This year marks the 30th International Day of Peace, created by the UN Decade in 1981. It’s a day that emphasises peaceful resolutions, away from violence. The Be Kind Movement is celebrating this day focusing on the peace that kindness brings to ourselves and to others. On a wider scale it often feels like there isn’t much we can do at an individual level - but there’s always something. If you have the capacity, please consider donating to causes that promote peace, as unfortunately there is a lot of unkindness in the world, but we do not have to be defined by it. I personally really respect the work of Peace Direct and Peace Pledge Union who work to challenge war, and help those affected by it. Even if you are not able to donate monetarily there’s still a lot that we can do to support peace in our own lives. Conflicts and confrontations often can’t be avoided in our day to day life, but if we learn to handle them in a kind way, we’ll often find we’re not that different after all, and can work together to achieve a peaceful resolution. Mediators Beyond Borders International have put together a list of 25 ways you can promote peace in your life. I’ve put my favourite ones below and why I think they’re particularly relevant to our kindness message.
Learn another language
This one is tricky, and requires a lot of hard work! Communication is such a key part of life as human beings. We’re incredibly social animals, and the ability to communicate with others is central to building relationships, learning from each other, and participating in our interests. Learning a new language can open up possibilities to communicate with people we may not have otherwise had the opportunity too. This is great for our personal development - it keeps our brains young, and socially brings new friendships into our lives. I’d personally recommend learning Sign Language as it’s a truly fascinating mode of communication and there are so many online resources and videos available for free to get you started!
Be helpful
This can be easier said than done when we’re tired or not feeling our best, but if you find small opportunities to help people, it’ll give you a much needed boost of hormones to make us feel good about ourselves! It never hurts to be kind. Try looking out if you can hold doors for people, or carry something for someone, or help with clearing up. Kindness never goes unnoticed.
Volunteer
Everyone has their own way that they can benefit the community. The volunteers at our charity have chosen to focus on children and young people as we believe instilling kindness at young ages can help these future leaders achieve their goals and build kindness throughout society. There's always room for kindness in everyone's life, how can you make kindness routine in yours? Here I’d like to highlight our campaigns and ask you to donate, if you’re interested in getting involved! And, if you're interested in volunteering with us, please email info@bekindmovement.co.uk. If you don't have the capacity to donate, that's okay!
Please help us achieve our goals by completing a kindness act - give someone a compliment, write someone a thank you note, reach out to someone for a chat… Anything you can think of.
Peace and kindness are intrinsically connected so please, be kind to each other, and be kind to yourself.