Random Acts of Kindness Foundation
The purpose of the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is to promote altruism. The nonprofit organization encourages people to spread kindness in their schools, homes, workplaces, and all aspect of their lives. The website shares inspirational stories about random acts of kindness to inspire others to be thoughtful. It allows individuals to contribute stories about instances where they were either the giver or recipient of care. For those who get inspired by these stories, the website contains ideas for simple actions they can perform to promote compassion. The foundation hopes to impart children with social-emotional learning skills and help make the world a better place.
I found many stories inspirational and was conflicted on which one to pick. After careful consideration, I think the story that influenced me the most was on an initiative called Project Smile AZ. Two brothers started this project to share handwritten cards with COVID-19 patients (Random Acts of Kindness Foundation, n.d.). These cards were meant to provide emotional support to patients who were likely to be lonely in hospital. The project has since then expanded to write letters to homeless people, veterans, cancer patients, and children with disabilities. I found Project Smile AZ heartwarming because of the amount of time and thought that goes into letter writing. Rather than sending cards with prewritten messages, the brothers and the team they have created put effort into writing the cards. I think Project Smile AZ is truly a labor of love.
My Prosocial Day Design
My five acts of kindness all revolved around complimenting people. I implemented the idea in places I visited and on social media. The first act of kindness was complimenting a learner driver on his reverse parking skills. He had the ‘L’ symbol on his car, and I was impressed watching him park into a tight spot without hitting anything. When I went to the grocery store, I told a man that his child was well-behaved. His daughter, who was about five years old, was straightening random items on shelves and greeting the customer service employees. Third, I complimented a waiter for his services and tipped him. On social media, I commended a girl for her articulate post. At the end of the day, I told my friend that I admired his ability to always make everyone laugh. I chose to compliment others because many individuals rarely receive praise. When someone tells me they like a certain thing about me, it makes me happy for the entire day; I thought I would spread this happiness to others.
I received positive reactions from all the people with whom I interacted. The young driver was ecstatic to hear that his parking skills were good, and the father beamed with joy when I praised both him and his daughter. The remaining three also reacted positively, which reinforced my belief that everyone loves to be appreciated. It was incredible watching them blush self-consciously before breaking into smiles. Doing these random acts of kindness also filled me with contentment. Initially, I thought that complimenting others would make them feel good, but I realized that it also made me happy. I became more observant of my surrounding and conscious of people around me, which I think is a good quality to possess. I realized that I had spoken to more than ten strangers at the end of the day. I think focusing on others can help one become less self-centered.
From this exercise, I learned the importance of adopting prosocial behavior. An action does not have to be grand to be benefit others. While my actions were small, they made many individuals happy. For instance, my friend later sent me a text saying that he appreciated the compliment because he had always thought his personality was awkward. According to research, people tend to underestimate the impact of prosocial behavior (Boothby & Bohns, 2021). Some are hesitant to participate in benevolent acts such as donating, helping, and volunteering because they think that their actions will have no benefits. Others believe that complimenting a person makes them uncomfortable (Boothby & Bohns, 2021). While this is true in certain cases, few individuals would react negatively towards receiving words of affirmation. Prosocial behaviors have a reverberating effect, and a simple kind action could impact many more people.
Although I believe in a Higher Being, I would not classify myself as a religious person. Nevertheless, faith plays an important role in my life. I believe in treating others as I would like to be treated. I generally avoid actions that if reversed, would bring me unhappiness. I also think it is important to do things without expecting anything in return. Acts of kindness are unconditional because the doer does not expect reciprocation. Finally, I connected my helping behavior to values such as care, compassion, and courage. It took courage for me to approach random strangers and give my unsolicited opinion. This exercise enabled me to reflect on my principles and think about the kind of impact I make in my day-to-day life.
References
Boothby, E. J., & Bohns, V. K. (2021). Why a simple act of kindness is not as simple as it seems: Underestimating the positive impact of our compliments on others. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(5), 826-840.
Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. (n.d.). Got a pen? Join Project Smile AZ to spread smiles with a handwritten kind note. Web.