| Did you know today is World Kindness Day? 10 Ways to Be Kind to People Worldwide Nov 13th 2012, 08:00 Are you keen to spread kindness around the world? It might feel daunting until you realize that there are lots of genuine, realistic ways to spread kindness around the world from the place where you live! Adding your daily piece of kindness to the world increases the hope that humankind will continue to move toward creating a better future for everyone. - Acknowledge that kindness is contagious. You may have heard that misery is contagious––it is. And fortunately, kindness and happiness are even more contagious because people would rather feel good than unhappy. By demonstrating kindness in your actions and words as often as possible, you help to feed the reality that kindness is a better way for humankind. You also show others how to be kind through your examples. Spread it by doing it.
- Learn more about other cultures and people around the world. Kindness grows from understanding others. It is only by taking the effort to learn how others live and what they value that you can grow in understanding and thereby increase your sense of connection and altruism toward others. Try to make real connections, such as online friendships (the old pen pal system), and through undertaking shared projects together online. You will benefit a lot from learning at least one other language too, enabling you to see the culture from the perspective of being immersed in its language.
- Donate to a charity with worldwide links. Wherever you live, your money can be making lives better somewhere else in the world when you channel it through reputable charities. Choose your charity based on what you value and what the charity is doing to make a positive difference.
- Volunteer to do charity work somewhere beyond your own neighborhood. If you have the time to donate your skills as a volunteer, you can spread a lot of kindness through your generosity of time and teaching or helping. Perhaps you have a block of time to travel overseas to a place in need of volunteer workers. Or maybe you would like to do some volunteer work through online means, such as writing reports, filling out grant applications or writing useful instructions for people. There are many online opportunities to volunteer in a way that makes a difference to the world.
- Spend time creating community good. The world is also your own backyard and local community. By finding ways to improve community spirit, sharing and support you can contribute much kindness to other people. Find out what community support systems exist in your area already and what is lacking. Can you assist with existing projects or do you have the energy and time for starting something new? Some examples might include homeless shelters, soup kitchens, community gardens, child-minding facilities, vacation activities for children, sharing skills such as cooking, DIY and living self-sufficiently, etc.
- Show your kindness in social media. You can spread kindness through social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, etc. Leave stories that life people's spirits, that recognize the good others are doing and that reveal the better side of human nature. Ask your friends to share these stories around to help even more people see what is good about the world and humanity. Crowd out the negative stories (of which there are just way too many) and shine a light on the kind, thoughtful and compassionate actions out there. Inspire others to be kind in turn.
- Share amazing experiences you've had through video and photo media. What kind acts, art, sayings and the like have you seen lately? If you captured them by image or video, share them on YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter, etc., so that others can spread the awesomeness!
- Take time to leave reviews of blog posts you loved, to leave references for people you know and to give people fan mail. The internet is well known as a place where appreciation remains silent––help spread kindness by making appreciation louder than the complaints!
- Defend people who are the victims of online intimidation. As a tool, the internet itself is neutral when it comes to its use. Unfortunately, there are some users who choose the darker path when it comes to being online, using it as a soapbox for thuggery, intimidation and bullying, aiming to drown out the voices of everyone who disagrees with them. Cyberbullies, online thugs, trolls and headkickers do not define humanity. They are people whose own sense of reality is warped by whatever bad experiences they've had and have chosen to inflict on others. Whatever their motivation, don't let them win. Humankind is better than that and it is kindness that will show the way.
- Where online contributors or leaders seek to harm others, stand up for those at the receiving end and show kindness as a strength. By being kind and refusing to back down from pointing out the mean-spirited nature of the attack, you avoid falling for the intimidation and refuse to join in or be swamped by it. And by refusing to allow online attacks, you spread more kindness around the world, demanding that kind words and reasoned thinking become the standard for online interactions everywhere. Do not give in!
- Align your work and business interests in ways that spread kindness and empathy. A globalized world means that much of what we do at work or in our businesses has an impact somewhere else. Seek to tap into your empathy to help you see the world through other people's eyes and to stop seeing everything as being all about your own problems.
- Remember that real people are at the end of your actions, your supply chain, your decisions and your number-crunching. Envisioning real people will help to keep you kind and connected to others. If you don't know how people will be affected by your actions, make the effort to find out rather than block it out!
- Support initiatives that promote peace throughout the world. There can be little kindness for people living under civil strife or wars. An important goal of humankind is to live together in peace, sharing knowledge and supporting each another. Sometimes we forget that. But you can do a lot if you are outside of a region suffering strife. You can support charities working in these areas, you can offer our skills and knowledge where relevant to help draft new laws, send care packages, negotiate, teach new skills, etc. You can go online and sign petitions, share news and information and support people who suffer from illegitimate actions or human rights abuses. Make peace the rule, not the option, by insisting on kindness and standing up for what's right even where it's inconvenient and unconventional.
- Live kindly. Wherever you are in the world, your kindness has a ripple effect. If you live life caring for other people and beings, you care about the state of the world you and your family and friends live in, and you care about humankind as a whole, your example will light the way for others. And even though you won't be aware of it most of the time, every kind deed and action will impact someone positively, somewhere in the world.
- Kindness includes being aware of the supply chain that brings products and comforts to your home and table. Think seriously about where your lifestyle is sourced from––are the things you use and care about ethically derived? Your kindness can mean better lives elsewhere, such as when you prefer Fair Trade products over those products that lack transparency in their employment and environmental practices.
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