LETTERS: Malaysians come from diverse ethnicities, religions and beliefs.
Wouldn't it be great if we encouraged people to perform random acts of kindness?
I always look for opportunities to be kind for others and it gives me pleasure knowing I did something nice that was unexpected. I believe kindness is a form of self-respect we give to others.
Being kind costs nothing. Opening a door for someone, picking up trash in a parking lot or on a hiking trail, greeting a stranger in an elevator with a smile, or simply saying thank you to the counter clerks and waiters are kind acts that we all can do each day. It will not cost us a sen to do the above.
I have a passion to make the world kinder and I could do with a little bit of your help. Please encourage one person a day to perform random acts of kindness each day.
We can go one notch higher by paying it forward, meaning we respond to an act of kindness that we receive by being kind to someone else.
Kindness is often not acknowledged, but it is never forgotten. Can we all strive to be "kindness pushers". Definitely the world would be a better place because of kind, nice and sincere people around.
Let me relate my experience in getting the ball rolling. On my community Facebook (TTDI) page, I reserved 100 copies of my book "My Reflections of Life" to be given away free.
I wanted to get this idea of "preading kindness" going. And I had hoped to spread this kindness to those who received my book for free.
This is how it worked. Prospective buyers got a copy of my book free of charge, including postage upon request. If they want more than one copy, it's fine with me.
They are to set aside whatever they think is worth paying for the books. When they see a poor/homeless person or someone on the street who need a bit of help, just give the money to that person.
Or they could buy food for the hungry man. Or give a small 'ang pow' to the forgotten/ignored toilet cleaner or inform the supermarket cashier or waiter to keep the change, just to name a few.
How much they give to each and how many they give to is entirely up to them. They have done their part by giving and there will be one/two happy soul/s who will be so thankful.
As for me, I make it a point to make at least one person happy each day. The element of surprise is there and the recipient will be happy, grateful and appreciative. I hope I made them smile with this gesture.
Let's all do our part by spreading kindness to all Malaysians. Let's all try to be the unsung heroes in our unique way.
As for my forthcoming second book, the same principle will apply — the prospective buyers will get their free copy of my book keeping in mind that they will do their part in furtherance of the kindness concept. The ultimate beneficiaries will be those who truly deserve.
A gentle reminder that we will all depart mother earth one day. If we can create a space of kindness and love on the final journey for those who are lonely and feel unwanted as they have now aged and those unfortunate homeless and underprivileged, we would have achieved our goals.
DR POLA SINGH
Kuala Lumpur
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times