“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.” – Princess Diana

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa

“Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.”—Jesse Jackson

A man died and St. Peter asked him if he would like to go to heaven or hell. The man asked if he could see both before deciding.

St. Peter took him to hell first and the man saw a big hall with a long table, lots of food on it and music playing. He also saw rows of people with pale, sad faces. They looked starved and there was no laughter. And he observed one more thing. Their hands were tied to four-foot forks and knives and they were trying to get the food from the center of the table to put into their mouths. But they couldn’t.

There is a Chinese saying that goes: “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” Kindness, the motivation, recognition and enactment of positive actions towards others, is invaluable — it has an amazing power to alter how you view others and the world around you. Offering others kindness can change someone else’s day for the better. It can be difficult to be kind to others, but it can change cycles of negativity — when you are kind to others it makes them happier and more likely to spread that kindness.

God even wants us to be kind to our enemies, which is one of the hardest things to do. But, in the end, we will be rewarded if we aim to live a good life, spreading joy and thoughtfulness wherever we go. Although, it’s important that we don’t let the reward be the only reason that we’re doing good. Kindness for kindness sake is the goal here.

Then, he went to see heaven. There he saw a big hall with a long table, with lots of food on the table and music playing. He noticed rows of people on both sides of the table with their hands tied to four-foot forks and knives also. But he observed there was something different here. People were laughing and were well-fed and healthy-looking. He noticed that they were feeding one another across the table. The result was happiness, prosperity, enjoyment, and gratification because they were not thinking of themselves alone; they were thinking win/win.

What is kindness and caring?

• Showing understanding and treating others with compassion, generosity, and a forgiving spirit
• Being gentle, friendly, considerate, and willing to help
• Showing concern or sympathy for others and being sensitive to the needs of others
• Offering support and giving your time, talents, and resources to help others
• Talking positively about others
• Considering the needs of others, not just your own

What are other things we could add to this list?