my idea because kindness needs to be genuine and honest. The most pure form of kindness is the type that is effortless and real! Commitment to the idea is another important aspect. Commitment requires some time and energy for the cause and it is necessary to be committed to being kind to others. Citizenship is perhaps the most applicable C here. "Citizenship names the process whereby the self is responsibly connected to the environment and community" (page 359). We are all responsible for treating others kindly. We owe it to each other to treat each other with respect, after all, we are all just humans trying to make the best of our lives. As a community we can become happier by treating others nicely. Not only can you make someone else happy, but you can brighten your own day by being kind to others!
I had a math teacher in high school who would assign us "RAK" homework assignments. He would challenge us to do a Random Act of Kindness for someone and we would report back on what we did. I thought this was a cool idea because at first we all put significant effort into these acts of kindness, but over time they became second nature. And here is where I get my idea. I challenge you to do one small act of kindness a day and see how that effects your life and the lives of those you are kind to. I guarantee that these acts will become integrated into your daily life and you can go out there and make a difference in your community!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Kidder's Framework
Our scenario
When applications come in to join a student organization applications must be blind.
A student received an interview for a position, but their friend is also the president of the organization. He was obviously biased and that is how the student received the interview. Do you toss her application even though she had a 4.0 GPA and is very involved on campus?
Although the rules were clearly violated in this situation I would still have to keep this applicant in the running. I do not think it is right to punish her for someone else's mistakes. I would hold the applicant to the same standards as every other applicant and if they were qualified they would get an interview, and if they were not I would not give them an interview. Since she is clearly well qualified for the organization it would be easier to fight for her spot because she deserves to be there. I would base my decision solely off of the applicant's qualifications and ignore the president's breach of process.
What makes this a hard decision is the fact that the organization does have a process and it would be my job to abide by it.
Kidder's Framework
In this situation, I would have to decide between justice and mercy, and truth vs loyalty.
The justice in the situation would be the fact that the rules were violated and there are set consequences for violations. If I valued justice I would throw out the application because the rules were violated and she got an interview because of her connections.
Mercy comes into play because I would feel bad for the applicant because it was our president who violated the rules. I do not know if she had any say in whether or not the president gave her an interview and if she did not have anything to do with it I would feel bad taking her application out. Mercy wins out over justice because I would feel mercy for the applicant and give them an interview.
I would struggle with loyalty because I would want to uphold my organization's rules and values. I would feel loyal to my fellow members and to the promises I made to uphold what the organization believes in.
The truth of the matter is that this applicant is well qualified and even without the president's intervention, they would have probably gotten an interview. Truth would win out over loyalty because I would want this applicant to have the same chance as the others in being reviewed.
When applications come in to join a student organization applications must be blind.
A student received an interview for a position, but their friend is also the president of the organization. He was obviously biased and that is how the student received the interview. Do you toss her application even though she had a 4.0 GPA and is very involved on campus?
Although the rules were clearly violated in this situation I would still have to keep this applicant in the running. I do not think it is right to punish her for someone else's mistakes. I would hold the applicant to the same standards as every other applicant and if they were qualified they would get an interview, and if they were not I would not give them an interview. Since she is clearly well qualified for the organization it would be easier to fight for her spot because she deserves to be there. I would base my decision solely off of the applicant's qualifications and ignore the president's breach of process.
What makes this a hard decision is the fact that the organization does have a process and it would be my job to abide by it.
Kidder's Framework
In this situation, I would have to decide between justice and mercy, and truth vs loyalty.
The justice in the situation would be the fact that the rules were violated and there are set consequences for violations. If I valued justice I would throw out the application because the rules were violated and she got an interview because of her connections.
Mercy comes into play because I would feel bad for the applicant because it was our president who violated the rules. I do not know if she had any say in whether or not the president gave her an interview and if she did not have anything to do with it I would feel bad taking her application out. Mercy wins out over justice because I would feel mercy for the applicant and give them an interview.
I would struggle with loyalty because I would want to uphold my organization's rules and values. I would feel loyal to my fellow members and to the promises I made to uphold what the organization believes in.
The truth of the matter is that this applicant is well qualified and even without the president's intervention, they would have probably gotten an interview. Truth would win out over loyalty because I would want this applicant to have the same chance as the others in being reviewed.
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