[Sneak Preview] P.A.R.K. Kindness Day

I hope to realize this initiative called P.A.R.K. Kindness Day some time next year, maybe on the first anniversary of P.A.R.K. (22 September 2014) or even earlier if we manage to gather enough support for this event. On P.A.R.K Kindness Day, I would like anyone who believes in P.A.R.K. to come together to make a (minimum) contribution of $1 to any charities or non-profit organizations supporting a good cause, of their choice. There are a number of ways to donate to charities, be it through Flag Day on the street or via the online donation portal, SG Gives, which supports up to 270 charities.

This is certainly a good way to show kindness to those who need our help most as every dollar donated can make a difference to the lives of the poor and needy. I hope that all our friends who believes in P.A.R.K. can come together and support this event together. I am sure that if you are reading this post, $1 doesn't really make much of a difference to you. However, if we have many friends contributing $1 each, say 1000 of us, we would have raised $1,000 for charity.

Lastly, I hope that those who have supported this event can PM me how much they donated and to which organization so that I can consolidate the total amount that P.A.R.K. Kindness Day has generated for the charities. Alternatively, they can post this piece of information on our Facebook Page. If this event is successful, we can have more of such initiatives in the future and we will keep adding to the previous total we have collected. I believe all our P.A.R.K. members would be really proud to have contributed to this amount in some way.

Nation Of Kindness

Being a Gen Y member when most of our fellow peers are well educated and drawing a decent pay, we sometimes neglect to acknowledge the existence of the poor and needy in our society. This is because when we look around us, we realize that most, if not all, of our friends seem to be doing quite well. Most of our friends are holding a diploma/ degree and having office jobs so life can't be that bad. However, just because we don't have friends who are poor and needy, it does not mean that there are no poor or needy around.

The income gap between the poor and the rich is widening and those who are earning considerably less will be swept behind by the tsunami of inflation and high cost of living. Some may think that it is the government's job to take care of the poor and needy, but can we as fellow citizens do more? Some may ask why should we even bother. It is better to work hard and save the money for myself, never mind who is suffering out there. Then again, we should try to eradicate this kind of "I only care for myself" mindset if we really want to progress as a society and more importantly as a person.

We should care for each other because we are all members of the society and citizens of the same country. If it is within our means, we should try to do something to help these group of friends, so that everyone moves along and the society progress together, leaving no one behind. If Singapore were to go to war one day (touch wood), are we going to segregate the poor and the rich? No! We are going fight as one army and we are going to defend our country together. If we are not caring and helping each other now, how are we going to have that trust and team spirit when the crunch time comes?

When the poor gets poorer, they will be ones who suffer most, as their pay is unable to catch up with inflation. There's a recent article which states that the "working poor" (someone whose income per household capita is less than half of the national median per capita household income of Singapore, which stands at $1,920) are not getting enough pay to make ends meet. The government may come out with policies to help them but it may still be a struggle for them. Can we be kind enough to do a bit more for them and lighten their load?

80 Kind Acts in 1 Month, Fact or Myth?

It has been almost a month since P.A.R.K started on 22 September 2013. I have recorded down my kind acts, not to boast how kind I am, but to share and encourage others to do likewise. It is not difficult to engage in acts of kindness when we set our heart to do it. Otherwise, I would not be able to complete 80 acts of kindness in less than a month. I would encourage everyone to share your acts of kindness because there is nothing ashamed about telling others the good you have done. If one can share photos of their luxury car, expensive holidays or high priced property, why can't one share acts of kindness, which is priceless?

Also, I would encourage everyone to record down their P.A.R.K moments (acts of kindness) because you should be proud of yourself for being kind. It takes a big heart to give kindness so you deserve some credit for doing a kind deed. When you reflect on life someday and ask yourself what you have achieved in this life, this record will be your biggest supporting proof that you have lived a meaningful and purposeful life.

Here's sharing with some acts of kindness (some are repeated) that I have done for the past month, hopefully you can be inspired to do one or two in the coming weeks:

PARK Moments on Public Transport
Giving up my seat in public transport to someone more needy
Letting someone more needy to an available empty seat in the MRT
Pressing the lift open button for other passengers to exit the lift first in the MRT station

PARK Moments for Friends
Gave my friends a treat
Preparing a birthday gift for a friend
Showed concerns for a friend and gave him advice on the issues he faced
Cleaned dirty chairs in a hawker center so that my friends won't sit on them later

PARK Moments for Charity
Bought tissues from a frail old auntie
Made a donation to charity (Flag Day)
Made a donation to a non-profit organization (Wikipedia)
Supported the bread donation drive organized by Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) & Gardenia
Promoted the bread donation drive to encourage more friends to do their part for charity and embrace kindness in their lives.

