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Acts of random kindness

Ross_Alumni
Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
edited November 2020 in Coffee lounge

How do you change the world?

One single act of random kindness at a time.

If the movie Evan Almighty taught us anything, it was this. Even though I am not a massive fan of the film, this line is something that has stuck with me, despite the fact that whenever I quote it I can't remember the film in which it comes from.
Strange, right? kind of, but not really. I don't love the line because of the movie it comes from, or because of the context in which it is said, it sticks in my mind all these years later because of how much I believe in the meaning behind it. 

An act of kindness, it doesn't even have to be random, can lift another person's spirits when they need it most, it can turn an average day into a good one and it can change somebody's life for the better. Repeat these acts as often as we can and hey, I would say that is changing the world.

Acts of random kindness that have happened to you, you have done for others, or you have witnessed

black and silver laptop on a table with the words be kind on the screen
It is World kindness Day and because we know what a lovely lot you are, we are certain that you will have numerous examples.

I will list one that happened to me recently:
For those who don't know, I'm severely sight impaired and I use a long cane. I was walking through the large train station in the town I've recently moved in to and found I was getting lost. I knew where I needed to go but I wasn't sure where I had gone wrong and how to go about figuring that out. I started to re-trace my steps in the hope that I would come across a landmark I recognised when someone getting in their car, who evidently had noticed my predicament, stopped what they were doing and called out to me asking if I was okay. They had clearly figured out where I was trying to get to, so they started to describe where I needed to go, and what obstacles would lie in my way on the ground. They successfully narrated me back on course and I was on my way, but their generosity warmed my heart, they didn't have to get back out of their car just to help me out, but they did.

What acts of random kindness have happened to you, been witnessed by you or have you done for others?
:) 
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Comments

  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,741 Disability Gamechanger
    That was kind of them @Ross_Scope It's the little things people do isn't it?  Like you say, you never know what someone has going off in their life and it can make a big difference to their day.

    Over lockdown I've been getting my elderly neighbour shopping whenever she needed it and surprising her with the odd chocolate bun.  Plus buying my mum and nan flowers just to cheer them up.  

    Personally, I always remember a neighbour knocking at our door with some fish and chips.  They had ordered too much and wanted us to have it.   They were the nicest chips ever (because they were free :D ).  

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  • 66Mustang
    66Mustang Community member Posts: 13,368 Disability Gamechanger
    I don't have the confidence to commit "acts of kindness" when I am out and about, except when driving, where I often give way to other vehicles even when I am not required to. I do this because most of the time when I am out driving I am not looking to get anywhere at a certain time, I am just out for the fun of it, so I might as well give up a little time so someone else who most likely isn't driving just for fun can get to their destination sooner and more easily. :)

    Thinking about it, I frequently witness both of my parents committing "acts of kindness", but this has always been set as an example to me of just being a normal, decent person, not "going above and beyond" or anything like that. My parents were a nurse and a police officer so it is in their nature to step in without second thought and help strangers in any way they can.

    A couple of times our dog has decided to run out of the house without us realising when we go to the bins or take in a delivery or something, and a stranger has returned the dog to our house, which was very kind of them. :)
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    I was once getting the train from university to my Dad's for the Christmas holidays. I had a really bad cold, and hadn't got any sleep. I felt dreadful on the journey, and so went to the kiosk to get a coffee to perk me up. I must have looked and sounded so awful that the guy doing the coffees gave me it for free and threw in a little cake too. It was years ago now but I still remember it. I hope he didn't get in trouble!

