As “Act of Kindness week” wrapped up, it is easy to take it for granted and dismiss the “half-baked” notion. Are you distracted by all the troubling news in the world? Not an easy task, when we feed our minds with all the negativity and hatred in social and traditional media and outlets. We can put our “blinders” on, but it is hard to ignore the mass trucker protests, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, civil wars and continuing unrest and war unrest in Ukraine. We can still do our part even if it is a random act of kindness to a stranger or if it doesn’t come naturally to us.
Acts of kindness can be big or small
When being kind and compassionate towards each other, it doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. Doing acts of measurable kindness and generosity takes time and practice consistently. Try posting positive notes to your loved ones or around your community. Pay positive compliments rather than complaining or putting someone down. Have you heard of “misery loves company”? The next time you share your day with your partner or spouse, focus on the good things that happened at work, not the negatives. These small gestures and good habits can lead to bigger and better things. After all, saving the Earth or changing your thinking won’t happen overnight. The other day, I caught my daughter picking up litter around the neighbourhood. The great thing about small acts of kindness is that it is contagious and more people will follow suit.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32 ESV
Feed your mind with positive messages and reinforcement
You have heard of the expression: “garbage in, garbage out.” Whatever we feed our mind and body can reflect our thinking and even our happiness. Funny, we know enough to avoid consuming rotten fish or illicit drugs that cause immediate pain or suffering, but we are largely unaware of other things that affect our well-being. If you absorb social media and local news regularly, it will affect you emotionally. Let’s face it, hard news and misinformation in mass media is quite common: it sells more newspapers, increases TV viewership and generates more revenue.
However, we need a healthy dose of positive and encouraging reinforcement as well. Try reading or watching devotional videos from the bible. Cast our worries aside to the lord. If that is not your “cup of tea”, try yoga or meditation in the morning. Regular exercise can relieve stress and make you feel good. Whatever you feed your mind in the morning, will often set the mood and tone for the rest of the day. Keep that in mind. This will take time, but retraining your mind will benefit you and lead to greater happiness.
Don’t let current political events change your mindset
Lots of negativity and hatred in the world today so it is helpful to keep a healthy perspective. One illustration on TV painted a beautiful contrasting picture: a lady hugging a tired protester holding a Canadian flag with visible tears in her eyes. Despite the sensational media portraying the trucker blockade as violent and chaotic, a glimmer of hope and touching human spirit prevails. We should still have compassion and understanding towards others even if we don’t necessarily agree with them or it doesn’t align with our values. Kindness, generosity and peacefulness should not be dismissed. All these anti-government, right-winged extremists have no place in our democratic society. Don’t like the current government in power? Vote them out in the next election, open up a civil political discussion or conduct a peaceful protest without all the hatred and violence. Again, we don’t want to turn a “blind eye” to all the chaos and unrest in the world, but we can choose to keep a positive outlook.
Let’s be optimistic, show kindness and support one another in these troubled times. The next time you are waiting in line, let the man having a bad day go ahead of you or pay for his cup of coffee. Pay it forward. This reinforcement of healthy positive thinking and developing good habits will lead to more acts of kindness. I’m not sure about you, but we could use more of that in this world.
