Random act of kindness
Encyclopedia
A random act of kindness is a selfless act performed by a person or people wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual person or people. The phrase may have been coined by Anne Herbert, who claims to have written "Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" on a place mat at a Sausalito restaurant in 1982 or 1983. Either spontaneous or planned, random acts of kindness are encouraged by various communities.
Examples of events or groups
- The Jewish concept of a mitzvahMitzvahThe primary meaning of the Hebrew word refers to precepts and commandments as commanded by God...
has a secondary meaning of a good deed or an act of kindness. The ChabadChabadChabad or Chabad-Lubavitch is a major branch of Hasidic Judaism.Chabad may also refer to:*Chabad-Strashelye, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism*Chabad-Kapust or Kapust, a defunct branch of the Chabad school of Hasidic Judaism...
Lubavitchers are known to promote random acts of kindness.
- Established in 1995 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation promotes spreading kindness.
- In 2006, a Free Hugs CampaignFree Hugs CampaignThe Free Hugs Campaign is a social movement involving individuals who offer hugs to strangers in public places. The hugs are meant to be random acts of kindness - selfless acts performed just to make others feel better...
was made popular by a music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
- A variety of radio hosts have used the term for events encouraged or sponsored by the shows, such as Brent Farris of KZST in California, Scott MillsScott MillsScott Robert Mills is a British radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor, best known for presenting The Scott Mills Show on BBC Radio 1...
on BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, David SteinDavid Stein (radio host)David Stein is the host of The David Stein Show, although it is referred to by Stein as "A Celebration of Life". The show focuses on "paying it forward", random acts of kindness and encourages its listeners to "get off the bench and onto the court" with inspirational stories from the world of...
of the Sporting News RadioSporting News RadioYahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
, and Kfm BreakfastKfm BreakfastKfm Breakfast is the morning drive show on radio station and the biggest breakfast show in the Western Cape, South Africa. 94.5 Kfm broadcasts to over 1.1 million listeners across a large section of south western South Africa.-Show format:...
of 94.5 Kfm in South Africa.
- The One Million Random Acts of Kindness Campaign (RAK) launched on BBC Radio in 2008.
- The BBC 1 London News ran a News item entitled 'Hampers at the Ready' following' The Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness Offensive is a group based in North London, England, which is renowned for practicing large scale random acts of kindness for unsuspecting members of the public...
' event on the 22nd of December 2008, which saw TKO (James Hunter, Benny Crane, Calum Teach & David Goodfellow), with help from a seventy strong group of volunteers, hand out over thirty-five tonnes of presents to the public at random, as well as many other charities and community groups. The Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness Offensive is a group based in North London, England, which is renowned for practicing large scale random acts of kindness for unsuspecting members of the public...
suggest and it is widely accepted that their Christmas event on the 22/12/08 was the UK's largest ever Random Act of Kindness.
- An Australian TV-show called Random Acts of Kindness, on Channel 9Nine NetworkThe Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, shows hosts Karl StefanovicKarl StefanovicKarl Stefanovic is an Australian Gold Logie winning television presenter.Stefanovic is currently a co-host of the Nine Network's breakfast program, Today.-Early years:...
, Scott CamScott CamScott Cam is an Australian television personality appearing on several lifestyle programmes on the Nine Network.-Early career:Scott is a qualified carpenter who did a three-year apprenticeship with his brother’s business....
and Simmone Jade MackinnonSimmone Jade MackinnonSimone Jade Mackinnon is an Australian actress.-Early life:Mackinnon was born Simone Jade Mackinnon in Mount Isa, Queensland in 1973 to Ian and Annette Mackinnon. She has a brother and a sister, Robbie and Kym. She and her family later uprooted to Coffs Harbour in New South Wales...
giving gifts to people they identify as heroes.
- HelpOthers.org is the home of Smile Cards and a portal of kindness stories, ideas, and online groups. It allows people to send random notes of kindness to others.
- Join MeJoin MeJoin Me is the name given to a movement started in London by British writer Danny Wallace in 2002, and to a book by him which documents the movement's formation.Members of the movement are called Joinees...
is a book written in 2002 by humorist Danny Wallace; in which he tells of the cult he started by accident, the group's purpose is to encourage members (called Joinees and collectively known as the KarmaArmy) to perform random acts of kindness, particularly on Fridays which are termed "Good Fridays". Wallace has also published a book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways to Make the World a Nicer Place.
- Caffè sospesoCaffè sospesoA tradition in the cafés of Naples is to order a caffè sospeso – literally, a coffee "in suspense" – as a sign of your good fortune. When a sospeso is ordered, the customer pays for two coffees, but only receives one...
In fiction
- The 2007 movie Evan AlmightyEvan AlmightyEvan Almighty is a 2007 American religious comedy film and the stand-alone sequel to Bruce Almighty . The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, and starring Steve Carell as the title character. Morgan Freeman also reprised his role as God from the original film. Production of...
ends with God telling the main character, Evan, that the way to change the world is by doing one Act of Random Kindness ("ARK") at a time.
- Karen McCombieKaren McCombieKaren Grace McCombie is an author of children and young adult novels. Currently, she lives in London with her husband Tom, and their 9-year-old daughter Milly. and Indie Kidd. She has also written several stand-alone novels. Her newest series, Sadie Rocks, was released in February 2008...
's book The Seventeen Secrets of the Karma Club revolves around two girls who (inspired by their favourite film AmelieAmélieAmélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
) start up their 'KarmaKarmaKarma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
Club', the intention of which, is to do random acts of kindness anonymously.
See also
- AltruismAltruismAltruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
- Pay it forwardPay it forwardThe expression "pay it forward" is used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead. In contract law, typically there are two parties but there is the concept of third party beneficiaries. Pay it forward merely applies this contract law concept...
- KindnessKindnessKindness is the act or the state of being kind, being marked by good and charitable behaviour, pleasant disposition, and concern for others. It is known as a virtue, and recognized as a value in many cultures and religions ....
- Parable of the Good SamaritanParable of the Good SamaritanThe parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable told by Jesus and is mentioned in only one of the Canonical gospels. According to the Gospel of Luke a traveller is beaten, robbed, and left half dead along the road. First a priest and then a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally, a...
- The Sheep and the GoatsThe Sheep and the GoatsThe Sheep and the Goats or "The Judgment of the Nations" was a discourse of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. It is sometimes characterized as a parable, although unlike most parables it does not purport to relate a story of events happening to other characters.One explanation is that it tells...
- Random Acts of Genealogical KindnessRandom Acts of Genealogical KindnessRandom Acts of Genealogical Kindness is a web-based genealogical research co-op that functions solely by the services of volunteers. Volunteers from any part of the globe may offer services to any requester, such as research of birth and death records, public records, obituaries, marriage records...
- Random Acts of Kindness DayRandom Acts of Kindness DayRandom Acts of Kindness Day is the name of an unofficial holiday increasingly celebrated around the world by localities or organizations, or nationwide, in order to encourage acts of kindness. The original founder of Random Acts of Kindness Day is unknown.....
- The Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness OffensiveThe Kindness Offensive is a group based in North London, England, which is renowned for practicing large scale random acts of kindness for unsuspecting members of the public...
- SympathySympathySympathy is a social affinity in which one person stands with another person, closely understanding his or her feelings. Also known as empathic concern, it is the feeling of compassion or concern for another, the wish to see them better off or happier. Although empathy and sympathy are often used...