What is it?
November 13th is a day set aside to promote kindness while shedding light on the good deeds that happen within a community. World Kindness Day is being celebrated by more and more counties every year, putting a special emphasis on how kindness can bring everyone together.
Original organizers of the movement state that their pledge is to “join together to build a kinder and more compassionate world.”
One of the founding principles of World Kindness Day is bridging the gap between race, politics, religion, and gender. 2020’s goal is to promote empathy and help others realize the importance of being kind to others.
Why it’s important
World Kindness Day advocates for the best of humanity, urging others to come together no matter how they look or present themselves. It highlights the good done for and by a community, and inspires good-doings to continue even once the calendar changes days.
It’s a day to remember that despite the divide felt amongst many of us, we are all ultimately in this together. It’s a day to acknowledge there is good in the world, which is an easy thing to forget and can be even harder to remember.
How to celebrate
There are several ways to incorporate acts of kindness into everyday life, but it can be difficult knowing where to start. Here are some suggestions:
- Go out of your comfort zone. Sometimes it can feel awkward or uncomfortable putting yourself out there when it comes to making someone smile, but the smallest gestures can bring a smile to most anyone’s face.
- Treat someone to a coffee or other small comfort food. Whether this can be done in person or venmo-ing someone the money so they can buy one themselves out of your pocket. While a small gesture, it’s sure to make someone smile whenever they take a sip and see the cup. It’ll make them think of you.
- Donate. A great way to show kindness is to donate to your local community, whether the items be brand new or secondhand. Or donate your time, as Habitat for Humanity is always looking for volunteers.
- Don’t forget to be kind to yourself. It’s difficult remembering to be kind to others when you’re busy being unkind to yourself.
World Kindness Day in COVID times
Multiple counties all across America are coming together to provide food for families who have felt the impact of the coronavirus and other financial struggles. Feeding America is a nonprofit organization that consists of more than 200 food banks that serve more than 46 million people. Their mission is to “feed America’s hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger.”
Apart from financial struggles, many are feeling the impact on their mental health thanks to the coronavirus. Many especially feel the impact between the switch to online school, working from home, and social distancing. Showing a little kindness can go so far in the time of a global crisis, and though it may not solve the world’s problems, it can at least ease the burden someone might not even realize they’re carrying. Kindness isn’t a cure to anything, but it’s at least a start to feeling better.
