As we approach November 13, designated as World Kindness Day, we need to take a moment to reflect on the significance of kindness in our lives and the world at large.
But what is kindness? Sometimes, formal definitions may not fully capture the essence of an act or feeling. Examples of kindness can offer a clearer understanding. We've all either been recipients of someone's kindness or have extended it ourselves.
For instance, I recall a time when our landlord in Mohammadpur proposed lowering our house rent, knowing that our family was facing financial difficulties due to a job loss. Or the truck driver who selflessly repaired a fellow traveller’s car on our trip to see the Padma bridge without expecting anything in return. These acts exemplify the essence of kindness -- helping strangers out of a commitment to certain values, not necessity.
This selfless act of empathy exemplified kindness in its truest form. While helping a family member is often an obligation, assisting a stranger represents a genuine act of kindness.
Sympathy often prompts acts of kindness. I recall a chance encounter at Abu Dhabi airport with a stranded young American woman who lost her purse at her departing airport in India. I offered her a place to stay and money which she politely refused. Finally, I managed to persuade the airlines to provide her hotel accommodation. I told her the kindness I had experienced in the United States. This encounter highlighted the ripple effect of kindness, as she later wrote me an email expressing her deep gratitude. I felt bad for not doing enough for her. I forgot to offer her to use my phone to call her parents in the States.
I wish I were more mindful.
As a struggling graduate student, I received a bed with a mattress from a local church in Pittsburgh, and the church's reverend even helped me carry it to our Atwood Street apartment. Another time, a landlord, one Mr Salter, gifted me a small TV he no longer used. When our son was born, the sociology department at the University of Pittsburgh organized a baby shower. These gestures of kindness left a lasting impression on me.
Small acts of kindness, such as giving 5 Euros to an elderly lady in Rome who assisted me in purchasing a train ticket, can bring immense joy to both the giver and the recipient. Psychologists assure us that the real happiness is in giving.
Reflect on the last time you extended kindness to someone. Azma, a friend in Dhaka, once shared how her father always insisted that the driver of their guests had the first priority in receiving food. Late Nuruddin, my friend, demonstrated his kindness by sponsoring a wedding for one of his employees who couldn't afford to marry otherwise. I remember that evening when Nuruddin skipped a dinner invitation at Sonargaon Hotel and took me to attend a modest wedding at Mirpur. While I tried to follow his example by sending medicines for his daughter from Singapore, I realized that his shoes were too big for me to fill.
Kindness often manifests in unexpected ways. I received a friend request from a girl with the last name Liaqat, whom I assumed to be the daughter of a family friend and war hero. However, she turned out to be someone I had babysat years ago in Singapore while her parents sought fertility treatment. To her and her parents, my act of babysitting was an act of kindness.
In the evaluations from my teaching days in Singapore, students often remarked on my kindness. While I couldn't recall specific acts, I believe that my dedication to being polite and helpful left a lasting impression.
Kindness and politeness often go hand in hand.
I often help fellow passengers who are unable to read or write by filling out their forms. Once I helped several returnee workers from the UAE fill out their forms at Dhaka airport -- at the luggage belt, I received support from those fellow passengers. It is important to note that kindness should be offered gratuitously, without expecting rewards.
During our journey to Australia, even as we waited on the tarmac for take-off at Singapore’s Changi airport, the Qantas crew exhibited such exceptional courtesy that our nine-year-old daughter asked me: “Why are these people so kind?” It was during those days in Singapore, when the significance of kindness was being emphasized through a nationwide campaign. Both Singapore and Australia along with the United Arab Emirates have been celebrating World Kindness Day since 2009.
As we celebrate World Kindness Day, let us take a moment to reflect on the countless opportunities we must be kind to one another, fostering a culture of compassion and abandoning everyday violence and rudeness. In doing so, we can strive to make the world a better place, one act of kindness at a time.
We must extend our kindness not only to fellow humans but also to animals and the planet we share with them. Simple acts of kindness can have a profound impact on the world., demonstrating the ripple effect of kindness.
Habibul Haque Khondker is a sociology professor at Zayed University, Abu Dhabi who previously taught at the National University of Singapore.
