Written Acts of Kindness

Most of his friends And colleagues spend Their time mocking the Less fortunate as Being huge losers, Somehow deficient, Defective, lazy, Not worthy of care or Consideration, Deserving scorn. He spends his free time Helping those Discarded by others.

The mango tree near my house Has been my best friend For almost twelve years now. It grew up with me. I still remember the day I planted it with so much love. I just used to water it every day And now I eat its Fruits of kindness every summer. It gave me so much. It used to become my umbrella During the rainy days And its shade was my resting place During those hot summer days. I just can’t imagine My life without it. Sometimes while sitting In its shade I wonder About my kind grandfather who lives In the old age home. Why did my parents leave him When he gave us so much love?

A hot world full of hurt A harsh world filled with marsh Swampy, bomby and shabby Lonely, dreary and weary, Kindness could bring us happiness. A cold world of worthless gold A sold world of stolen fold A raw world of burning war, A bar world with bloody law Troubled, scary and blurry Kindness could give us fairness. Injustice, prejudice and malice Rumours, despiration, conspiracy Slavery, starvation and racism Kindness could heal our brokenness. The kind are not blind, Because the mind can still find Treasures in this whirlwind. ----- Ngozi Olivia Osuoha is a Nigerian poet/writer, a graduate of Estate Management with experience in Banking and Broadcasting. She has published over one hundred poems in over ten countries. Her first two longest pieces of 355 and 560 verses, "The Transformation Train" and "Letter to My Unborn", published in Kenya and Canada, are available on Amazon.

She understands that Things have become So dire that there Is no way to look away Without being complicit. She offers them A secret room In her home where they Can hide for as long As necessary, A haven in the middle Of madness, Humanity repudiating Fear and hatred.

She didn't have To go out of her way, She could have just As easily done Her own thing, but She chose to spend That extra time with me, Those moments that Let me know I was somehow special.

That man at Sarojini Market Sells the best bread Quality whole wheat bread. I buy some every day Bread is not my staple food I am an Indian and Indians mostly eat rice. I am no different. I don’t buy it To satiate my hunger But to express my gratitude To this kind man Who offered me some bread Years ago when I visited this place And sat near his bakery With an empty pocket. ----- Sravani Singampalli is a writer and poet from India. She is presently pursuing doctorate of pharmacy at JNTU KAKINADA university in Andhra Pradesh, India.

A little boy Dressed in rags Stops by Every day Looking up at her With hopeful eyes Too timid to ask Out loud for some Morsel to eat She offers him What she has and Bids him goodbye Until the time When she files Paperwork to Adopt him

I've spent many years working with individuals, families, and organizations to help them minimize the impact of conflict and strife. Almost every problem I've ever seen arise is due to people not feeling good about themselves deep inside and not healing what's troubling them and causing them to behave in less than positive ways. Entire societies are built upon this hurt way of being, a state of mind that promotes fear, anger, and war with "enemies." It all comes from ideas planted in children's heads by parents and adults who don't know any better. What these societies (and the individuals in them) don't realize is that things don't have to be this way. People can actually function based on hope, love, peace, and kindness. You hear stories about how even the most horrible people love someone or something. We all have the capability to love if we follow our more positive instincts. The fundamental problem is that we teach our children to fear others...

You hear about Acts of kindness All the time – Someone who didn't Have to do anything at all But decided to do Something nice, Without any need for Recognition or recompense, Put others above Himself or herself. Human beings have an amazing Ability to do kind Things for each other, It's possible for us to Move past the pettiness That arises from selfishness And self-interest and Live instead with love and Compassion, to stop competing And start collaborating, Building a kind world together.

It's easy to Become discouraged To think that there's Nothing that can be Done about all the Discord and strife Occurring around us, That all there is to do Is withdraw and hope It eventually goes away, But I'm here to tell you That we can move past All this garbage If kind-hearted people Find the courage to Speak up when cruelty and Injustice arise and Let everyone know that There is another path, That we all can look Deep inside, Heal what hurts, And move in a Kind direction.

I've often wondered why people settle for living in fear, anger, misery, and hopelessness. As a poet, I explore the human condition and challenge the notion that we have to cater to our basest instincts, where all we do is fight each other for food and resources. Human beings have shown time after time that they're capable of much more than self-interest, greed, and cruelty. Think of all the wonderful people who behave with generosity, gentleness, and compassion, helping their fellow men and women without any need for recognition or compensation. It happens all the time. Why not make that the standard for human behavior instead of shrugging our shoulders and saying that things will never change? People are capable of being kind and building a world of love and compassion. We have the ability to use our wonderful brains and hearts to help each other thrive. If enough of us speak up for kindness, we can shift the conversation in that direction. Help me create a kindness movement ...

