It may surprise many people that there is such a day as “World Kindness Day” – and that is today, Nov. 13.
In the Filipino culture, kindness is a value that is known by many names, one of them “bayanihan.” Since the Philippines is located on the typhoon belt, where typhoons blow in at least 20 times a year, where volcanoes rumble and erupt, and where earthquakes shake quiet communities, overflowing kindness has kept people’s hopes up, and saved many from further harm.
So many acts of kindness were performed at the height of the pandemic. To cite a few:
The community pantry started by a woman named Patricia Non where the only rule was to take what you need and to give what you can share. The concept spread like wildfire, giving people a concrete idea on how to make a personal act of kindness count.
Many nameless motorists volunteered to drive the medical frontliners to their work areas, and several automotive companies sent vehicles to hospitals and government agencies to be used as free shuttle service. Then there were religious and private organizations who offered their buildings located near hospitals to house the frontliners, for free.
Many acts of kindness are performed each time a flood inundates an area, or an earthquake damages homes and buildings. When Taal Volcano spewed thick ashfall in 2020, non-government organizations (NGOs) and private corporations rushed to bring food and relief goods to the people there, creating very heavy traffic at the expressways.
At the barangay level, help to flood victims, or to Covid patients came through the “bayanihan” spirit. Strangers offered to buy food and medicines to strangers in their neighborhoods who were quarantined due to Covid infection.
With the many acts of kindness that have become our buffers against natural disasters, you may say that there is no need to pause and celebrate World Kindness Day.
But there are many reasons to do a random act of kindness today. One, it will be good for your health. Studies state that performing acts of kindness “increases the body’s production of feel-good hormones. Being kind helps boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure and reduce stress and anxiety,” health experts said.
Two, being kind will remind people that we live in a world where good exists.
The World Kindness Movement started in Tokyo in 1997 where several humanitarian groups met and made a Declaration of Kindness – a “pledge to join together to build a kinder and more compassionate world.” The World Kindness Day was inaugurated on Nov. 13, 1998.
The organization was registered as an official NGO under Swiss law in 2019. From a few countries like Thailand, United Kingdom, Australia, France, and the United States, the Kindness Movement now counts 28 countries who celebrate World Kindness Day which has now become a week-long celebration.
The movement has a simple slogan for the reason for World Kindness Day: “To highlight good deeds in the community focusing on the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us.”
Kindness can be performed through small acts, like giving up your seat in the train to an elderly person, or helping a neighbor through a medical crisis. Or you can donate books, food, clothing to an NGO or to community centers.
“World Kindness Day can help to remind us that we aren’t alone in our lives, others are kind and care for us, and we certainly don’t live in a world where good doesn’t exist,” the World Kindness Movement said.
Do an act of kindness today. As the theme of this year’s celebration says: “Kindness makes you live longer.”