The True Spirit of Giving Kindness

When it comes to giving kindness....

1. I must have time to do volunteer work and able to commit on a regular basis.
2. I must have sufficient money to donate to the charities.
3. I am too insignificant to make a difference.

All of the above to me are just myths, when it comes to giving kindness. Kindness is all about the little things we do for others, whether they are needy/ underprivileged or not. It is like helping that stranger on the street, making his/ her day and your day brighter and happier.

Take for instance, this afternoon I saw an old frail lady trying to push a cart up a ram. She was struggling, I quickly went forward to help her push her cart up the ram, she was thankful and smiled as she thanked me, that made me happy too.

Then I went to an unfamiliar place, an Indian lady asked me for direction. I could have told her that I dont know and move on but I decided to make full use of my smartphone and data plan to find the directions for her. She thanked me and I am sure she must be heartened to know that there are fellow Singaporean friends who are willing to lend a helping hand when someone is in need.

Volunteering and helping the less privileged is one form of kindness but it is not the only form. If you cant find time to volunteer, not even on an adhoc basis, it is still okay, just look out for kindness opportunities in our daily lives. While I am a strong advocate of kindness, I will be the first to admit that I attended less than 5 volunteer events in a year. It is okay and I don't feel any hypocritical or ashamed to admit that. Giving kindness can be in many other ways, online and offline.

Regarding the part on being too small to make a difference, let's say I am going to make an donation of $1 and I feel so embarassed that I can only donate $1 so I say just forget it. If there are just 1 million of us having the same mindset, then we lost $1 million dollars worth of donation. The same goes for giving kindness. If you don't give, I don't give, because we feel that our efforts are too insignificant, then the world loses million acts of kindness everyday.

Kindness is closely correlated to happiness and generates plenty of positive energy, it eases our insecurities and restore our faith in our own people. Giving kindness is contagious, it rubs on to the people around and inspire them to give. With everyone giving just a little each, we diffuse the hate, the anger, the sadness and make our community, our world a better place. It is not just for you and me but it is for generations to come.

Spread the love, my dear friends, you are definitely capable of creating a bigger impact than you thought. Till then, be proud that you play a part in shaping a more beautiful world, cheers :)