This time of year many of us are working on our New Year’s resolutions and it’s sad to report that according to the resolution authorities, most of us are going to fail. One of my resolutions this year which I’m determined to master is performing random acts of kindness as mentioned in New Year’s resolutions for a New Age of Enlightenment.
I was inspired by a campaign you may be aware of, the 26 Acts Movement. This undertaking began after the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, when NBC’s reporter Ann Curry tweeted,
What if? Imagine if everyone could commit to doing one act of kindness for every one of those children killed in Newtown.
That tweet was retweeted by many, while others began tweeting their acts of kindness with #26acts. Then 26 Acts Facebook pages emerged along with personal blogs about the movement. Recently I even noticed a small business following suit.
The Sandy Hook tragedy shook us all. It revealed to me how deeply we are all connected. We are all still hurting and waiting for healing. I believe this random act of kindness movement may have significant merit. From a metaphysical perspective performing “acts of kindness” births miracles. Not only does it have the power to bring joy to a complete stranger, but it shifts the way one feels inside. It brings contentment and even joy.
It is the movement’s hope that random acts will encourage people to pay it forward. It doesn’t take a math wizard to figure out, if I performed 26 acts of kindness and all my recipients paid it forward, and their recipients paid it forward, etc., my 26 acts could theoretically impact millions. That’s pretty amazing isn’t it?
There is another phenomenon here; psychologists have suggested that habits require a minimum of 21 days (or three weeks) to form. With having 26 victims from the Newtown tragedy, if we honored one of those souls each day we would be performing acts of kindness for nearly four weeks. Could that be enough to form a habit of kindness?
We’ve said from the beginning how tragic this loss of life is, and have searched for answers. While being kind to strangers doesn’t bring those children and school personnel back, honoring them by being kind and paying it forward could make a marked difference in this world, perhaps making these victims the impetus of changing this world.
I’ve taken on the 26 Acts challenge and have vowed to publicly pledge my deed on Facebook. More information about the movement along with a handout which lists the victims and encourages the recipients to pay it forward can be found in Take the 26 Acts of Kindness challenge.
Could something as simple as being kind to one and other be what’s needed to change this world? Join me.
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