The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation allows people to share their good stories and motivate people to do them. The main goal of the movement is to make good and friendly relationships the norm in places like work, home or school (About us, n.d.). Representatives of the website claim that their content is aimed at making people understand how important it is to take care of others (About us, n.d.). It brings a lot of happiness fore society and themselves. Stories are free to access and anyone can share their experiences to teach community how to be socially emotional.
The story that has influenced me the most is called True friends, which is told by a man named Lincoln. The author talks about how, as a child, it was difficult for them to make friends and how lonely it felt (True friends, n.d.). However, later Lincoln made friends with whom they are still friends and occasionally play basketball (True friends, n.d.). The author talks about how friends care about them and always ask if everything is fine when Lincoln looks sad (True friends, n.d.). Thus, this story had a strong impact on me, because the modern world is full of cruelty and falsehood. Finding real friends who will always help is a great happiness and luck. Moreover, many children do not make friends with others for various reasons. As a result, many suffer and it is always nice to see when someone finds support in their friends.
My Prosocial Day: Implementation of Kindness
My day of kindness and compassion was spent in stores where I bought everything I needed to please animals in shelters a little. My basic opinion has always been that man should be responsible for domesticated animals. If someone alone could not do this, then together society is capable of much. There are many shelters in the area and often they need a lot of things, food and toys to keep the animals normal. I made a shopping list and after completing it, I went to one of the shelters to hand over the purchases to its representatives.
I found out about what I need to buy on the website of the shelter, which indicates what is currently lacking for dogs. Moreover, I bought food for volunteers at the shelter, as they work hard and get tired. I helped the shelter, because it seems to me that people and the state allocate insufficient funds and attention to these organizations. Animals cannot take care of themselves and are doomed to a starving life on the street. In addition, they often find themselves in such a position because of the cruelty of people. All these thoughts led me to want to dedicate my day to helping animals. Moreover, I bought food for volunteers at the shelter, as they work hard and get tired.
Reaction
Many people think that some people do good deeds out of vanity and a desire to appear better than they are. I don’t agree with this and helped the animal shelter not out of a search for fame, but compassion. Cages and volunteers will never replace a home with a loving family for animals. The realization of this made me sad and sorry, but when I realized that I could make their life even a little better, I was delighted.
The strongest feelings were pride in myself when I realized how simple and important it is to help those who are weaker. In a moment, I felt absolute happiness and joy that I could make the world a little better. Thanks to this reaction, when others are happy and oneself is happy from this, the desire to help others has become stronger. In addition, it is important to understand that the reaction of others is important and has a strong influence.
The whole family supported the decision to purchase needs for animals and was delighted with my mood and idea. For me, this was vital, because I wanted to share my slavery with my loved ones, and their attitude gave me strength. In addition, I was extremely pleased with the reaction of employees and volunteers when I arrived with purchases. They thanked me for a long time and showed me how they do their job.
Prosocial Behavior
As part of prosocial behavior, people care about the feelings, issues, rights, and well-being of others. My family has always told me to take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves. When I was little, we volunteered with animals and poor people. Thus, from this exercise, I realized that the motivation of people to do good deeds directly depends on what their parents invested in them in childhood.
However, the desire to help others can be cultivated in adulthood. At the shelter, I met enough older people who started volunteering in middle age or after retirement. This is an amazing experience that shows that the desire to do good comes from the depths of the soul. Perhaps it fades into the background with time and people do not have enough strength for something other than themselves or family, but as my experience has shown, people will return to this one day. I do not always have the opportunity to set aside a whole day to help others, but if I succeed, then I feel good and strong, despite the fatigue. Thus, based on this exercise, I believe that the happiness of others makes the world around you brighter.
Faith
Religion has always guided people and helped them to do good deeds. As a Christian, from my childhood I watched helping those in need and participated in many charitable acts. My faith is based on the fact that a person cannot pass by the misfortune of another. The Bible says: “finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous” (Peter 3:8). God calls for people to be good-natured and not leave their neighbors alone with their problems.
My Christian upbringing tells me that people can be cruel. However, if you have a lot of goodness and love inside, helping others is an expression of your attitude towards the Lord. Moreover, Christianity constantly proclaims inner harmony as a necessity. This state is achieved not through worldly entertainment, but by service to the benefit of society. I use faith to not be afraid of being judged or not understanding why I aid others. It gives me strength, even if someone does not agree with my lifestyle. In conclusion, my pro-social day made me feel stronger and more aware of the happiness that comes from helping other people.
References
About us. (n.d.). Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Web.
King James Bible. (2008). Oxford University Press.
True friends. (n.d.). Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. Web.