    I'm a fan of the 'pay it forward' mentality. I've bought books for strangers on the internet before who haven't been able to afford them, with the promise that they'll do a random act of kindness for someone else one day, and that person will too, and so on. It doesn't have to be anything money-related either, just smiling at someone or saying hello can go a long way in my experience. 
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  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    edited November 2020
    I have already told about the chap who paid for someone’s breakfast in a local cafe just because he felt like being kind that day, nice thing to do.

    i remember watching a man selling the big issue in town once and I gave him a pound eventually without taking the magazine, on another occasion I saw another chap selling the big issue and didn’t give him anything which I felt guilty about. Later I saw him packing up and going home presumably and saw I crossed the road and gave him a pound. I didn’t speak though and so he was a bit confused as I walked away. I heard him call out thanks as I walked off. He was definitely surprised. 

    One of my children spent a week purposely doing random acts of kindness and enjoyed it immensely, even giving someone a bunch of flowers.

    however, a smile will suffice and costs nothing.

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    A smile doesn't cost anything indeed :) Love that @leeCal, I often feel sorry for those people selling the big issue, I've never actually seen anyone buy one.

    Ah what a nice thing to do @Tori_Scope, I guess some good does come from having a cold :) 

    Your parents sound like lovely people @66Mustang, but I agree with you that acts of random kindness shouldn't be seen as going above and beyond, it should be something we all strive to make part of who we are.

    Free fish and chips are the best fish and chips @Cher_Scope, what a thoughtful thing for your neighbour to do :) I wish someone would surprise me with a chocolate bun :D 
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  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,521 Disability Gamechanger
    We always try to be good neighbours, with some its difficult but most appreciate it, its a shame that the people of this country have become so insular and self centred in too many cases. But that's just how it is in 2020, I hoped that if anything good came out of this pandemic it would be a fundamental change in how we live together and act towards each other and for a period that looked like it might happen, sadly all I see is a society slipping back into it's old habits. We are without a shadow of doubt all to blame for this and I don't really see anyway back into the good old days when society really meant something.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • Cress
    Cress Community member Posts: 1,012 Pioneering
    I think small acts of kindness can be worth so much to the giver and receiver.  ..I remember standing outside my mental health centre having a smoke and a young man was trying to roll a cigarette but was having trouble as he was shaking so much...I offered him one of mine and he was so grateful...but more then that he took it as an opening to tell me about himself and his problems. .I couldn't be of any help and was well out of my comfort zone but I think he just wanted to talk, so I listened...and hoped it had made his morning a tiny bit better.

    A couple of months ago I was having a really bad day, to top it off ii had collected my sons meds, glass bottles of epilim etc and the chemist, being thoughtful of the planet had placed them all into a paper bag...five minutes later the bag ripped and everything was on the floor...I had nothing else to put everything in and was about five seconds from tears when a lady rushed over and gave me a large, plastic bag for life, helping me put everything in it....I was so grateful for that act of kindness just when I needed it...lol
  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    @woodbine
    I think there will be a section of society who do change from here on in, but perhaps not enough to make it noticable. I know for certain that the experience of this year will change my outlook on certain parts of life going forward, and I'm sure that's the case for others too.

    @Cress
    You must have never wanted to see a bag for life more :) What a lovely thing for someone to do. As you say, it can often be in those moments where you need it most where an act of random kindness can mean the most.
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  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    Listening can often be the most powerful thing, so I'm sure that you did make his morning at least a little better @Cress :) 

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  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    That's very true @Tori_Scope, listening is such a powerful thing. Which in some ways makes me sad because it shows how little some people actually get listened to.

    Which is a shame, because listening is easy, it doesn't require effort at all.
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  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    I was due to go to a works ball with my sister in law but my car broke down that day. My brother didnt want me to miss out so he came to pick me up and took me home which was a fair journey as I live 30 miles away so in total he drove 120 miles that night. I know he is family but he didnt have to do this .

    I am going to make an effort to give more acts of random kindness when we can get out and about again   
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
    That's lovely @janer1967. He sounds like a good brother. 

    Great! Hopefully more of us will make small changes to how we live to make the world a bit nicer :) 
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  • Ross_Alumni
    Ross_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 7,652 Disability Gamechanger
    Such a lovely gesture, your brother sounds great @janer1967 :) 
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