Being kind isn't that hard, It just means leaving The hurt, anger, and fear Behind, replacing it with Moments of selflessness: A smile, hug, Reassuring word, Helping hand, Softness, gentleness. We've convinced ourselves That kindness is corny, A sign of weakness, When it is the very thing That can change the world, Making it a better place For everyone.

There really are only two basic ways to live your life: with fear or with love. If you live with fear, you will always mistrust others, limit your ability to grow, worry about danger, or dread the next calamity that might befall you. Living with fear makes you contract and become closed off to all the wonderful opportunities around you. Instead of enjoying life, you'll waste time worrying about what you can't do or need to avoid rather than what is possible. Living with love is an entirely different experience. When you feel, think, and behave with love, the whole universe is open to you. There's nothing you can't do when you love yourself and others. Instead of contracting, you grow and thrive. Love feeds your inner self and guides you on a positive path. Also, love just feels much better than fear. Love and kindness are intimately linked. In order to be kind you have to have the ability to love yourself and others. Doing nice things for people or the world in general ...

So many walking in circles This misused, fragile cafe limestone Sleep deprivation in a party hat with nowhere to go and nothing to do Go on now, they tell you lies “Do not look back” “You have no business with the welfare of others” It is up to us to prove them wrong

In one of my past lives as a corporate trainer, people would stare at me blankly when I suggested that we can actually create kind workplaces. So ingrained is the idea of a harsh, competitive, survival-of-the-fittest world, that we forget that these are human constructs. But things don't have to be this way, we can build any kind of world we want based on our actions. With that in mind, here are fifteen things you can do to create a kinder world: Smile at people. Do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return. Praise another person. Compete less and find ways to collaborate. Say something nice to someone you don't really get along with. Listen to someone without talking. Tell someone how important they are to you. Go to therapy and heal your hurts so you can be a kind to yourself and others. Love more and hate less. Spend time with someone who doesn't have a lot of company. Volunteer somewhere that benefits the less fortu...

Every day, we open our eyes and often the first sound we hear is a report of something sad, or heartbreaking. The world we live in is far less kind than many of us would have it, though there is a subtle movement gaining speed, and I want so very much to be a part of it. That movement is toward kindness, away from sarcasm, coldness, or so-called "snark". There was a time when “snark”, or as I prefer to call it, “meanness”, crept into my being in ways I didn’t even realize. It was before my diagnosis with Bipolar disorder, before I went blind and then was fortunate enough to regain some use of my vision through six trying surgeries. It was before a lot of things. Before my grandmother’s death. Before my father's cancer. When I was younger, in more of a hurry to do everything quickly, and sometimes mistook snarkiness for wit or intelligence. Snark has been portrayed for years as the hip or cool way to be, and for a time I guess I fell into the trap of believing it. In the y...

How do you show kindness to others? There are so many ways to be kind to our fellow human beings and I am reminded of a time when I was teaching English classes for a wonderful group of people. The class was for parents of low-income children in a nondescript building right by a highway. We would gather twice a week and the students would eagerly practice their new language skills. I was always moved by their enthusiasm. At times they would share stories about their lives, often punctuated with hardship, but they never lost their optimistic glow. I remember about halfway through the class they all decided that it would be fun to have a potluck, so we did. They all brought in delicious dishes from many countries and we all had a great time talking about all kinds of things. The thing that struck me is that these people had very little material wealth but were imbued with great kindness and generosity. They created a lovely family in that classroom, celebrating their common humanity. I h...

How a word, one single word becomes a bridge. Or the first moving to thaw for a tundra life. How a simple phrase illuminates a stage that was dark, sharing a single line, over and until the close.

He grew up in A family where His voice was Routinely crushed, Belittled, ignored, But he resolved to Not perpetuate what He had gone through. Today he sits down With his daughter, Listening intently To her stories, Telling her how Wonderful they are, Smiling joyfully, Starting a new Cycle of kindness.

Kindness examples: Helping someone in need without expecting anything in return. Giving someone a hug. Saying something nice to another human being. Saying "I love you" more often. Supporting other people's dreams. Having empathy for someone else's suffering and doing something about it. Sharing. Working hard to build a world where everyone is treated well. Advocating for peace and love. Standing up for the less fortunate. Treating others with kindness. Using supportive, encouraging language when talking with others. Listening without talking. Smiling freely. Being soft. Being gentle. Letting people sing with their own voices. Being happy for others' successes. Caring for the well-being of all people. Healing your inner hurts so you can treat yourself and others well. Following your bliss and helping others do the same. Leaving the world better off than when you were in it. Living with love. What...