It Pays to Be Kind
Literally - and figuratively.
Those of us long enough to remember the world prior to the advent of social media will assuredly agree that the world has become a meaner place. The ability to call random strangers names on your cell phone has spilled over into our normal everyday interactions, and we have all become far too accustomed with experiences of hostility, vitriol and anger being expressed among people who live in the same community. This is no longer an observation of strangers on Twitter or politicians on the news. This is your neighbor you see on a plane, or in a coffee shop, or at your child’s school or even at your own dinner table. We are experiencing a downward spiral of hate and anger, and we can all feel it.
But just as is true of any downward spiral, the inverse upward spiral is definitionally possible.
Hate and anger begets hate and anger. Therefore it must be true that kindness and love begets kindness and love.
It is in the spirit of that maxim that the South Shore Press is sponsoring our inaugural “Random Act of Kindness Month”, scheduled to begin on November 1 of this year.
For one month anyone in Suffolk County who performs a random act of kindness for a stranger will have the opportunity to document that act, submit it to our newsroom, and be eligible for a cash prize.
First prize will win $10,000. Second prize will win $5,000. Third prize will win $1,000. There will also be 25 winners of $100 each for honorable mention. Winners will be announced and covered in the South Shore Press in December of this year.
To our knowledge this is the first such contest to be sponsored by a media outlet. As we have sat and pondered how this will play out, any number of outcomes are possible.
We hope for the best. In the best version of what is possible, hundreds or thousands of strangers will encounter other strangers in the world performing acts of love or kindness that would otherwise go undone, and they will carry that feeling in their hearts and go on to perform their own acts of kindness and love. In doing so you could conceivably achieve an exponential outpouring of goodness, and possibly kickstart that upward spiral that might act as a counterbalance to all of the division and anger that already exists. Through it all perhaps wounds could be healed, divisions repaired, and communities, workplaces, schools and homes brightened.
Maybe that is naïve. But we have decided it is worth a shot.
So give it some thought. We are all capable of good. Think of the best way to achieve maximum goodness impact on the world around you. Go do it. Tell us about it.
You will make the world a better place. That is 100% guaranteed.
And you just might win some money in the process.
See our website for contest details. Good luck.
If you capture a genuine act of kindness on video (no staging, please), post it on Twitter with the hashtag #SuffolkKindness and tag @SSPNewsroom.
You may also email submissions to news@southshorepress.com. Our editors will review entries and select winners for cash prizes designed to encourage widespread participation.
Once again, prizes are: 1st Place $10,000; 2nd Place $5,000; 3rd Place $1,000. In addition, twenty-five participants will each receive $100.
Our aim is to spark a movement of heartfelt, unscripted compassion across Suffolk County. Help someone you do not know. Be sincere. Be humble. Let your kindness be unannounced and freely given.
Winners will be announced the first week of December.
The invitation is simple: accept this challenge to serve others. Together we can bring more light, hope, and humanity to Suffolk County - one random act of kindness at a time. Please join us - your small action matters daily.