Want to make the world a better place? Being kind is the first step. We think everyday should be World Kindness Day but November 13th is the official date. World Kindness Day was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement. It is observed in many countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, Nigeria and United Arab Emirates. Kindness is a virtue of paramount importance, yet not everyone goes out of their way to help someone else, or even take the small effort of smiling at a stranger. But there is no denying that there is an absolute necessity to be nice to others, even if it requires an effort.
The purpose of World Kindness Day is to look beyond ourselves, beyond the boundaries of our country, beyond our culture, our race, our religion; and realize we are citizens of the world. As world citizens we have a commonality, and must realize that if progress is to be made in human relations and endeavors, if we are to achieve the goal of peaceful coexistence, we must focus on what we have in common. When we find likenesses we begin to experience empathy, and in such a state we can fully relate to that person or those people. While we may think of people from other cultures as being ‘different’ when we compare them with our own customs and beliefs, it doesn’t mean that we are any better than they are. When we become friends with someone from a different culture we discover that despite some obvious differences, there are many similarities.
How to Celebrate?
- Be kind and do random acts of kindness.
- Smile at strangers and do kind things for them. Give up your seat on the bus to someone else. Buy someone’s coffee for them. Volunteer your time at the local soup kitchen. Leave a kind note for someone.
- Kindness should not only be reserved for our fellow human beings. Be kind to the animals and to the environment as well.
- If you have children in your life, teach them the virtue of kindness by practicing it in your daily life.
- If you have elderly neighbors, offer to lend a hand, run an errand or simply play a game of cards and have a friendly conversation.
Did You Know…
…that researchers have found there is a positive feedback loop between happiness and kindness? Undertaking acts of kindness makes one happy, and people who are happy tend to be kinder to others.