7 acts of kindness that can change the world as we know it.
You may be a drop in the ocean but you can still contribute to building a kinder, happier world.
Live and Let Live.
Let’s begin by considering who you are. You are a human being, just like billions of other human beings in this world.
You are one of them — a woman, a man, a gay person, a transsexual person, a non-binary person, a bisexual person, a black person, a brown person, a white person, a tall person, a short person, a fat person, a skinny person, a handicapped person, a blind person, a depressed person, a loud person, a shy person, an introvert, an extrovert, a poor person, a rich person, a tattooed person — these are real people, JUST LIKE YOU. With emotions, and thoughts, and rationality like you. And while you don’t appreciate them for who they are, have you always been appreciated for who you are or the choices that you have made? How did it feel to be judged by someone for just being you?
You would never judge yourself for who you are.
So why judge someone else for who they are?
Let them live. And let them let you live.
TL;DR — It’s not your life. If it does not harm you in any way, let them call the shots in their lives.
Listen.
There is so much happening in the world right now — there’s a global pandemic, there’s racism, there’s sexism, there’s brutality, there’s poverty, there’s hunger, and then, of course, there are evil politicians. There’s so much noise on social media where everyone wants to have the last word and every next person on your feed seems to have a louder opinion than the last one.
Watch out for that friend or loved one who has been quiet for a while. Ask them how they’re doing. Engage them in conversations, but remember to LET THEM SPEAK.
In this world full of speakers, it’s becoming increasingly hard to find listeners.
You can help keep someone’s anxiety at bay by just listening.
You can help save someone’s life by just listening.
Donate 2% of your monthly income to a good cause.
Yep, that’s all it takes.
You can buy all those things that you don’t really need from Amazon and still spare 2% for the people that need it. You can invest in your savings and the stock market and still find it in you the heart to spare 2% of your monthly income for someone who needs it more than you do.
There are so many people in the world that can live another day with your little donation.
Find a good cause — There are millions of non-profit organizations that would be happy to put your money to good use. Google “Top 100 non-profit organizations” if you don’t know of any and find one that resonates the most with you.
P.S — If you believe in the Law of Attraction, a little FYI — Numerous books state that if you donate a small percentage of your income, you could receive money back in multiple-folds.
Separate your trash.
This one is the easiest to do but benefits the world in so many ways.
Waste management is really important so that the different types of trash can be processed the right way. Waste that degrades quickly (Compost) will be processed differently than waste that can be re-used (Recycle), which in turn is processed differently than waste that degrades slowly (Landfill). I can write a whole other story about this, but I’d suggest you Google it if you don’t understand why waste management is important.
Trust me, if you spare a couple of extra minutes to separate your trash every day, you automatically level-up your Muggle-status to Nature Ninja! (Hey, you think Nature Ninja can’t do much, but you don’t know how badass she can be).
Never spew hatred on social media.
This is related to Point #1 but it requires a special mention.
Just because you hear most of your feed speak loudly about one side of the story, does not mean you join forces with them and continue the spiel without knowing and taking a moment to understand the other side.
Just because that celebrity does not know you, does not mean you add a cruel, judgmental comment to his/her post.
Just because someone seems amateur at whatever they are posting about, does not mean you call it out to them and make them feel horrible for trying.
You may not know this yet, but it is really okay to keep your judgment to yourself.
You may not agree with their opinion. You may feel like they deserve to be called out for something that they did/said. But remember — you not being unkind to them is much more important than forcing your opposite opinion down their throat.
And if it hasn’t registered already, I repeat — live and let live.
Try not to kill.
Try not to kill other people. Okay, I see you rolling your eyes and thinking — ‘Of course, I know that!’
Well, try not to kill other animals either.
Because in case you haven’t figured out that cutting open someone’s body can be painful, I’m going to spell it out for you — it f***ing hurts!
Even for animals.
Yes, I know I’ve never been another animal (not that I recall, anyway), but I’m sure you can use your highly-intelligent human brain to imagine how painful that would be. How would you feel if I cut you into pieces to go on my plate? If I milk you until my udders are sore and burning? If I took away your babies so that they can be ‘put to good use’ as soon as they are born?
Nature has provided enough for you to thrive on without having to kill.
Use it well.
Try not to waste
This isn’t related to separating trash.
It’s related to just how much and how often we thoughtlessly waste the things that have been given to us.
Do you keep the water running while brushing? Do you leave all the lights on in your house, even in the rooms that are not being used? Do you love to shower for at least thirty minutes? Do you often let food rot in your fridge before you throw it away? Do you put much more food on your plate than you can actually eat — and then later throw it away?
What we often fail to understand is just how precious these resources are, and how many people in this world don’t have access to them. Since we have seemingly unlimited access to basic needs like food, water, electricity — we should appreciate them more and be mindful by trying not to waste them.
By all means, use as much as you need, but try to use only as much as you need.
