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!
I really enjoyed reading this post! I personally do not think that kindness is not a small scale concept, just perceived as small scale by us. Those "small" acts of kindness, like you said, make a big impact on both the person you affect and yourself. I agree that just smiling and making eye contact with someone walking across the oval brightens my day and makes the other person feel special. My staff in Residence Life talks all the time about the impact that we can have on resident's day, making it brighter and such. I have had resident come tell me a story about a morning when the Office Assistants made their day by saying "Have a great day!" as they walk out the door.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that the iPhones have made a large difference in the interactions/acts of kindness that we have with each other. The fact that a small act of kindness is now considered making eye contact and smiling kind of makes me sad. But at the same time, it is so simple that everyone can do it. Imagine if everyone did that on Ohio State's campus?! The culture would be so very different.
Finally, I love that your teacher had assignments like RAK! I began to think of the movie Pay It Forward the moment I read that paragraph. I hope that more teachers are doing that with kids these days because if the younger generation can be more aware of RAK as an everyday thing, imagine how different our world would be.
Great post!!
Nicole, kudos on this incredible post. It's such an interesting world that we live in, that only a small comment can amount to making someone's day- for the better or worse. Being kind, as you mentioned, doesn't take any effort and doesn't cost you anything. As Lydia mentioned in her comment too, imagine OSU if everyone were to display constant kindness to others? I love the idea of expressing gratitude as a form of kindness to others, such as thanking all of the bus drivers. I practice this as often as possible, but it should be present in all of our attitudes. Additionally, I really like your point about being consumed by our iPhones. What if we used social media for the best instead? Text friends on the daily, wishing them luck on an exam or telling them to have a great day. Unprovoked kindness is so rare and beautiful, and I love your vision of a better world because of it. It certainly can make a difference in one person's world, which can only have a domino effect on the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteThis is so similar to what I wrote about-although I forgot to include the seven C's. I completely agree with all of your points. I know when someone reaches out to me in the smallest way, it can make my day-or week. I don't think people realize the impact they can have on others and their surroundings with the smallest (or biggest) acts.
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