We
celebrate/commemorate a lot in February: Valentine’s Day, Wear Red Day (heart disease
awareness), Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday, Presidents Day, Black History Month,
Groundhog Day… and snuggled right there between Chinese New Year and Drink Wine
Day is Random Acts of Kindness Day.
“Celebrated on
February 17th each and every year, Random Acts of Kindness Day is when everyone
has the opportunity to do something nice for a complete stranger, a family
member or a coworker.” (Random Acts of
Kindness Foundation)
Yes. There is a Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. In fact,
the RAKF celebrates Random Acts of Kindness WEEK. In the under-acclaimed movie
“Pay It Forward”, a 7th grade Social Studies teacher assigns his
class to devise and implement a plan that will change the world for the better.
One student’s plan is to do a good deed for someone, and then ask the recipient
of the deed to “pay it forward” by doing 3 good deeds for others, who request
that each of those 3 pay it forward to 3 more, ultimately causing an unending ripple
of good deeds. Since it IS a movie, of course some of the good deeds backfire.
But in the end, like a Hallmark Christmas movie, everyone finds love and lives
happily ever after.
Mr. Webster tells us “random” means “proceeding, made, or
occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern”, so the deeds in the movie
don’t fit the definition of “random”. But random or intentional, kindness is
contagious. Studies have shown that when a person does an act of kindness for
someone else, that kindness unfolds, like a ripple on a pond. ANY act of
kindness matters.
When I speak to you of kindness, I realize that many people reading this are "the choir". Many of you donate time, money, and energy to specific deeds and events that are kind, helpful, and even
life-sustaining. Today I’m thinking about kindness from a little different
perspective when I specify RANDOM (occurring without definite aim, reason, or
pattern).
Biblically, the Good Samaritan is the ultimate example of
doing random acts of kindness. The Samaritan came upon a man on the side of the
road, who had been beaten, robbed, and left half dead. Expecting NOTHING – not
even a “thanks” – the Samaritan bound the
injured dude’s wounds, and THEN obtained and paid for his extended
rehabilitative care. Random acts of kindness.
According to the RAFK, “… the original construct (of random
acts of kindness) implies a level of anonymity … that seems to have been lost.”
That means that many people might perform acts of kindness, but they expect (at
a minimum) recognition or thanks, making the acts not random at all, but
intentional. Consider some of these totally random acts you might have
performed, or had done to/for you: In heavy traffic, someone slowed and let you
merge. Someone at Aldi’s gave you a grocery cart, and refused your quarter. Someone
dropped a coin in your expired parking meter. Someone took the mayonnaise and opened
that sealed lid for you. A stranger admired your blouse or your tie. When you
got to the Starbuck’s window, someone had already paid for your coffee. Someone at the grocery store reached up and
got a can off the top shelf for you. While you were away for the weekend,
someone put your newspapers on the porch.
The possibilities are endless! I’m proposing each of us
perform some random act of kindness every day for the next YEAR. If you can’t
do that, then an intentional act of kindness will suffice. Remember the ripple
effect. If everyone did one act of kindness every day, just imagine what the
world would be like a year from now!
I’ll start: Whoever you are, and wherever you are, I wish for you a day filled with joy and peace!
Your turn.
