Random acts | blurredcreations

Photo: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti

Random acts of kindness are probably something everyone can relate to. At one time or on several occasions, a stranger gave you a helping hand and this brought you huge surprise yet great joy. It is true that on some occasions you may welcome the random gesture but on other occasions, you may shun it because it seems kind of ‘awkward’.

These ‘awkward’ people if we shed a light on them can be admired for something that is truly special – their boldness, their ability to step of their comfort zone to approach you to offer help or to say a kind word to you. It is in the same way, through random acts that people come out randomly, unexpectedly to spark positive social change. Whether or not they are seen or judged as being deviant is the least of their worries. It is so fascinating and admirable how a small group of people can create a new social structure of peace and fairness in a society that is marred by dictatorship, fear and injustice. Fela Anikulapo-Kuti is definitely someone among many examples that rings a bell. His fearless and consistent struggle for social justice in Nigeria at times when Nigerians were gripped with fear to speak up against unjust governance was deviant, different and random. And that is why till today, nearly 19 years after his death, Fela is still loved and appreciated in Nigeria and around the world.

One day in Ottawa, I was walking to the grocery store and I saw a little group of teenagers speaking to some people who I presume were homeless and offering them snacks. That was a random act that touched me. It was a random act that for me, emphasized how a society can be united in love if we stopped the stigma and leaned a little bit more to help the less privileged.

Last week Monday, January 18 was Martin Luther King, Jr Day. MLK was another person who stepped out of the box whatever it could have been at that time – probably a box of fear, pain and suffering. He did not comply with any man-made rule on how African-Americans should be treated. MLK did not abide by the norm, he struggled and defended the inherent right of every human being (INCLUDING African-Americans) to freedom.

Random acts can be powerful, they can be revolutionary. Don’t be quick to shun them because it’s random, seemingly awkward, out of the box acts that have led certain people to make huge positive impacts in their society.

Love & peace,

Chiamaka

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Random acts of kindness in reality, entail everything from that feeling of weirdness, to the rush of happiness, to the feeling of being loved. Also, they are bold acts by the person rendering them. You can probably trace back the time that someone raised their voice in a public space to compliment your look and then, continued with his/her business; someone made space for you to have a seat, on a jam-packed bench; you encountered a shop attendant that was so energetic and polite and seemed so happy to be of service to you, no matter how long it took for you to make a purchase decision.

There’s usually that “Wow!” feeling, that perplexity that coincides with happiness because something that you had not expected occurred and made you happy.

It must be hard sometimes, to muster the confidence to compliment a stranger or help a stranger out, but random acts of kindness are responses to our humanity. You have probably been in a situation where you saw someone in need and you were shy/scared to reach out, but you eventually did. Humanity persuades us to be the best people that we can be to others, and the decision to answer that call depends on us. A common saying is that – The good you do will come back to you. Possibly an even more common principle, is Karma – What goes around will surely come back around. I believe and I have experienced those ideas.

Random acts of kindness can be as simple as sending a positive message to a friend; can be donating funds or other kinds of materials for a good cause. A random act of kindness can be you sharing your ideas with people that are starting out in a career that you have expertise in; peacefully confronting those who are smearing an individual’s character with false words; standing up for the timid; being patient and listening to someone’s stories of sadness and pain.

It is true that every one has a “battle” that he or she is fighting. We can uplift each other through random acts of kindness.

My Question For You

What other examples of random acts of kindness would you like to share?

I have lots of fun on Twitter, so you could send your answer as a tweet. My Twitter ID is Amzy_M. Tag me in the tweet and use the hashtag #BlurredCreations. However, if you don’t have a Twitter account that is fine, please leave your answer in the comment section of this post.

Love,

Chiamaka.

blurredcreations

… wiping away the blurs and focusing our lenses on humanity

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An Uplifting Kind of Randomness

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