Small Acts of Kindness
In the fall of 2015, in Honors Orientation, we were instructed to write a ‘This I Believe’ statement. Last week I was asked to read my ‘This I Believe’ to the current Honors Orientation class that I am a teaching assistant in. Truthfully, I had not read or even given my statement much thought since I turned it in four years ago. However, I wish I had. As I stood in front of the class, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, not from sadness, but from a wonderful familiarity.
Reading it again made me realize that even though four years have passed and I have developed new opinions and beliefs and grown as a person, the core of who I am has not changed whatsoever.
When I wrote my first blog post it was one in the morning. The message had been weighing on my mind for many years and finally, at that moment, I had found the words to properly articulate my idea. I repeated my core statement as a way to tie all the different thoughts together. What I didn’t realize while I was writing it, was that I had done the same thing four years earlier with my ‘This I Believe’ statement.
I want to share my statement because I think it is an incredibly important reminder to act with kindness in a time when violence, both in our rhetoric and actions, seems to be the first response. You may not get along or see eye-to-eye with everyone, but treating others with kindness and like equals is the first thing we can do to combat a world of hate.
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I believe in small acts of kindness.
Behind every person’s face, there is a story and no two stories are the same. You never know by looking at a person what their personal battles might be. But think for a moment, what if you, in some small way could help them, would you help them or just walk on by? Helping someone can be the simplest and littlest of actions. These little acts in life are often forgotten in a world that is constantly busy. Acts that include holding the door for a person, thanking the servers in the food court, simply complimenting someone while you wait in line and smiling at a stranger in the hall. Just a smile and a compliment can entirely change someone’s day.
I believe in small acts of kindness.
Mother Teresa coined the phrase, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love”. The idea of showing kindness and love towards others is something that dates back thousands of years. In today’s world, a world in which everything and everyone is moving so quickly, it is no longer natural to be kind. It is something that needs to be practiced.
I believe in small acts of kindness.
The Minnesota State High School League publishes a magazine every year reflecting the year’s accomplishments across all the sports. One page of the magazine focuses on the statement, “Why We Play.”. In 2014, the picture shown with this statement was of two competitors from different schools immediately after finishing a relay race. One of the runners had just collapsed upon finishing and the other runner was bending over to helping her up. The word printed on the picture was “Competitive Camaraderie”. The other runner was me. At that moment, it was just an instinct to help her up, competitor or not. That small act is the bases of everything that I believe.
I believe in small acts of kindness.
Helping others up when they are down can be both literal and figurative. Kindness pays off in life and in competition. It is not something that can be measured in money or in what place you take in the race, it can be measured in precious moments, that at the time seem so inconsequential, but upon reflection, they show who you really are.
I believe in small acts of kindness.
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