Be Kind to Each Other: 10 Inspiring Acts of Kindness To Do

Surely, many of us are tired of the selfishness of others, and from the endless series of atrocities that are happening in the world. The news that we hear daily, sometimes make us seriously doubt that a person is generally able to care for someone else except himself. Nevertheless, everything is not so bad. Here to your attention: 10 inspirational acts of kindness and human compassion.

1. The work of Mother Teresa

In 1999, on the eve of the new millennium, during the voting, the Americans recognized Mother Teresa as the most respected woman of the century. According to a survey conducted by CNN, she is admired more than Martin Luther King, John Kennedy, Albert Einstein and Helen Keller.

What makes her special? Her acts of kindness

Mother Teresa, nee Anez Gonzhe Boyadzhiu and named Angel of Mercy, was a missionary and a nun of the Roman Catholic Church. She dedicated her whole life to helping other people. Today, when people think of saints, they usually remember Mother Teresa.

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Order of the Missionaries of Mercy. The main task was to take care of the sick, homeless and helpless. In 1979, it was suggested that the reputation and sanctity of Mother Teresa may be somewhat exaggerated. She really dedicated her life to helping people doing random acts of kindness. Though, her homes for the dying sometimes could offer nothing but prayer for the relief of suffering.

Mother Teresa died in 1997.

2. “Linus Project”

The “Linus Project” is a non-profit organization. It distributes conventional and quilted home blankets to sick or injured infants, children, and adolescents in hospitals, shelters, social service organizations and charitable organizations. The goal is simple: to give people a sense of security and comfort when they need it most.

The Linus project in each state has local leaders, and there are volunteers, the so-called “blanketeers”. Their acts of kindness are not great, but inspiring a lot.

For example, in Fayette County, Georgia, volunteers have been sewn, hooked, and then distributed 1155 blankets to provincial children since 2010.  In 2012 they sent 147 hand-sewn blankets to children affected by Hurricane Sandy.

3. “Anti-protests”, caused by the Church of Westborough

The Westborough Baptist Church (WBC) is mostly known for its anti-gay performances. More representatives of this church are often seen at various high-profile military funerals. They arrange pickets there, holding banners in their hands with different calling slogans.

One can only imagine what began when this very ambiguous church suddenly announced that their protests are nothing more than an attempt to stir up the public.

Students at Vassar College found out that the Westborough Church was going to hold a picket at their campus. As they were loyal to representatives of the LGBT community, they immediately organized a counter-protest.

Other “anti-protesters” from the Angel Action organization brought three-meter angel wings with them and hid the representatives of the church from the sight of others. Another group, the Patriot Guard Riders, also used “non-violent means of protection” – shields. Therefore they did not allow representatives of the church to hold a picket at the next military funeral.

4. “Bikers against child abuse”

“Bikers against child abuse” (or BACA) is another non-profit organization. Since 1995, they have been working to protect children from violence and to raise public awareness of the violence against children. Their goal was to ensure the kids who have been physical, emotionally or physically abused, no longer to be afraid of being injured. Because the absence of fear is an important step on the path to healing. The group also helps to fund therapy and therapeutic activities.

Volunteer bikers from this organization strive to ensure that children feel safe. They also try to help in situations where law enforcement officers, employees of childcare agencies, and other people abuse children cruelly.
By that, they perform wonderful acts of kindness.

Would not you feel safe if you had a big crowd of guys on the Harleys on your side?

5. The work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

The work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is not only one of the great acts of kindness, but also a dramatic act of charity.

By 2011, Bill and Melinda Gates had already transferred 28 billion dollars to the Fund (that is, more than a third of their fortune).

The fund, for example, has allocated $112 million to the Save the Children organization to help newborns in various “at-risk” groups and 456 million MVI organizations developing new vaccines against malaria.

6. Pope John Paul II forgave his potential killer

A murderer from Turkey named Mehmet Ali Agca has three times shot at Pope John Paul II on St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican. It happened on May 13, 1981. One bullet jumped off the index finger of the Pope and hit him in the stomach. Another touched his right elbow. Later, John Paul II says that he survived only thanks to the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary.

May 17, 1981, just four days after the assassination attempt, the pontiff publicly forgave Agca. He said that he forgave him when he was taken to the hospital in the ambulance. Moreover, in 1983, the Pope visited Agca in prison, where he served his 19-year sentence. During this meeting, John Paul II took his potential assassin by the hand, and forgave him, this time looking into his eyes.

