Call it the Christmas Spirit: 2018 Edition.
Writer Candice Marie Benbow chose to handle what could have been a sticky situation with a neighbor with kindness, and, also, cake.
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Category: Kindness
The internet’s best tips for how to be kind on World Kindness Day
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When brainstorming ways to make the world a better place, we often think about donating, volunteering, signing petitions, and taking to the streets, which are all necessary actions. Yet we must first remember to be kind to ourselves and to others. It sounds simple, but it’s effective: A smile, a cup of coffee, or a “thank you” can help make someone’s day better. Treating people with compassion every day, alongside political and community action, can lead to real, positive change.
Such advice may feel simple, or even cliché, but we increasingly live in a world where bigotry and cruelty constantly capture our attention — and the news cycle. Kindness is just one of many defenses against malice, and it’s particularly critical to show support and kindness toward marginalized communities under attack by discriminatory rhetoric and policies. Read more…
More about Kindness, Acts Of Kindness, Social Good, Other, and Activism
The best places to find human kindness on the internet
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Like many of you, I’ve spent the last 30 or so months glued to Twitter in a white hot rage. Even days when the Trump administration isn’t allegedly torturing families, I find something, someone to be mad about: perhaps a particularly bad Mark Duplass take or just Stephen Miller, existing.
I’m desperate to find good humans on Twitter. The kindness reserves feel depleted. Everywhere I look, there are monsters. Last week I got so down I Google image searched “Jimmy Carter shaking hands on a plane” in a desperate attempt at finding something decent.
But altruism isn’t dead. There are still good humans out there — or, at minimum, really well crafted bot accounts — who exhibit real human kindness. You just need to know where to find them. That’s true especially for Twitter, which features an exceptionally high density of deeply angry people. Read more…
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View More The best places to find human kindness on the internetThis helicopter pilot turns personal tragedy into opportunity for kids and teens
Helicopter pilot Mark Brereton wants young children who use wheelchairs to know the sky’s the limit.
He gives rides to children who have recently become paralyzed with the hope that they remember anything is possible.
Brereton was inspir…
R.J. Palacio’s ‘Wonder’ is an important lesson in the power of kindness
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The first thing you’ll notice about author R.J. Palacio is her incredible optimism.
Even while talking about school bullying, the author refuses to believe that children are inherently mean.
“I feel like kids really do want to do good, they want to be their best selves, and sometimes they don’t know how to do that. There’s never a kid who’s irredeemable,” she says.
That’s a major theme of Palacio’s best-selling book Wonder, which was recently adapted into a movie staring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.
The novel for young readers follows a year in the life of Auggie Pullman, a 10-year-old boy who is starting the 5th grade. Auggie was born with facial differences resulting in numerous surgeries, which have kept him homeschooled and away from his peers until now. Now, entering school for the first time, Auggie and his community must find the courage to accept each other, despite their differences. Read more…
More about Podcasts, Mashreads, Mashreads Podcast, Wonder, and Kindness
View More R.J. Palacio’s ‘Wonder’ is an important lesson in the power of kindness