PARK Moments for Colleagues
Sharing useful knowledge with fellow colleagues
Refill the blank paper supply for my company's printer
Flushing the toilet in office for someone who forgot to flush before me

PARK Moments for Family
Bought something for my family members
Prepared a nice meal for my family members
Bought a small gift to cheer up a family member
Gave advice to a family member on career switch
Gave praise to a family member for spreading kindness
Encouraged my family members to do their part for charity

PARK Moments for PARK
Pass compliments to PARK Star Award Winners
Sharing quotes of kindness on PARK Facebook page
Blogging for P.A.R.K. to share my thoughts and experience on giving kindness, to encourage more people to embrace kindness for life

PARK Moments for the Online Community
Helping to answer questions on Yahoo Answers and received numerous "Best Answers" award

PARK Moments for Service Providers
Gave a cobbler extra tips for excellent service and good workmanship

PARK Moments for the Neighborhood
Pressed the lift open button for my neighbors to exit first

As you can see, no acts of kindness is insignificant or wasted as it made a difference in the lives of others. Some acts of kindness can help to brighten up someone's day, some acts of kindness can bridge relationships, some act of kindness can provide hope to those in despair, some acts of kindness can impact others living in different parts of the world, some acts of kindness can help the less fortunate in society, some acts of kindness encourage someone to do his job better, some acts of kindness result in more acts of kindness. If you are still wondering if what you do will really make a difference, now is the time to think again. Start with just one act of kindness today, you will be inspired to do more acts of kindness in time to come.

P.A.R.K.'s Vision & Mission

My vision for P.A.R.K. is that we can create a community full of kind people, whereby everyone is generous in giving, not shy to share their acts of kindness and thus inspiring more people to embrace kindness as a way of life. When we truly care about others more than our own interest, our society will progress as a whole.

Kindness is a big umbrella which encompasses all the good things about humanity. With kindness, you will want to do something more, go the extra mile for someone and then be inspired to lead new projects that can impact the world in different ways. When you embrace kindness in your heart, opportunities will present themselves to you. There is no greater secret to happiness, this is it, kindness is the key to unlock the treasure box of happiness that you truly deserves.

For all our dear friends who have come on board the ARK, I wish to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to you for believing in this project. Each and everyone of you is very important to P.A.R.K., you are our ambassador of kindness and we need you to lead by example and show others how easy it is to engage in acts of random kindness. Never stop believing in the power you have in your hands, you can all change the world, through acts of random kindness, one at at time.

PARKing in the Hawker Center

I have a PARK moment today which I am happy and proud to share. I was having my lunch at one of the hawker center and queuing up to buy food so I get my utensils ready (chopsticks and spoon). I don't usually check my utensils but somehow I did today. I realized there were some stains on the chopsticks and spoon so I took another set, thinking that the first set I took was not properly cleaned. I then realized that the second set also had similar stains and upon closed inspection, I discovered the stains were paints smeared from the markings made on the utensils to identify the ownership of the utensils. The paint marking on the utensil was probably not waterproof and could have smeared into different parts of the chopsticks and spoon through repeated washing. The scary thing is that the paint stains could be easily removed (by rubbing off with my finger), and this means that they could be consumed by customers when the chopsticks or spoon is mixed with food.

I tried to wash away the paint under a running tap but still it was not 100% clean. I started to think that the other customers could be unaware of this and consuming the paint together with their hot soup. I thought I had to inform the stallholder about this, not just because it was a nice thing to do but also it was the right thing to do. This is also being kind to many more customers as the queue for the stall was always there. However, I was hesitant initially because I was afraid of the reaction that I would get if I told the stallholder. Would I be labelled a busybody? How would he react? Would he be defensive? I know deep down inside me, I wanted very much to tell him. If it was because of losing face and keeping the truth to myself where I could help so many others, I would definitely regret my actions after I left the place. I decided I would tell the stallholder about this incident. If they choose to be defensive and do nothing about it, that is their problem and out of my control, I did what I should be doing.

