Random Act of Kindness
It was a busy Monday morning in New York City Penn Station. People were walking fast; some were running, everyone was trying to catch the train to get to work.
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I was waiting for the Number 2 train. Lots of people were around me. Some looked stressed, some were looking at their watches, some were fidgeting, and some were reading the paper and a few kept leaning over to see if the train was coming.
The platform was full of people and finally the train came. As I stepped into the train, people started pushing me from the back and I almost fell over. The train was packed. There was no empty seat left and everyone was standing almost on top of each other. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The train stopped at 42nd street – Time Square. I realized that an old woman in her late 80’s was slowly trying to get on the train. She had a bag on one hand and a cane on the other. People behind her pushed her in. I was afraid that she might fall. She was shaking a bit and trying to find a way to hold on as the train started to take off. She managed to hold on to the bar. As I was standing and watching her, I realized that no one sitting got up to offer her a seat. At that moment I thought to myself, what had happened to us? Were we that busy and self-centered that we forgot to be kind, generous and caring? What had happened to our world? What kind of example were we setting up for ourselves and our future generations?
I will start this valuable character lesson by defining what a random act of kindness is: “When we go beyond duties that are expected of us and reach out to help another person or group of people, we are performing a Random Acts of Kindness. Kindness and empathy are very closely related: kindness is the observable expression of empathy. We sense another person’s need, we understand how it feels to be in need (due to our own past experience), and we decide to offer our help.” (Source of definition: the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation)
Kindness works the same way as integrity does. Do it even though no one is watching. Here are some random acts of kindness we can all do to make the world a better place:
 • Open the door for another person.
 • Smile. Share a smile with family members, co-workers, and even strangers. A smile is a great way to boost someone’s day.
 • Pick up a piece of trash you see on the ground.
 • Tip your restaurant server generously.
 • Give at least one compliment to somebody every day.
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This is what our world needs today – positive energy and balance to get this earth and her inhabitants back on track. We need love, respect, morals and random acts of kindness to chase away our storms and warm the hearts of many in need including ourselves. We all become accustomed to our routines, and it’s difficult to force changes on those routines. But tomorrow when you wake up and you are going about your day; remember to practice random acts of kindness to all around you. I know I will.