Kindness means being compassionate and helpful to others. When you are kind to others, and they're kind back, it is called a kindness ripple effect. Maybe you say to a woman crossing the street, "Hey, I love your shirt," and then later she compliments a guy walking to the grocery store, "Nice shoes." These actions cause the world to be a lovelier place full of beautifully souled people. It's always best to be kind, and it will always end up paying off. For our fifth-grade service project, we went to the Saint Mary's center and helped serve food to people who were less fortunate than us. Our class was split into six groups of four people, and each group went to the center twice. We would show up and set out silverware. Then we would dish and pass out plates of food to the people. They were always so kind and fortunate to have the food that the Saint Mary's chefs made. These people would then leave, once they were done eating, and spread their kindness out into the world.
There is no reason not to be kind. When we aren't kind, it isn't making the world a better place. It isn't affecting anyone positively. It's downgrading them. Why would you choose to be rude to somebody and make their day terrible when you could compliment someone and make their day marvelous. Would you like to receive hurtful comments or sweet ones? I would much rather receive sweets comments. When people are rude and unkind, they treat other people how they feel about themselves. Usually, they are angry, sad, or hurt, and they think that if they are mean to others, their feelings will go away, and they might. But it's like once you get started, you are addicted to being hurtful and causing chaos. You have this constant need to feel empowered by bringing down other people's spirits, which isn't healthy. Being rude isn't easy. Our brains aren't designed to do it, and as we keep being hurtful, we are hurting ourselves more.
Being kind is good for your brain, though. Scientists have recently been studying how kindness impacts our brains, and, good news, caring about the well-being of others is something our brains are designed to do. Practicing kindness makes you happier. The University of British Columbia investigated this phenomenon. They call it a "positive feedback loop." They said that Doing one kind act makes you happy, and that extra happiness makes you more likely to do something else nice, which makes you even happier, and so on. Being kind makes you live longer. People who prioritize kindness and sacrifice their time actually live longer and have a decreased mortality rate. We also boost immune functions when we are kinder. Being kind is making us healthier. Kindness promotes self-worth. When we are happy, others are happy. When we are depressed and upset, others are depressed and upset. So everyone should be kind and live their life in a fulfilling way.
At Corpus Christi School, we are blessed to create a culture of kindness. For the last two weeks, each class received a gift that included a treat for every student, a class gift, and a small project. Last week’s project encouraged every student and staff member to write their thoughts on love and hope on a strip of paper provided. All the kind sentiments created a paper chain that is now displayed throughout our school hallway; a kindness chain! This week, we are reminded to be kind to ourselves and others. Throughout parts of the school hallway are little stickies that say things like, “I am awesome” or “we will get through this”. Everyone is encouraged to take what you need, to inspire and encourage one another. Halfway through the month and the Kindness Fairies have been, pun intended, kind to us!
Here’s a challenge for our Corpus Christi School community… Share an act of kindness this weekend and share it on social media with us!