I did not want to affect their business by openly raising this concern in front of all the queuing customers. So, I waited and waited but the queue was still there, even after 20 to 30 mins. As more and more customers bought from this stall, I became more affirmative about my decision because my action would really make a difference to all these customers. If there are 100 customers patronizing the stall each day and the issue had gone unnoticed for 1 month, there is a chance that 3000 customers could be consuming harmful paint as part of the food. Finally, there came a chance where the stall assistant walked over to the neighboring stall to exchange for some small change. I walked near him and waited for him to finish changing money and then told him that the paint marking on his utensil had smeared off. I told him I realized that when I was eating my lunch bought from his stall earlier. His response was very positive and he told me that he would take note and thanked me for informing him on that. I left the place feeling happy and proud because of what I have done; happy because I did something right and what I believe in, an act of random kindness that can make a difference to others, proud because I care more about others than myself.

The Starfish Story

Long before P.A.R.K. started, I have always been inspired by the starfish story (in the pic above). I remembered when I first started work 6 years ago, there was a section in my profile page (on the company's intranet) which I need to fill in some information about myself. I quoted the starfish story and ended with a concluding statement, "I aspire to be the starfish thrower who can make a difference to the people around me". Till today, I have yet to edit that section because I am still inspired by the starfish story and live by this philosophy that I can make a difference to someone, through acts of random kindness, one at a time.

There are millions of starfish (people waiting to receive our kindness) out there on the beach (in this world), we cannot save (help or be kind to) every one of them because we are not Superman. However, we can still make a difference to the starfish (one person at a time) that we are throwing into the ocean (one act of kindness) now.

Make a difference to that starfish today !

Want to do Good but Can't Find Time?

I believe many of us are in the same situation as this lady in the video. We want to do good, we want to volunteer our time and help the less fortunate, we want to do charity work but we can't find the time because time is always so limited. If we take away the time to work, sleep, catch up with friends and family, there is hardly any time left for ourselves to do the things we are very passionate about. While it is a challenge to balance so many tasks in life, the good news is that we can engage in acts of random kindness even if we have very limited time, because we can do it anytime, anywhere; be it at work, commuting, hanging out with loved ones or even at the comfort of our home. There are so many ways for us to be kind, we just need to embrace kindness in our heart and opportunities will present themselves.

The act of giving kindness is the same as doing charity work, both come from the heart with the intent of benefiting and bringing happiness to others. Doing charity work is one form of giving kindness, with beneficiaries being the needy and less fortunate members of our society. However, if we cannot afford the time to volunteer regularly, we can at least engage in acts of random kindness regularly because it doesn't take much time or effort to do one.

Kindness is the Universal Cure

We all have face many issues in life. From time to time, negative emotions like worries, anxiety and stress, arises from dealing with these issues, affect us and make us feel so unmotivated to do anything else but to fret over the issues we have.

However, if we can take a step back and choose to do acts of kindness, we can experience a paradigm shift whereby our attention is not sorely on the issues. We will feel less negative when our attention is not focused on the problem itself. When we reach out to others and understand their problems, we may feel that our issues are so insignificant as compared to theirs. When we live for a greater purpose in life to embrace kindness, we will feel less affected and stressed up by the demands of work or family commitment, which we know are secondary. If laughter is the best medicine, then kindness must be the universal cure.

PARKing in the Office

This afternoon, I went to the printer room to collect a print out and realized that it was not on the printer tray. I realized that there was an error saying the printer had ran out of paper. I would usually (out of convenience) open up the paper tray of another printer besides it and took a few pieces of paper to feed into the printer that I was printing from. By doing so, I could quickly collect my printouts (usually a few sheets) and get on with what I was doing. However, this action meant that the next guy (or the next next guy) coming to collect the printout would face similar problem as what I faced. Also, the printer besides this printer would have less paper, thus the scenario of that printer running out of paper would occur sooner than expected.

Therefore, I thought that there was an opportunity for me to engage in an act of kindness if I had helped to topped up the paper in the printer. I went to look for a new stack of blank paper and load an ample amount into the printer. I know this act will benefit at least a few others who are printing after me. Also, I thought it would be nice to replenish the blank paper supply in the printer besides it. Instead of taking blank paper from that printer out of convenience, I am topping up paper into that printer so that the scenario of that printer running out of paper would occur latter than expected. If someone has to be the one who topped up the blank paper supply, why can't it be me? It only takes a few person to engage in such random acts of kindness and the office will be happier place because the supply of paper is always sufficient.

