Kindness Thursday
Social
Transformation Month Part 1
By Barrington H.
Brennen, December 4, 2014
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Barrington H. Brennen |
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Today is the beginning of what I call
Social
Transformation Month in The Bahamas. It is my national
appeal for everyone living in The Bahamas to begin a war
against anger, violence, animosity, and hatred by using
simple humane and loving actions toward each other. Each
Thursday during the month of December I have decided to
promote and ask everyone residing in The Bahamas to
participate in a specific action that has been a part of our
heritage for decades but seems to be diminishing. [
See special page ]
I am inviting everyone to make the entire month a time of
rebuilding, reconnecting, healing, and mending broken or
wounded relationships. Let us make December a month to
start being nice, loving, humane and respectful to
everyone—Bahamians, foreign residents, and visitors. Hence,
today is “Kindness Thursday”. Next week, December 11, will
be “Smiling Thursday.” On December 18, it will be
“Friendship Thursday.” On December 25 it will be “Giving
Thursday.” The final day in this social reform month will
be on January 1, 2015 when it will be “New Relationship
Thursday.” These special days can also be observed in
churches on the Saturdays or Sundays. Thus we can have
Kindness Saturday/Sunday.
What is kindness? Here is one definition I like from
Wikipedia. “Kindness is a behavior marked by ethical
characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and
concern
for others.” Note that to be kind we need first to
generate an attitude of concern for others. We cannot live
as though we are all isolationists, cold, hermits, each one
living on an island alone. The words of a song come to
mind: “No man is an island . . . Each man as my brother,
each man as my friend.”
Dear reader, acts of kindness towards anyone we touch can
make a big difference in our land. One author says: “An act
of kindness is a spontaneous gesture of goodwill towards
someone or something.” Thus, today I am requesting
everyone to do some act of kindness. Make this entire day
special in your life as you join everyone in the nation by
doing something special.
BE WISE
While we are endeavoring to change our society through acts
of kindness, it is imperative that we be wise. “When
carrying out acts of kindness, care should be taken not to
intrude or embarrass. 'Discretion' is the operative word.
Give your smile or whatever, and then move on, unless the
receiver gives out signals that she would like to talk.”
WHAT CAN YOU DO TODAY?
To be kind towards someone would require one to be observant
and sensitive to what is happening around him. For many,
it will require that one comes out of her shell of
reclusiveness or shyness to reach out to someone, even an
animal in need. Here are a few acts of kindness. Help a
disabled or elderly person across the street. As you walk
in to a store, open the door before you for the person
behind you. Give someone a glass of water to quench
her thirst. Offer to assist a needy person to clean his
yard. Provide transportation for someone to the store, even
if it is someone you know but have never done it before.
Give an hour or two to help someone prepare her home for
Christmas. Cut the grass of a neighbor. Give a homeless
person your doggie bag. Help someone whose car has broken
down. Be a designated driver. Offer change when the person
in front of you at the register comes up short. Return a
shopping cart. Write a letter or send an email to a child or
adult who could use some extra attention.
IT IS ONLY A BEGINNING
Dear friend, these acts of kindness are not to end today.
It is to mark a new beginning in your life, family and
society. We are not only to be kind on one day of the year
but every day. Let us all try a little kindness. In the
1970s Glen Campbell made a kindness song popular that
expresses the sentiment of this article. The song is “Try
a little kindness.”
“Try a little kindness”
If you see your brother
standing by the road
With a heavy load from the seeds he's sowed
And if you see your sister falling by the way
Just stop and say "You're going the wrong way"
You got to try a little
kindness, yes show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness then you'll
overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets
Don't walk around the down and
out
Lend a helping hand instead of doubt
And the kindness that you show every day
Will help someone along their way
Barrington H. Brennen is
a marriage and family therapist and board certified clinical
psychotherapist, USA. Send your questions or comments to barringtonbrennen@gmail.com or
write to P.O. Box CB-13019, Nassau, The Bahamas, or visit www.soencouragement.org or
call 242-327-1980 or 242-477-4002
