The Many Forms Of Kindness

Giving someone a compliment is also another form of kindness that would make someone’s day.

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When was the last time you treated someone to a cup of coffee or tea just because you thought they might need it? Or how long has it been since you lent someone a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on? How about just saying ‘thank you’ to the cashier of your favourite shop?

Despite all the achievements and successes in today’s modern world, there’s still one thing that people often overlook - kindness.

Kindness is something which everyone has the power to share yet it is not widely practised in the world. It is free and it’s not difficult thing to do. Thus, in conjunction with World Kindness Day, here are different forms of kindness that may come as a surprise to you which you can practise in your daily life.

1. Do you need help?

This is the most common form of kindness in which you do something for the benefit of others.

“After finishing a long day filled with classes, I saw my friend who was trying to sell desserts for a charity.

"After talking with her, she mentioned how she felt it was pointless because her stock wasn’t selling as fast as she had hoped.

"As her friend, I volunteered to help her and as result, although we didn’t manage to raise a lot of money, it was better than before. This was the only time that I felt that I’ve truly helped someone without having any benefits to me at all,” said School Of Communication (SOC) student, Ahmad Azrul bin Tarmizi, 23.

2. Forgive and forget

This is the sort of kindness where we forgive something that was done to us by others and learn to forget them.

“I had a cousin who was envious of me ever since I graduated from high school because I’ve always known what my goals were and I had decided to actively pursue them.

“My cousin wasn’t satisfied with me and tried to do things that painted me as the ‘bad guy’ in the family and turned them against me, especially during family gatherings," said School Of Engineering student, Anis Raihana binti Abdul Aziz, 23.

Anis Raihana pointed out that their relationship was so strained, they did not talk for years until recently at her uncle's funeral.

“I’ve realised that our family members are getting smaller, so I decided to let the past go and now our relationship is just fine, despite the awkwardness sometimes,” she said.

3. Don’t be too hard on yourself

This is the sort of kindness that is not done towards others but instead to ourselves. As we are all humans, we can’t escape making mistakes. However, we can’t beat ourselves up about how we’ve handled those mistakes in the past - we can try to forgive ourselves instead.

"The kindest thing I’ve ever done, and am still doing, is learning to forgive myself.

“Forgive your mistakes and learn from them.

“Forgive that one stupid thing you did five years ago because at the end of the day, you have to survive no matter what, and you can’t do it unless you can uplift yourself,” said SOC student, Dharshini Chandran, 22.

4. Acknowledge someone’s good deeds

This is the type of kindness where we notice someone’s good deeds and acknowledge them, whether discreetly or directly.

School Of Computing And IT student, Ezra Alamsyah Rezky Abdullah, 20, was in the middle of a crowded train filled with people when he saw a man offering his seat to an elderly lady.

Although it was kind of him, what happened next was what truly touched him.

“A tattooed man approached the guy who gave his seat earlier and tapped his shoulder.

“He smiled at the guy and gave him a thumbs up.

“Their interaction made me realise that appreciation should be practised because no matter how small an act of kindness may appear, a small sign of appreciation, such as giving a warm smile or even saying ‘thank you’ can do wonders,” he said.

Despite its many forms, kindness must be first established in ourselves in order for us to change for the better. Do not underestimate the power of kindness even if it is not immediately apparent. Only then the world will be a better place.

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