“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
-Aesop
In my mind kindness is not defined by grand gestures and overt accolades but rather the humble impromptu nature of individuals acting on the understanding of the needs of those around them. In my life the most memorable acts of kindness done to me were so small that the individual showing kindness would probably not remember it at the end of the day. I think this illustrates the idea that the profound effect kindness has on a person doesn’t come from the magnitude or calculated nature of the gesture but rather the lack of it. True kindness emanates from a personality so disposed to go out of their way to lift up another that at any given moment, in any scenario, in any environment they are so invested in the lives of those around them that they innately aid those around them without a second thought.
Although many acts of kindness rendered by us and to us go unnoticed, the impact these acts have on our life is extremely consequential. Just as we are often touched by small acts of kindness the giver would probably never remember, we need to also realize the effect that forgotten acts of kindness have had on who we are as a person. Remembered acts of kindness make us happy but it’s all the other ones that shape us into who we are. At the end of the day it may seem as though our kind acts are to no avail but we must remember that acts of kindness are often forgotten but never futile.
Haakon S