This evidently is World Kindness Day, as it is officially being observed internationally on 13 November, at least for this year.
Admittedly, it is another holiday which, prior to this year, I had never even heard of. It seems like there are a lot of these kinds of makeshift holidays these days. Some of them, frankly, I feel largely indifferent to. This one feels like perhaps it could be a good idea. Like with being conscientious of the delicacy of the planet's environment on Earth Day, people perhaps being made to be more aware of the act of simply being kinder feels like it would be beneficial, even if this should not be relegated to just one day. As some people have said before, "Every day is Earth Day." And every day should be "World Kindness Day." Although that said, knowing the realities of this world in our present age, who knows? After all, one famous and powerful politician once made a video mocking the spirit of Earth Day by eating jelly beans and claiming that green was his favorite. And he is considered a "moderate Republican," particularly by today's standards.
Anyway, November feels like a good time for such a holiday. It is a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, which while it has a troubled past - particularly in relation to Native Americans - is nevertheless a holiday which tries to being out the best in all of us, with a focus on gratitude for all of life's blessings. It was President Abraham Lincoln who made Thanksgiving an official holiday, and it feels in keeping with his famous (albeit admittedly unrelated) quote from his First Inaugural Address. You know the one, about appealing to "the better angels of our nature.”
This holiday, too, feels like it could possibly inspire something positive. At the very least, it shouldn't hurt to try, right?
Below is a little more on this holiday, as well as the link to the Wikipedia page, which goes into a bit more detail about the origins of this holiday, specifically:
According to the Wikipedia page:
It was introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations' kindness NGOs. It is observed in many countries, including Canada, Australia, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates. Singapore observed the day for the first time in 2009. Italy and India also observed the day. In the UK, it is fronted by David Jamilly, who co-founded Kindness Day UK with Louise Burfitt-Dons.
Interesting stuff.
World Kindness Day:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Kindness_Day
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