Acts of kindness on campus
This past Tuesday, Nov. 13, was World Kindness Day. This international holiday was first introduced in 1998, and it is devoted to promoting kindness all over the world. In honor of this day, here are some ways to show extra kindness on campus.
First of all, educating yourself on various topics is important to ensure you are being considerate to others. This applies to things like pronouns and gender identity. Learning how to properly use someone’s correct pronouns ensures that you are not accidentally misgendering someone or causing them harm.
Simple compliments are one of the easiest ways to spread kindness on campus and help make someone's day brighter. Compliments like “nice shirt” or “I like your shoes” may seem unnecessary, but they have the potential to transform someone's bad day into a great one.
Keeping negative comments to yourself is very important as well. Making fun of someone you see in public to your friends may seem funny, but it is rude to that person especially if they can hear your conversation. This applies to countless scenarios especially when it comes to someone’s appearance.
Posting kind messages on social media takes literal seconds, but it helps cancel out all of the negative information that is shared on social media every day. Writing your own creative and positive message on social media is great, but finding a kind message and reposting it is also a great way to spread kindness.
Sending encouraging messages to friends is a fantastic way to spread kindness to those you are close with. If someone you know is having a hard time, or you just want to let a friend know that you are thinking of them, a quick text message with a positive message is the perfect solution. Let those close to you know that you care about them and are thinking of them!
Holding open a door for those behind you only delays your day a few seconds, but it is a great simple act of kindness that is easy to do on campus. Whether it is opening a door for someone with their hands full, or just keeping the door open for those around you are both great.
Being kind to the planet is also an important component of on-campus kindness. This could mean picking up a piece of trash you see thrown somewhere, or walking on the sidewalks to save the grass from wilting. Sidewalks may not always be the shortest route, but walking on the grass just to save a few seconds kills the grass over time.
These are just a few examples of acts of kindness that are easy to do on campus or at home. There are endless ways to spread kindness and each one, no matter how small, makes a difference. If everyone intentionally did one extra act of kindness a day, countless people may have much better days.
The most important act of kindness is to be kind to yourself. Even after a bad day, it is important to be kind to yourself. Silly mistakes happen to everybody, it is important to keep in mind that nobody is perfect. Daily affirmations are a great way to remind yourself of the positive qualities you have and remind yourself that you are working with what you have. Be kind to yourself and others on campus!
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