These are things I do quite often actually. I let people in front of me at stores if they are carrying 1 or 2 items, I hold doors for ladies and children. I pick up toys dropped by children and even make funny faces and tell them how adorable their child is. I've never done anything too extreme such as pay for someone grocery or oil change since I can barely afford my own, but would not mind doing it if I could afford it.

I enjoy going out of my way for others, I have even been known to pull over and help a stranded driver move their car or give them a jump start. Why do I do any of this? Simple. I do it because:

1) I love the feeling I get when I help others. It's just in my nature.

2) I like the idea of knowing that someone can at least remember 1 time when someone was nice to them even if they think this world is full of A-holes (forgive my French KFC).

3) You never know when it's your turn to need a hand. This is where #2 comes in.

Though I have to be honest and say that not all of my selfless helpful adventures have had happy endings. There are moments in my life that I would rather not discuss but can say I wish I had never tried to be so kind. But all in all its life and that's in the past and as you can see it never stopped me from helping others.

Great article KFC.

I don't know if you have ever read Maimonides Levels of Tzedakah (or charity) but you might like it: http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefs/a/charity_nine.htm

As Secularists, we are dedicated to improving the world, to Tikkun Olam, the Repair of the World. Collectively we participate in yard work (snow and leaf removal) for the elderly; educating people about worthwhile charities and collecting monies for them (the JCS Sunday School regularly donates over a thousand dollars each year collected and earned by the kids to charities including Ronald McDonald House, Invisible Children and the Humane Society); and distributing food to the impovershed. I personally always get a kick out of delivering Meals on Wheels on Christmas Day so that Christian drivers can be home with their families.

I have also worked in soup kitchens run by the Methodist Church.

Yes, its nice to be kind to strangers, but there are limits. I wouldn't overdo it because people have a tendency to mistake kindness for weakness.

For those who wanted to pay, a donation to the church so that others could benefit would work.

LIke you, I enjoy doing random acts. But our payment is worth more than money. The smiles say it all.

or the tears.  This week we gave a collection in the form of a gas card of well over $200 to an older lady in our church whose husband just went into a nursing home.  She's been traveling back and forth every day since he was put there a few weeks ago.  It's only maybe 10 miles from her home but the frequent trips with the price of gas was wearing on her since she and her elderly husband aren't rich by any stretch.  And the tears came. She'd been under alot of stress dealing with him and his doctors.  It was very touching to see how our small contribution could mean so much to another. 

Really I don't think you can overdo kindness unless it leads to some sort of enablement thing.  Don't worry about what others think.  That's their problem.  Kindness is just that.  It has nothing to do with weakness.  In fact I think it takes strength to be kind because it's so much easier to do nothing most of the time.  So exercise those kindness muscles and get moving. 

what a great idea Larry!  This is a blessing for those who celebrate the birth of Christ but really what better way to celebrate his birth than by doing for another anyhow? 

You shouldn't say that because it ruins the motive for giving in the first place.  If you're only kind because of what it does for you, then what good is it?  It's not supposed to be about you even tho you may feel a bit better about yourself in doing so.   To be other minded means not to worry about what you will get out of it.  It's a self sacrifice.  That's the whole idea.   Besides, you never know really how your kindess will be manifested down the road.  I'm glad your bad experiences in being kind has not stopped you tho.

And I didn't do anything yesterday. I went out for a short time but no opportunities were afforded me I guess. It's not that I consciously am looking to do something nice for another but when the opportunity presents itself I hope I don't miss it. Nine out of ten times I probably do miss it tho. Oh well, there's always another day Lord willing.

 

 

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I understand what you are saying but you kinda took that line out of context. I was not referring about my benefits from what I do, I am happy knowing I did something to help someone else, whether they appreciate it or not is not my concern. I was referring to the bad things that happened when I was doing something nice for a particular person which in a way I knew I was getting myself into something I may not have been able to handle in the first place but figured I'd try anyways and hope for the best. Let's just say what he did to me would be considered unforgivable by many and probably something even a Christian would find very hard to forgive. Just thinking about it sends chills up my spine and feelings of wanting to hurt someone really badly tend to creep up on me while at the same time I fight to keep myself from losing it. It's a reminder that not all good intentions have good results. I accept that fact, I accept that there are some out there that will do what they do no matter how nice you are to them because it's in their nature to do it. I learned this the hard way and I refuse to walk thru life blindly hoping this will never happen again.

That is why, like Anthony said above, I too have limits. On can overdo kindness; keep in mind that what we may think as kindness could be seen as annoying, insulting or disrespectful to others. The key word to doing the right thing is always to have "consideration" for others. You always have to remember that when you do something kind for others you are affecting their life in the process and one does not have the right to affect it in a negative way just because you think you are doing "the right thing". Consideration, that is the key. If people spent more time understanding the possible future effect of their actions maybe we could avoid many bad things in life. And while you may argue one could also avoid many good things in the process, one can also argue that rather than having a bad thing happen I would rather nothing happen at all in many cases.

Altruism doesn't work in a heterogenous society.  In my country large swaths of the population are brainwashed by the media and gubmint to hate the white man, i.e. me, so they don't deserve my good deeds, nor would they be swayed by them.

Just curious, what country do you live in?

 

I love the idea of the oil change for single moms.  What exactly are the sunshine baskets?  It sounds like a great idea.  I'm sure your congregation will come to enjoy these thoings after you get it rolling,

I have been debating starting a card ministry at my church.  It's so nice to be remembered. 

Our church is always collecting for something.  One month it will be stuffed animals for the children's hospitals.  The sanctuary looked so cheery with all the animals gathered diring that month.  Food, bedding, cleaning supplies for the pet shelter.  We put together healthy snack packs for low income kids over the summer that were distributed through the YMCA summer programs with a note "you are loved". 

I do what I can even though I don't have a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

A Sunshine Basket is just a little reminder that those around you care when you're going thru a rough time. If someone is going into the hospital or has something going on in her/his life we get secretly get a basket going and give it to this person. We just put out a call and let others know they can contribute to the basic with a small gift, a card, a devotion etc, It just goes in the basket anonymous. So I usually when I get a program like this going put out a list of small gift ideas. So for a woman it might be some chocolates, hand lotions, candles, inexpensive jewelry, fancy pen, jar of jam, small book or devo. For a child going into the hospital it might be art supplies, a sketch book, books, candy (if allowed) small toys etc. Men are harder so I usually suggest, a men's magazine, a book, disposable razors, a funny card, a Suduko book, food gifts, a dvd, or cd especially for guys etc.

I think the church is starting to come around since now we have a "sunshine basket team" show up in the bulletin last week. They just kind of took it over I guess. I'm in a very old traditional type church where everything has to have a committee or team...blech! It has to be done right you know......

There's a really negative side to having a 'team' for anything. Basically, it says, "Hey, we're the team." So other people not on the team feel they either don't need to be helping or doing anything, or that they can't. Though having a team behind it the right way could mean that it's pushed as something to get involved in better, because the basket team is going to make sure people know about it. We have a mission's team at church, but their job isn't to go on all the missions - it's just to keep in contact with the missionaries we support, and set up new trips and stuff like that. They get it started and then get other involved, which is the way a team should work, I think. Make sure your basket team's goal is to get people involved.