There are many ways in which we can spread kindness in our workplace. Helping to guide a junior colleague along, sharing knowledge and experiences, greeting each other along the pathway, encouraging each other through difficult times at work are all acts of kindness that we can offer to our colleagues, whom we faced for most of the day. If we can cultivate a warm, pleasant and caring work environment, it is more likely that we will enjoy coming to office everyday. If someone has to take the lead to cultivate the kindness culture in the office, why can't it be you?

A Packet Of Rice (APOR)

This is definitely one project that inspires me a lot. A Packet Of Rice (APOR) is formed by a group of volunteers who fund together to purchase packed lunch for senior citizens residing in rented 1 or 2 rooms flats in Singapore. They are not part of any charity organizations or big companies, nor do they have a huge pool of charity funds available. However, APOR is able to continue organizing meaningful activities on a monthly basis, so that speaks volume about the community spirit and willingness of volunteers and donors to give something back to the society. With each distribution, the group brings in more volunteers to help out, which expands the circle of kindness and encourages more people to spread the love around.

APOR shows us that you need not be part of any established organization or be an influential figure to start something meaningful to help spread kindness around. APOR also shows us that to do good, you don't even need someone to pave the way for you. If you have an inspiring idea and plenty of enthusiasm, you can start up something to reach out and make a difference. This group of like-minded friends, who has the idea of reaching out to the elderly in Singapore, did exactly that and formed this meaningful project. They raise funds and recruit volunteers through the word of mouth on Facebook. With the funds gathered, they are able to provide regular distributions of packed meals and food items to the elderly, which will help these senior citizens considerably, especially when the cost of living is so high in Singapore.

For their outstanding and inspiring achievement, P.A.R.K. is proud to present APOR with the P.A.R.K. Star Award and hopes that APOR can continue to reach out to more elderly and inspire many more others to start their own projects in reaching out to those in need. It is through such acts of random kindness, that we can change the world to be a better place for all to live in.

Keep up the good work, Vincent & Team !

Donation to Wikipedia

Wikipedia is the first organization that I donated to that is outside the scope of charitable organizations. While Wikipedia may not be seen to helping any groups of beneficiaries through it's operation, it's mission and purpose are greatly aligned with that of PARK, which is to change the world through random acts of kindness. Wikipedia provides the platform for millions of kind volunteers to come together to share their knowledge so that millions or billions more people (now and in future) can benefit from the massive free source of information available. I am quite sure that most of us have benefited greatly by Wikipedia and this couldn't be possible if kind volunteers did not spend valuable time contributing valuable information online. It is a perfect example on how acts of random kindness, one at a time, can help change the world into a better place for all to live in.

Extract from Wikipedia on Wikipedia:
Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Wikipedia's 30 million articles in 287 languages, including over 4.3 million in the English Wikipedia, are written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone having access to the site. It is the largest and most popular general reference work on the Internet,ranking sixth globally among all websites on Alexa, and having an estimated 365 million readers worldwide.

Here's a reply mail from Wikipedia:

Dear PARK,

Thank you for donating to the Wikimedia Foundation. You are wonderful!

It's easy to ignore our fundraising banners, and I'm really glad you didn't. This is how Wikipedia pays its bills --- people like you giving us money, so we can keep the site freely available for everyone around the world. People tell me they donate to Wikipedia because they find it useful, and they trust it because even though it's not perfect, they know it's written for them. Wikipedia isn’t meant to advance somebody's PR agenda or push a particular ideology, or to persuade you to believe something that's not true. We aim to tell the truth, and we can do that because of you. The fact that you fund the site keeps us independent and able to deliver what you need and want from Wikipedia. Exactly as it should be.

You should know: your donation isn’t just covering your own costs. The average donor is paying for his or her own use of Wikipedia, plus the costs of hundreds of other people. Your donation keeps Wikipedia available for an ambitious kid in Bangalore who’s teaching herself computer programming. A middle-aged homemaker in Vienna who’s just been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. A novelist researching 1850s Britain. A 10-year-old in San Salvador who’s just discovered Carl Sagan.

