Be Kind to Humankind

By Kelsey Holmes, Greenheart Club Program Assistant

Today marks the start of “Be Kind to Humankind Week” – an initiative started in 1988 in Toms River, New Jersey, USA.  At Greenheart, we know that volunteering positively impacts our communities and in turn our own lives.  We see how we can utilize our skills for community development and learn through programming like GGLC 2016 and Camp Greenheart to put our words into actions.  But before we begin to think of planning a volunteer event, where we are best fit to serve, and even why volunteer service is important, we need to take a step back.

Volunteering stems from a core truth: people need people.

Without community, we would not be able to take on many of the issues facing the planet today.  Without each other, we would not be able to see how we grow both as individuals and in tandem with our community members.  Without one another, there is no need for service.

So we need to examine our own attitudes before we can even begin to think about serving.  This thought process can start with something simple – why do I feel the need to serve?  Do you lose sleep over an injustice witnessed weeks prior?  Can you realize your skill set directly relates to a problem in your neighborhood?  Have you fully digested the idea that your voice can amplify the voices of those marginalized and all too often left unheard?  Whatever it is that makes you feel the desire and almost unstoppable impulse to reach out to those you are equipped to help, it is almost infallibly one trait rooted within you and permeating through society that motivates us to not give up – kindness.

Kindness is a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to listen when no one else will.  Kindness is appreciating the uniqueness of those around us while understanding and celebrating our differences and similarities.  Kindness is recognizing the common human spirit within us that makes connection with others so distinctive and extraordinary.

Often times, it seems like the world is a scary place filled with unkind people.  But it is individuals and communities like Greenheart and other global leaders around the world who bring light into darkness and let kindness prevail.  Kindness begins with you, but as your own kind spirit grows, it does in others simultaneously.  Your decision to hold the door for a mother with a stroller and grocery bag could lead to a witness of your actions similarly helping an elderly couple go through that same door.  Leading by example is one of the most raw and impactful ways to spread kindness to others, and is what enables us to hope and dream for a better world for ourselves and future generations.

So this week, take some time to reflect.  Understand what motivates you.  Connect your skills to specific actions.  Recognize the spirit of kindness that makes this world such a beautiful place.  Take this knowledge, and take action.  Impactful change begins with YOU.