The Virtue of Kindness

"Kindness makes you the most beautiful person in the world no matter what you look like."

In the superficial world we live in today, the simple virtue of kindness seems to have been lost in translation. It's been said that, "Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile,a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." It really is amazing how much of a difference one small act of kindness can make. Quite lengthy, but worth the read; This is my very favorite illustration of the enormous impact that one small act of kindness can make. Click here to read the story of Kyle.

On a more personal level, recently, my friends and iQuest-mates Luke, Rylie, and I made "helping hands" as a random act of kindness. We wrote inspirational quotes on these
 hands and passed them out around campus to brighten peoples day. This little act was actually so much more rewarding than I thought it would be! The hands were a cute and fun idea, and the quotes were thoughtfully picked by the three of us, so they definitely could have spoken to people on their own. However, I think that the human interaction is what really made an impact. In this generation, many people (myself included) get wrapped up in their own lives and sometimes forget to acknowledge others-especially strangers. It was a special experience to make eye contact with people I didn't know and exchange a smile. Such a simple act boosted the happiness of Luke, Rylie, myself and all the recipients of these hands. This alone is very encouraging to continue to do small acts like this.

As preached by Scott Dinsmore, who was Mrs. Gagnon's very close friend, we should all "Spend kindness like it's money and pretend you're a billionaire." We could all do a better job of spreading kindness-it's time we all started living like billionaires.