Topic
RL random kindness - 20, 26 or 28 of them
A lot of the discussions in the forums have been about what to do with our time now: what to read, which game to play, which crafts to do...
Today I read about an American journalist's response to the shooting in Newton, Connecticut. You can find an explanation here: http://www.wbir.com/news/article/245957/2/Ann-Curry-challenges-nation-do-to-20-Acts-of-kindness-to-honor-Sandy-Hook-shooting--victims. She's also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnCurry?tw_i=280796751663886337&tw_p=tweetembed
Simple: she asked the public: could you do 20 acts of kindness, one for each child that died in the shooting? People reacted and said, yes, and we'll do 26, we'll include the adults that were killed as well. Some people want to do 28, also including the shooter and his mother.
At first I thought it was very American, and not for me, but throughout the day the idea kept coming back. After all, in Glitch we bestowed random kindness, didn't we? We also gave stuff to new players, and we helped other people with their quests... It was one of the things I loved most about Glitch.
So instead of moping and moaning about Glitch not coming back, I decided to do it: for the victims of this shooting, but also for other people who have something gone wrong in their lives, and for Glitch. I'm even doing it for myself, because it feels right, it feels good.
Now, I'm not from America, where people are more open, where concepts like 'random kindness' and 'senseless acts of beauty' and 'paying it forward' have been around for much longer. We're a suspicious bunch, where I live, and we're not used to unexpected friendliness, and we're not sure we like it. So I'll have to be careful, and I also would like to be as anonymous as possible, so I'll have my work cut out for me. I'm doing 28, because that disturbed boy that shot these children was also a human being, much as I abhor what he did. And before I knew it, instead of sitting on the bus to and from work thinking "Oh what a shame Glitch ended, boo hoo, poor me", I was scheming and plotting and planning as if it was a quest. And enjoying it!
Anyone interested in this idea? It doesn't have to cost money, you can help people without spending money: you can e-mail or write to someone who has lost a loved one this year, or you can talk to someone who's lonely, or you can do all sorts of wonderful things for someone else.
I'm committed: I'm going to do 27 more (I did one today: brought coffee and biscuits to men working in my street, in the cold). I'm going to try to finish all 28 before the end of December, but I might go into January. It's my final Glitch quest. I think it's a worthy goodbye to a wonderful game, and just the ticket for when the forums end and we can't even come here any more.
Thank you for your attention.
Replies
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I'm in. I just dug up a bunch of unused gift cards that I've gotten for various birthdays and stuff. I'm going to bring some of them to our school - our office staff collects grocery store gift cards every year to give privately to families who are struggling. Our school is a very small K-5 and we're all especially reeling from this terrible thing.
Thank you for sharing this here. <3 -
Well done you!!! Have you heard of Danny Wallace? or 'Join Me'? if not have a read...
Danny Wallace placed a whimsical small ad in a local paper saying simply 'join me'. Within a month he was recievning letters and e-mails from people wishing to do so.
No one however knew what the cause they were joining was - including Danny so he says... but he came up with something for everyone to join that makes sense in an odd and unusual and somewhat glitchy way.
The idea that came about through his 'cult' as he called it, was to make people happy. He started by assigning his 'joinees' a task - 'make an old man very happy' was the first assignment. People did this in various ways - buying old men tea, giving a fella the train fare to get to where his broken down car had been taken, and more. From this, grew the idea of 'good friday' - every friday, do a good deed for someone..just because you can. It can be secret, or it can be open, but it should be for the sake of being nice... i.e. spreading 'random kindness'.
It reminds me of what you're going to try and do, and so I thought you might like to know about this. The website is: www.join-me.co.uk/ and it's been going for 10 years now. I still do my best to do my friday good deeds tho, and I know many others do too. -
@Lilypad: I think your idea is great, thanks for joining in. It will really make a difference for the children of those struggling families in this festive season. I like your style!