7. Nelson Mandela invites his jailer to his inauguration

Nelson Mandela was convicted of sabotage during apartheid in South Africa, after which he spent 27 years in prison on Robben Island.

When in 1990 he finally got out, he had no desire to take revenge on his former jailers. Moreover, one of them he invited to his presidential inauguration, held in the1994 year. A white man named Christo Brand was invited to the 20-year anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela. Another jailer, James Gregory, also told a lot about his friendship with the famous political prisoner.

8. Ivan Fernandez Anaya deliberately loses to Abel Mutai

Kenyan runner Abel Mutai was in the lead in the cross, which was held in the Spanish Navarre in the December 2012 year. The runner thought he had already crossed the finish line, in fact, it was about 10 meters before it.

The Spanish runner, Ivan Fernandez Anaya, who claimed second place, could have taken gold, but he did not. Instead, Fernandez Anaya caught up with Mutai and gestured for him to finish first. Later, Fernandez Anaya said that he did not deserve the first place, and preferred honesty to victory.

9. Time-sparing possibilities for students

People, who devote their lives to education, in most of the occasions are limited in time.

When you are young, the world tries to give you a lot of different possibilities and magic moments to tell about in old age. In other words, it is a crime to waste the precious time only on the studying. Programmers and professional writers know how to fix this problem; they have invented special websites, like Edu Birdie that give the fast writing help. Everyone may use them if one feels the necessity.

10. The Christmas Truce

By December 1914, the First World War had already claimed almost a million lives, but for one day – Christmas, a truce was established between British and German soldiers.

The truth of the story is not confirmed still, and how much its details are exaggerated. The British soldiers in the trenches on the front suddenly heard a familiar motive coming from the German trenches that were nearby.
It was “Silent Night” (English “Silent Night”), with which the unauthorized fraternization between the enemies began.

During the Christmas truce, there were no shots or explosions. Soldiers, who were tired of the war, simply shook hands, and then shared cigarettes and threw canned food throughout the Western Front.

Author’s Bio

Helen is a prolific writer who inspires other people to find their predestination in life. Her life motto is, ‘Do what you care for, love what you carry out.’
She also believes that each individual on the planet has special expertise, and the only complication is to be open in order to see this talent in its full volume.

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story. 

acts of kindness

Harnessing the Power of Words: 8 Inspiring Affirmations

I love words! I love reading words. I love writing words. I love studying words.  I love words by themselves when they make funny sounds like, “plop,” “sizzle,” or “catamaran.” But what I love about words the most is that they can describe ideas that are bigger than what I am able to perceive in my 3-dimensional reality – harnessing the power of words.

I can read words to describe the things I CAN see, but can’t explain, like gravity or photosynthesis. And there are the words that describe things I CAN’T see like quantum physics, God, and the meaning of life. Words can also describe something I may never see in this 3D reality. I may never see a flying unicorn pooping rainbows in the clouds, but there are words to create that image, as I just did. Therefore, in my mind, the unicorn exists.

And there lies my fascination with words: endless possibilities

In the world of words, anything can happen. From the tiniest who in Whoville to the ever-expanding infinite source of all-that-is, and everything in between, all can be explained with words. (Except for the “ineffable.”) And so for the last few years, I was absorbed in a world of words.

Reading, writing, and listening to words all day, I got lost in the world of ideas and stories. Some stories were so inspiring that I beat myself up for not being “that hero” myself. Other stories were just so fun to imagine, I lost touch with reality. Either way, I lived in my head, and neglected the “real world.” I forgot there is life outside of words. I forgot I had a body, and I gained a novel’s worth of weight. I finally realized it was time to reclaim my life in “reality”.

So, I dragged my sedentary butt to a yoga studio

I didn’t realize how far I had let my body fall off the radar,  but I was stiff and creaky. I begrudged all the things my body couldn’t do in class. Then one day I had a teacher who spoke my language.  She instructed us on how to do the “tree” pose. We faced a window that overlooked a pond, and we were guided to pick a tree to gaze at.

“Be the tree,” she said, as we stood on one foot. There was something romantic about the idea of becoming the tree, and I felt like I had made a long-lost connection with an old friend. I was a tree, and the tree was me. And like photosynthesis, I transformed that idea into energy.