On behalf of those people, and the half-billion other readers of Wikipedia and its sister sites and projects, I thank you for joining us in our effort to make the sum of all human knowledge available for everyone. Your donation makes the world a better place. Thank you.

Most people don't know Wikipedia's run by a non-profit. Please consider sharing this e-mail with a few of your friends to encourage them to donate too. And if you're interested, you should try adding some new information to Wikipedia. If you see a typo or other small mistake, please fix it, and if you find something missing, please add it. There are resources here that can help you get started. Don't worry about making a mistake: that's normal when people first start editing and if it happens, other Wikipedians will be happy to fix it for you.

I appreciate your trust in us, and I promise you we'll use your money well.

Thanks,
Sue Gardner

An Act of Kindness Goes A Long Way

When we show kindness to others, we may not remember the act but the recipient of our kindness may remember it for life. Looking back on my life, there were a few acts of kindness that happened quite some time ago but I remembered them vividly till today.

I grew up in a not-so-well-to-do family so my parents had to watch the expenses so as not to over commit on unnecessary wants. Therefore, overseas holiday trips, dinning out were considered luxuries and rarities for my family. I can remember that for the first 25 years of my life, my parents have only brought me one country, Thailand, for holidays. During the same period, I have no memories of my parents bringing me to any nice restaurants to dine. However, I do have many fond memories of my kind Auntie, who was running her own F&B business, bringing me out with her family to dine at some really nice Chinese restaurants. Each meals sometimes add up to $100+ or $200+, which is quite a lot of money considering it was at a time almost 20 years ago. Till today, I am still very grateful for such acts of kindness and generosity by my Auntie.

I have another Uncle who is an equally generous and giving person. He lives in a nice Terraced house and would always invite my cousins and myself to his house to play his children during the school holidays when we were younger. I could vividly remembered those days because it was packed with fun activities throughout during our stay at his house. There were lots of yummy food during breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper and the rest of the time was spent playing sports, computer games and watching movies with my cousins. It was comparable to spending the school holidays elsewhere in Disneyland. For that, I still very much appreciate all the kindness that my Uncle and his family have given me.

Another act of kindness which was memorable to me happened during my first tuition assignment when I was almost entering University. I remembered teaching an adorable primary school kid whose mom was really kind to offer me a bowl of soup (usually is ABC soup) after each tuition lesson. I had wanted to politely decline this offer so as not to impose on her but she would usually insisted that I finished the soup before I go. That act of kindness touched me because she is not related to me in any ways but still willing to offer something she thought was healthy and nutritious to me. I couldn't remember her name, her son's name or their faces, what subjects I taught but that act of kindness remained vividly in my mind.

Lastly, when I first started my undergraduate studies, I was really stressed up by the challenging modules but there was a friend of mine who was always willing to give me tuition for free and guide me along through that challenging phase. I dare say that without his guidance, I would have flunked my studies back then. Thereafter, I repaid his kindness by paying it forward, guiding my fellow peers and sharing my notes & mind-maps with them.

There are many more acts of kindness done to me by others but the above examples left deeper impression on me and I would always think about them once in a while.The marvel of a kindness act is that while it means nothing much to the giver, it means the world to the receiver.

If you look back on your life, there are bound to be acts of kindness that you appreciate deeply, be it from friends, family or even strangers. If we have been touched by these acts of random kindness before, it is time that we do acts of kindness on others that they can remember for life.

Inspirational Quote on Kindness

I would like to share with you guys this very inspiring quote from Leo Buscaglia.

“The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”
- Leo Buscaglia

My thoughts on the quote:

"The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor."

Indeed, the majority of nurses, social workers, caregivers and volunteers remain as unsung heroes because it is likely that not many people know of their kind acts. It is also likely that there is nothing created to recognize all the good work they have done, no ticker-tape parades or monuments.

"But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give."

Even if there is no recognition, no rewards or nothing in return, it does not stop these people from giving and impacting others' lives because there are so many people waiting to be touched by kindness. There will be people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique gifts and become happier because we made a difference to their lives.

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around." 

An act of random kindness can be so simple to fulfill and yet has a powerful effect on it's recipient. Such small acts of kindness can change the lives of others.

"It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”

And because it is so easy to engage in small acts of kindness, the opportunities are abundant everywhere. We just need to embrace kindness in us and opportunities will present themselves to us.