Acts of Kindness
So many things
happen these days that we often don’t take the time to notice the little
things. Little things people do for one another. Picking up something and
handing it to the person that dropped it. Leaving the door open for a person
when you’re going out of a store. Stopping to ask if a person is alright after a fall.
These actions are often termed “Random Acts of Kindness”.
These acts of
kindness are a recurring theme in the United States these days. There has been
so much gun violence in the last year in this country, so much needless
carnage, that people are taking time to stop, notice the little things around
them, and to be grateful for their blessings.
In December of
last year, there was a mass shooting at an elementary school in the state of
Connecticut here in the United States. 26 people were killed in the massacre. 20
of the dead were children. As part of the aftermath of the shooting, people
around the US were encouraging people to perform 26 random acts of kindness,
one for each person that died that tragic day. I agree that acts of kindness
are wonderful things. But they don’t have to be random.
I have come up
with a plan for my acts of kindness. There are so many organizations in the US,
throughout the world, that do acts of kindness for the greater good, every single
day of the year. My plan is to support some of those organizations. For every
month this year, I will donate to a charity. I will donate a small amount-just
$10.00. It is a modest amount, one that will not drain any of my monetary
resources, but will help many people.
I have already
done my first act of kindness this year. I have purchased products from a fair
trade company. The Fair Trade Organization defines a Fair Trade as “…a trading partnership, based on dialogue,
transparency and respect, that seek greater equity in international trade. It
contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions
to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers – especially
in the South. Fair Trade Organizations, backed by consumers, are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness
raising and in
campaigning for changes
in the rules
and practice of conventional international trade.”
© World Fair Trade Organization http://www.wfto.com/
The products I purchased were made by artisans in Thailand, in a
village of over 400 people. My purchase further encourages fair trade, and helps
to give these artisans a living wage and a better life. All from buying a
product from a fair trade company. The company I purchased the products from had a variety of goods from a myriad of countries around the world.
That is my plan,
my act of kindness. I will donate $10 a month to a charity that I believe in,
that does a greater good for our planet and for one another.
So what about
you? How can you help? What can you contribute to the world? What will your act
of kindness be?
"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."-Aesop
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