A simple act of kindness

‘I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear’. Martin Luther King Jnr.

We constantly hear about what is going wrong with our world which makes it harder to remind ourselves that there is so much that is good. After recent tragic events, it is heartening to know that so many people are offering help of all kinds to those whose lives have been shattered through loss or injury. This outpouring of love for each other is such a positive message that has emerged from such abhorrent acts of hate.

How much better it is to feel that you have helped someone along the way when you could have turned the other cheek and ignored their plight. A simple act of kindness can make someone’s day and ultimately yours too. Research shows that being kind to others increases our own levels of happiness so a simple act of kindness can not only make someone else’s day but can make us feel good too.

Generosity of spirit releases endorphins in the brain and increases happiness for us as well as the people we are helping. Studies have shown that when we give money away it is more likely to make us feel happy than if we were to spend that money on ourselves. Communities thrive when people look out for each other; and even if your good deeds of helping others go unnoticed they can have the positive effect of increasing your self-esteem.

American film maker David Gaz, made a documentary ‘Kindness is Contagious’. The film is all about being kind and the benefits of being kind. The idea for this film began when research demonstrated that if you are kind to one person, they will be kind to four other people, and that each of those four people will be kind to four more people and so on. Eventually turning back around to you again which perhaps indicates that Karma does actually exist?