Random and Senseless
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t agree with doing non-planned, inconsistent deeds to offer kindness to the world. We refer to that as random acts of kindness, senseless acts of beauty.
The words fit in with my recent commitment to God and to myself to become more sentient. (Sentient, which I learned this year, means to feel or sense things.)
Here are three recent experiences. First, a dinner-fundraiser for the homeless. A motivational program stressed the random acts of kindness. I smiled, thinking that was exactly what I needed to hear.
As soon as the event was over, three or four people started collecting tableware and glasses. My dinner companion, Nelda, was one of them. I joined them. About 200 people attended, and perhaps six people indulged in that senseless action. (This is not to say anything against the others.)
The next day, I attended the musical Godspell with friends. Someone had dropped a program in front of the men’s room. Several men walked around the booklet. I picked it up and placed it on a nearby table.
This morning as I made my early morning trek past the high school, candy wrappers littered the parking lot. I picked up several and put them in the garbage can.
Not once did I do anything unusual, but each time I felt good about my actions. No reward, and probably no one noticed. That didn’t matter.
As I did them, I thought of the golden rule—treating others the way I want to be treated. No one would know what I did (or care) but, for me, it was a small step in following the golden rule. (See Matthew 7:12.)
As I engage in random, senseless actions, I see them leading me slowly toward becoming more compassionate and less judgmental.
