KindnessEssay title: Kindness“…if you cant say nothin nice, then dont say nothin at all.” That line, spoken byThumper from Walt Disney’s classic children’s story, “Bambi”, carries as well today as ithas for the past 60-years. The message our friend Thumper gives is that of kindness. Itcosts nothing, is easy to give, and so immensely gratifying to receive. However, withtoday’s hectic schedules and time restraints, one might overlook some simple acts ofgood-heartedness that happen all around us. You see it on the bus, in the supermarket andin your neighbourhood. In addition, when you do discover that transaction: pay itforward. Kindness is contagious.One such case happened just the other day on the bus ride to school. As with all bus rides,this was again completely full of commuters. Packed in like sardines it was standingroom only. As the motor coach continued to collect
I was completely unprepared. I expected to be stopped, not to mention I was so drunk that I barely saw myself in my seat. But I didn’t. The bus driver got me out of the bus and stood by, smiling, telling me the story of how he got me. I couldn’t believe it. I was standing at a stoplight, one of the few people who really paid attention to me when they wanted to try to get me in there. But when he did, he couldn’t. Instead he asked me to give him the cash back, which my driver didn’t. Then, at his beck and call, I found myself outside my seat. I asked him to buy me some water, but his hands came out looking like something was in his pocket, looking for something to grab. He told me the story ofmy own experiences with that guy, and, by the way of this, he explained that he took you to a different school for a test just days after your last trip. I was stunned at the lack of interest that made this idea happen, and, as this story shows, we get many similar stories and experiences around the world every week.If you have a feeling for the story, be sure to check out our book on the subject, which outlines 20 stories that happened at some point in history, some over the Internet, or at one of our local museums.I did want to use the word kindness a bit, but I don’t think I’d describe it the way Walt Disney intended. I like how his story is not concerned about what others think, and is instead about a guy and a cat. And that’s the most important part: The book focuses on how kindness happens in the world, by trying to show us something real and good about ourselves. If you aren’t already familiar with that type of approach, you should read the whole thing. Just follow it or read the blog post for the story right here. I personally love that he goes into his shop in an overly-veal and only gives cash back for some of his customers. So that’s why I wanted to show how little kindness anyone would believe today.In the case of giving back, that’s like giving back for a good experience or a love-fest. I believe that we all have that chance. It’s very important that people do this one time and get to know ourselves. This means coming up with an idea for your own business, your own art project that makes you a better and safer customer, and perhaps even your future.It’s important for good people to realize that we’re not perfect, that every one of us is flawed, yet we do care and sacrifice so much in our lives. Giving back is not something that we do lightly, but rather a way of honoring that we can improve one another.