@Vialdana: Thanks for mentioning the website. I went to look at it, and I really like it. Great idea and very tongue-in-cheek, very British. I might join later, in 2013, but first I have to do my 28 in December.
I didn't do any today, but I prepared a lot of them for doing later. I made a little rhyme about being cold on the bike, and I printed it on eight cards, signed with a picture of a Santa Clause on a sort of reindeer bike. I'm going to stick coins of 2 euro on them for people to go and have a coffee, and then, surreptitiously, I'm going to put the cards in bike bags all over my town. (In my country everybody rides a bike.) Eight happy people who can go and have a coffee!
I've also prepared notes for two good local priests, asking them to give the money enclosed in the envelope to people who need it. I've also phoned the nursing home closest to my house to ask how many residents they have (40) and how many people work there (25), and I'm going to take two huge bags of clementines to them with an enormous Christmas card.
These are easy ones, and I'll probably do them over the weekend, but some others I'm thinking about are a bit more difficult. But it's wonderful to think about and plan and scheme. I also want to do a number of them that don't involve any money at all.
Hope you all have a good holiday! - oh, I'm in!! :)
- I gave out my first RK on Christmas, appropriately enough, or at least tried to...I was on my way to pick my husband up from work, and I saw a car pulled over beneath the overpass with its hood up (thank Lem they were out of the rain, because it was miserable here). I pulled over behind them and made sure they'd been able to call for assistance, which they had. Seeing the smiles on their faces to realize that someone had taken a moment to show concern was a better present than I could have asked for.
- I'm in. Lovely idea.
- Wonderful idea. I'm in... or at least I'll try. 28 acts left!
- You're all wonderful people, but of course I knew that already! If you'd like a Christmas card from a small kingdom by the sea, leave your address (or: an address) in my mail and I'll send you one as a thank-you for doing this. After all, what's a quest without a prezzie...?
- Aye, aye, mon Capitan! It will be done!
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I've really been enjoying this. I've not gotten that close to my numerical goal yet but I don't like to rush things. I had the reverse effect yesterday when the battery died (I forgot to check the battery water levels). A couple of older gentlemen offered to jump the battery and all were happy. It is so nice to give but it is just as nice to receive :)
I would love a posted note from far away!!
Thank you for starting this. - Only just saw this--what a great idea! I'm going to start planning my quest!
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So nice, so nice to see you all join in! Minkey, your card is in the mail. Chilirlw, you'll have so much fun, you'll see. It's really like a quest, what with the planning and the getting things ready and then actually doing the RAK. Good luck to both of you!
And you, yes you, recruit Projectorinski! Hold the bridge! Hold the fort! Hold your nose! No pasaran! - Even later to the party than everyone else, but I like this idea!! And I was just thinking this evening that I should donate some yarn to folks knitting caps for cancer patients -- I have a silk/cashmere blend that has already proved to be very comfortable to their tender skin.
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@kastlin: thanks for joining us and good luck with your 'quest'; I think the caps for cancer patients are wonderful. (My mum had cancer twice, so twice her hair fell out and she needed something like that; I think she crocheted one herself)
If anyone needs a hint:
I joined a mailing list in December on: http://www.moreloveletters.com/
They ask people to write encouraging letters to a few unsuspecting receivers (nominated by family and friends) who need a pick-me-up. Again, something that first looked a bit too American for my taste, and then I thought about it and joined anyway.
Well, I just got my first e-mail with three receivers and I'm going to write three letters. I was a bit stuck with my last eight RK, and this will cover three. And I really want to do it, I'm excited about it! -
I'm in! Thanks for sharing this here! It feels like a quest already; you're the Magic Rock who gave it to me.
Random Kindnesses Bestowed: 0/28 - @Fernstream: yes! I think I am a bit like a magic rock: I have glasses and I like reading! I think I'd like being a magic rock: sitting at home, reading a book, being bossy and telling people who arrive what to do and where to go... Sounds nice:) Anyway, good luck with your RK. Only five more to go for me, and I'm thinking extra hard on how to make these last ones special.