I recently found myself watching the movie "Evan Almighty" on Netflix again, and the word ARK keeps sticking with me.For those who have not seen the movie, basically, God contacts Congressman Evan Baxter and tells him to build an ark in preparation for a flood. This being after Baxter prayed to God asking him to help him change the world. God tells him the key to changing the world is one random act of kindness at a time. ARK.

I love that message. In a world so hateful and chaotic at it seems as though every news story justs worse and worse, it's hard to remember that there is still good in this world and that you can be apart of that. Judaism even teaches that the world is built on kindness.

No act of kindness is too small or insignificant. In fact, anything done out of kindness is important and indeed significant. An act of kindness can cause a ripple effect. When we treat others with kindness, sometimes they will pay it forward, and ends up becoming a chain reaction. You impacted more people than you think.

So what exactly is a random act of kindness? According to Wikipedia a random act of kindness is "A non-premeditated, inconsistent action designed to offer kindness towards the outside world."

I like how the definition says non-premeditated. I feel it's a tad better than random. The idea of a "random" act of kindness is that it's spontaneous. An act that is performed on impulse, something done in the moment. It is an act that is meant to simply give, and not expect anything in return.

It's incredibly simple as well. Remember, it doesn't have to always be a big act. It can be giving a compliment to someone, paying for the car behind you in a drive-thru, smile at a stranger and tell them to have a nice day, etc.

Even when I'm having a hard day, I still try to be positive to those around me. If I go to the store after work I always remember to smile at the cashier, ask how they're doing and wish them a nice day. If I go out to eat I always tip very generously to my waiter/waitress. I know how hard things can get and how good you feel when someone does something nice, no matter how small.

One of the things to keep in mind is that these acts are meant to come from the goodness of your heart, something you just do. In other words, you don't have to post about it. The idea is that you do it without expecting to receive anything in return, including all those likes and comments about how nice that was of you. It was one of the points Wikipedia made in the negative effects of these acts, saying, "People claiming to help others randomly, took selfies on social media, sparking a disaster tourism frenzy of 'I was there helping', whereby actual relief vehicles were delayed by the excessively clogged traffic." I know it's tempting to tell others about something kind that you did, sort of looking for a bit of recognition, but you don't need that. Knowing that you did a good deed is enough.

Random acts of kindness are one of the keys to changing the world. It may not fix everything, but it's certainly a start. It's time to start being nicer.