Holding the door for someone, giving compliments, and ensuring people are included all can seem minor to most on the surface. While they cost almost nothing, small acts of kindness such as these have the power to turn around someone’s day for the better.
But why do small acts of kindness matter if they’re so simple? At times, life can be like experiencing a rollercoaster, there are always ups and downs. Everyone occasionally faces struggles in life. Instead of “every man for themselves” where everyone deals with the weight of life alone, acts of kindness can help to make the load feel a little lighter.
Sophomore Parker Suh describes ways he shows kindness to others in his everyday life.
“[It’s nice to see] when someone goes through a major injury that requires crutches and others help them get lunch and go to class. I remember when I was injured and how much it meant a lot to me when people did that,” said Suh.
In modern media, kindness can be distorted and seen as something to do on the condition of gaining personal benefit or to make yourself “look good.”
Suddenly kindness is more about big, elaborate gestures and social media likes. This way of presenting kindness can make it easy to forget its real purpose: to brighten the days of others and shine a light on them, just because.
Showing kindness when no one is watching can be even more meaningful than when there are others present. It creates a pattern or habit that can become a consistent action and even lead to a ripple effect among others.
Being a role model and practicing kindness daily can inspire others to do the same and help create an environment where kindness is routine.
“[Practicing kindness] has the same meaning, but I would say it feels more genuine because you’re not just doing it for appeal from others,” added Suh.
Overall, taking a step to recognize the true effects a small act of kindness can have is key to making it a habit.
Choosing to show kindness will almost never cost you anything, but you never know just how much it can mean to someone else.
