This 8-Year-Old Shows that Kindness Comes in all Packages #WATWB

“In a world where you can be anything, be kind” – Unknown

As per Wikipedia, kindness is defined as, “A behaviour marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern and consideration for others. It is considered a virtue, and is recognized as a value in many cultures and religion.”

In today’s cut-throat world, kindness is rarely seen. If a person is kind, he/she is considered to be weak or naive. The truth is that it requires a lot of strength and courage to be kind. It does not come easily to everyone as we kind of follow the theory – ‘Survival of the Fittest’, which usually refers to being mean and selfish.

In the first week of August, this year, the rain gods let out a fury on the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala. Kerala was worst hit with around 120 people dead and 36 people missing. Approximately, 1,038 villages were declared flood affected. In Kerala’s tough times, help is pouring from all over the country. The Indian Navy, local police and fishermen are doing their best. While they are working very hard, there is yet another person who deserves applause. 8-year-old Liyana Thejus’s heartfelt gesture is worth praising.

Theju, a fourth-grader, donated her entire piggy bank savings and gold earrings for the CM’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). The little girl wanted to hand over her prized possessions herself to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. When the Chief Minister was attending an event in Ernakulam Town Hall, Theju kept waiting for him outside so that she could do the needful. At first, she only wanted to hand over her piggy bank, but soon after she gave the money to the CM, she asked him to wait and took off her gold earrings and gave them to him. It is believed that the gold earrings she was wearing were gifted to her by her maternal family.

The Chief Minister of Kerala was really touched by her act of kindness and shared the incident on social media. He was so impressed with her that he wrote, “The little girl ran towards me while I was about to return after attending the 90th birth anniversary of CPI(M) veteran MM Lawrence. She handed over her piggy bank savings to me. When I was about to leave, she said ‘this too’ and removed the earring that she wore and gave it to me.” Kindness indeed comes in all shapes and sizes!

One can practice kindness in many ways. One such way is to help people who are in real need. When a helping hand is offered it leads to building a healthy community. A smile, kind word, helping a senior citizen, opening a door, celebrating someone, thanking someone, donating unused/old clothes, things and toys are all acts of kindness which we can easily inculcate in our daily lives.

Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end. Click To Tweet

The 8-year-old has shown that it is not necessary to be an adult to perform an act of kindness. If only we could have more souls like her this world would be a better place.

This post is part of the We Are the World Blogfest, a monthly blogging event created by Damyanti Biswas and Belinda Witzenhausen to showcase stories of hope and light. This month, the co-hosts are Shilpa Garg, Susan Scott, Peter Nena and Mary J. Giese. Please hop over to check out the amazing WATWB posts for a dose of feel-good to last you a whole month. You’ll be happy you did!

Also Read: This Man Makes Paper Ganesh for Ganesh Chathurthi, To Reduce Pollution