I’ve noticed a recent widespread of negative articles everywhere I read. Bombings, killings, stabbings, and deforestation are all prevalent on my news feeds every day. Instead of preaching about how the world is unraveling at the seams, I think that it's important to also highlight the random acts of kindness that is happening in the midst of all this turmoil.
1. For instance, Latoya Marks and her family gave a card (and $5) to a random little girl at a café in Australia. In this card, they congratulated her for being so well behaved as a part of their Operation Christmas Spirit. Later on, the girl's guardian wrote on a Facebook page, called Canberra Mums, “What you couldn't have possibly known, is that the child you took the time to acknowledge has recently been separately from their birth family. Life for a foster child is not easy, but through your kindness you have shown this amazing child the spirit of community.”
2. In the pursuit of lifting the community of Rwanda women out of poverty, Humanity Unified International is one among many organizations that are utilizing socially responsible gifts. Proceeds from their latest clothing and jewelry campaigns are working with Aspire Rwanda to support education and food security projects. The World Bank, which gathers data on income from people around the world, shows that 899,800,000,000 are still living in extreme poverish conditions. That's a hefty number of people that don't have access to food or clothing, while sometimes I blindly worry about how my outfit looks. Socially responsible giving allows us to think with compassion and sustainability during the holiday season by giving financial support and awareness to these praiseworthy social causes.
3. As we all know, when the clock hits a certain time, you have to eat before "hangriness" starts to kick in. According to KTVU, Tarena Merritt wanted to lead up to her Christmas Eve birthday by doing 24 random acts of kindness. She saved a lot of people from the crazy "hangry" epidemic at Loaves and Fishes dining hall in San Jose, California, by donating her time to help give food to those in need.
4. In an article on the Star Online, Scott Teare talks about Scouts helping “not big global campaigns, but small local actions; each small change in “my world” building to a change in “our world”. After the earthquake hitting Nepal in April of this year, over 2,600 Scouts from all over immediately came to the rescue to help hundreds from "collapsed buildings, and supported aid agencies such as the International Red Cross/Red Crescent and Unicef.Imagining a bunch of little humans acting as real-life superheroes definitely pulls at my heart-strings.
5. It’s great to see that people are still helping one another. It’s also refreshing to learn when people are partaking in the conservation of our beloved home. A new documentary called ‘Can You Dig This’ features four “guerilla gardeners”, from South LA, in their recent urban gardening phenomenon. According to the film’s Facebook page, people are planting gardens peeking through concrete lots to transform their neighborhoods from “the hood” to a beautiful oasis.
Sometimes I find it really hard to believe that the world has made any progress. I engage with the news to find some really terrifying information. All we need is to give a little love in a world desperate for it. Give a smile to the next stranger you see walking by. Anything helps transform someone's day. While the world is crumbling at our feet, love is all we need.
