Random Acts of Kindness Day

Someone once said, "The greatest need of every human being is the need for appreciation."

I don't know if it's the greatest need, but it's definitely up there. Saying, "Thank you" is a way to appreciate someone. And how easy is it to do? It really doesn't cost you anything in any way . . . but it can make a world of difference to another person.

Watch this inspirational clip all about the power of appreciation.

So, how can you say thanks, or show appreciation?

Some ways are:

• send an e-card


• send a paper card


• offer a service


• tell them verbally


• send a note


• give a flower


• bake them some cookies

Related to saying thanks is giving encouragement. It's similar, but more broad. Encouragement has to do with giving hope or offering support for forward movement. It has to do with affirming someone and strengthening them.

Did you know that encouragement is a "love language" according to Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages? Some people know that they're loved through hearing words of affirmation. It's so important!

Some ways that you can express encouragement include:

• cards


• words


• hugs


• smiles


• high fives

A gift is simply something you give; something received by another. It can be anything, really.

It's also a love language (just like words of encouragement or affirmation above).

Giving gifts doesn't have to cost a lot. You can give the gift of:

• time


• a meal


• service


• cookies


• chocolate


• flowers


• tiny things like fridge magnets and bookmarks


• hugs


• cards


• gift certificates


• a cup of coffee


• friendship


• listening

The Ultimate Gift website states, "When his wealthy grandfather dies, trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance. Instead, his grandfather has devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks - or "gifts" - designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness."

The gifts are:

• the gift of work


• the gift of money


• the gift of friends


• the gift of learning


• the gift of family


• the gift of problems


• the gift of laughter


• the gift of dreams


• the gift of giving


• the gift of gratitude


• the gift of a day


• the gift of love

Pay it forward is the coolest name ever.

Have you thought about its meaning?

Instead of doing a kind act and being paid back by someone doing a reciprocal act of kindness, you do an act of kindness and it's paid forward to someone else. Actually, it's paid forward to three other people, who pay it forward to three others themselves. And on and on it goes in an incredible ripple effect.

Wow.

If you haven't seen this movie, you need to (in my humble opinion!).

Photo from Eiesenheim on Photobucket.

Without getting all theological about it, the story of the good Samaritan is a story about showing kindness to all people.

The story is found in the New Testament, so it's a Christian parable. But it's really a concept that's taught in all religions.

The Dalai Lama said, "All major religious traditions carry basically the same message: that is love, compassion and forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives."

The Buddha said, "The thought manifests as the word; The word manifests as the deed; The deed develops into habit; And habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love Born out of concern for all beings."

The Qur'an (The Koran Interpreted by A. J. Arberry) states, "It is not piety, that you turn your faces to the East and to the West. True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the Prophets, to give of one's substance, however cherished, to kinsmen, and orphans, the needy, the traveller, beggers, and to ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms. And they who fulfil their covenant when they have engaged in a covenant, and endure with fortitude misfortune, hardship and peril, these are they who are true in their faith, these are the truly godfearing" (2:177).

The Hebrew Bible states, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:17). This is a central moral teaching in Judaism.

I wrote a paper on "Tikkun Olam" within Judaism when I was working on my Masters in World Religions. What follows are ideas and quotes from that paper:

The concept of tikkun olam in Judaism is all about social justice, which includes loving-kindness. The Columbus Platform (Reform Judaism's declaration of principles) states, "We bring Torah into the world when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates in our relationships with others and with all of God's creation. Partners with God in . . . (tikkun olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age. . . . We are obligated to pursue . . . (tzedek), justice and righteousness . . . In so doing, we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice."

Tikkun olam is enacted through such loving acts as giving to the poor, befriending the lonely, ransoming captives, healing and visiting the sick, caring for the disabled, comforting mourners, offering hospitality to strangers, celebrating major events of life with one another, caring for spouses, teaching children, honoring parents, speaking kindly to others and caring for the environment.

Many of these acts of social justice are identical to what is commanded throughout the Torah and the Prophets through ancient terms such as tzedekah, meaning "charity, righteousness and social justice" and chesed, meaning "loving-kindness" (e.g. Genesis 18:17-19; Leviticus 19:15, 18 & 33; Deuteronomy 24:17-22 and Isaiah 1:17 and 58:6-7). As such, these acts are "as much a part of being Jewish as . . . observing the Sabbath, festivals and rituals" and are just as important as prayer, Torah study and obedience to all of the commandments.

Furthermore, like the ancient social justice concepts, tzedekah and chesed, tikkun olam follows from Torah's foundational theological principles: that all humanity is created in God's image (betzelem elohim) and is therefore equal and to be treated justly; that Jews are bound together in relationship by virtue of their covenant with God and therefore must care for one another; that God's holiness, justice and compassion are to be imitated; and that because God created the world, he therefore owns it and can determine how its resources are to be distributed.

Powerful stuff.

Photo Credit: peboy84 on Photobucket.