Bob Votruba is taking things a step or two further.
Inspired by the Sept. 11 attacks and the Virginia Tech shootings, Votruba launched a personal, 10-year campaign selling the idea of dedicating one’s life to acts of kindness.
However, he found that to be a little vague. He chose to quantify it and set the goal at that almost magical, seven-digit number of 1 million acts of kindness.
It’s simple. Just perform 50 acts of kindness every day for 55 years.
Of course, he’s primarily pitching his message to college students, so 55 years is more workable for them than me.
It is my belief that even though Votruba makes a big issue of the number – such as his Web site, www.OneMillionActsOfKindness.com – he’s not so caught up in the actual counting as in mass of action. Fifty a day means two an hour, three an hour if you knock out eight hours of down time, every 14.4 minutes over a 12-hour period, or every 9.6 minutes over an eight-hour period.
In other words, one is constantly on the lookout to perform acts of kindness. Therefore, it becomes a state of mind. One wants to be a source of kindness to others all of the time.
One thing Votruba does not seem to get into is defining too closely just what is an act of kindness, though one article mentioned it could be as simple as smiling or picking up a piece of trash.
Think about your interactions with others. How often might you be able to make someone feel a little better if you upgraded your greeting from a grunt to an earnest “I hope you’re having a wonderful day.”
Saying thanks, commending another person’s smile, holding a door, helping carry something, driving courteously ... almost any interaction with another person gives one or more chances to spread kindness.
One of the biggest might be simply listening ... really listening ... whether for a minute or an hour. A lonely person often has a need to just talk, maybe to work out an issue, maybe just to feel necessary.
Consider also the domino effect. If your smile, friendly words or other acts of kindness lifts the spirits of another person, then he or she is more likely to pass it on to someone else. Who knows, your act of kindness might work its way back around to you.
That gives me another thought. Maybe we would all be more in the frame of mind to spread kindness if we are open to receiving it. By that, I mean, if we’re looking to recognize an act of kindness and, of course, return a hearty thanks and/or a genuine smile.
Votruba’s self-appointed mission began last summer. He plans to crisscross the country in an old school bus (painted with messages of kindness) with his dog, Bogart, visiting campuses and spreading his message – dedicate yourself to committing 1 million acts of kindness over your lifetime.
One act of kindness at a time.
(c) 2010 by Steve Martaindale
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