In another session, the instructor was trying to get us to pull our shoulders back, but instead of saying pull your “shoulders back,” she said, “squeeze your wing-blades.” My heart instantly took flight.  Shoulder blades are shoulder blades, but unicorn wings, (or angel wings) are magical! I had never thought of my body as magical before.

Suddenly, being aware of my body was fun!

I imagined myself flying over hill and vale suspended by my “wing” blades. There was something heroic in that image. It instantly reminded me of riding my bike as a kid, when I pretended I was riding a horse through a sun-kissed savannah. And here I was as an adult on my hands and knees envisioning myself as a unicorn. Eventually, I learned to play with other ideas inspired by poses, such as warrior and happy baby.

What I learned is that the thing about words, is they are just the “carrier of meaning.” They are not the thing itself. As Alan Watts said, “the menu is not the meal.” You can’t drink the word, “coffee.” But you can use the word “coffee” to order a cup of coffee that you CAN drink. And if you are at certain coffee shops, you can even order a unicorn coffee drink.

And then I remembered reading various spiritual texts that talked about speaking words to create things into existence. Both the Bible and Vedic texts have phrases that say, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God (Brahman), and the word was God (Brahman).” And of course, Genesis states, “God SAID let there be light.”

Through speech, the word became flesh

And that is how I realized a fun way to use words to embody a magical life. So here is a way that I’ve been playing with words to speak the reality I want to live in my existence.

Pick some powerful words that you want to feel, and speak them. Let your body be the bookmark. Overlay the sparkly feeling of the word you want to embody in everything you do. Speak the words, and feel the meaning in your body. Here are some examples:

“Shake it off.”  shake off feelings of resentment, self-doubt, or any other bugger. Literally, shake your body and envision yourself sloughing off that old skin.

“Jump for joy!”

Literally, jump, and feel the joy. Speak the word, jump, and feel the joy!

“Reach for the stars”

This reminds me of the closing statement of Casey Kasem, but stretch your arms to the sky and imagine reaching for the stars. What star do you want to pull from the sky? Put a power word in the star, and put it in your pocket. It will always be there.

“Grow / Expand”

Take a deep breath and envision your lungs as well as your awareness growing and expanding. Let your awareness expand beyond your body as you fill your lungs with everything around you, including the breath of trees and the gas of stars.

“Leap to new heights”

Take the leap… take some leaps in your house, and envision the thing you want in life that you are leaping towards.

“Love” Love yourself

How do you love yourself? Treat yourself to a sensory experience. Love the tea you drink. Love the bath. The power of touch has been proven to release oxytocin and create a sense of calm. Try gently brushing your fingers on the inside of your forearms, and send love to yourself. Feel the tingly sensations. It is love.

“Tall and Light (and light)”

These are the words I use to correct my posture. I imagine myself tall like a tree grounded in the earth, and light like a feather suspended from heaven. The point is to sense the “space” — that quantum airiness— between the vertebra and stand tall. Do not be weighted by gravity, but light on feet. Be confident and also be a light in the darkness. Be a beacon of light.

“Be a pineapple”

I had to throw this in for my daughter who loves pineapples: The saying goes, “Stand tall, wear a crown, and be sweet on the inside.”  All that metaphorical goodness contained in a tropical fruit!

And my favorite: “Sparkle!”

In everything I do, I try to imagine “sparkle.” Sometimes I incorporate into my breathing exercise envisioning sparkly light filling up my body with glitter. Sometimes I look for “sparkle” when I wash dishes and the sunlight catches the suds and sparkles. Be the sparkle, or find the sparkle.  But if you focus on sparkle, find a way to embody or discover sparkliness in your life.

The opportunities to link fun words and images into your day-to-day living will give you a fresh new way to live in your world. (And help keep your mind from wandering into the bad neighborhoods of self-doubt and negativity.) You can use the words to imbue magic with everything you do. What other fun words can you speak into existence?

Kari Erkkila

Author’s Bio

Kari Erkkila is a recovering perfectionist who loves to play with words and art. Positive Words have become a favorite tool for exploring how language can be used to create a joyful life and a better world. Follow her journey on Instagram (Stink Big and Skurlfriend), or join the Facebook group, Stink Big!, a community for people who THINK big thoughts about being creative, but have been too afraid of “stinking.”

Here at Positive Words Research, we are looking to share with our readers original content that hasn’t been published on other sites so if you are comfortable with Positive Words Research being your sole publisher, we are more than happy to share with our readers your inspiring and empowering story.