Never underestimate the value of a simple act.
To give a starving person something to eat, to give a penniless person some money or to borrow your cell phone, a hand to one visual impaired or to provide a lift for someone who can’t take another step.
It may not mean much to you, but it makes the world of difference for the recipient.
This is the irony of kindness – that the most basic gestures can have the most profound of impacts.
I was the beneficiary of such kindness recently. It was at New York Comic Con. I stand out because I’m not in costume and aging when there are so many young and who are in costume; I’m a female when there are so many males; I’m one of the only female executives in the whole comic book industry.
I was looking for a place to put my coat and stuff. I asked a few booths, but they brushed me off – all too busy. Then I approached Mad Cave Studios – I had no idea who they were, but in one second, they converted a stranger into a lifelong friend. They could see I was in need and reached out with a simple act of kindness.
There is much to be said about comic books and their characters in providing life-long friends. Some people feel a connection to super-heroes.
The words “It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…It’s Superman” bring to mind modern day upstanders who call out bullying and protect the target. This is one of the most powerful forces in today’s time!
October is anti-bullying month and more and more people are calling out injustice when they see it.
New York Comic Con actually ended with an anti-bullying rally.
These are the values the comic community shares. Instead of bullying people for being different, they celebrate it. Everyone is encouraged to be whomever they’d like to be.
Exclusion and isolation are very powerful forces that can really minimize a person – this is why including someone is just as powerful. You just don’t put a smile on someone’s face, you make their whole being feel much more comfortable and relaxed.
The natural desire for inclusion has transcended through fictional characters – I published a comic book through my Foundation called “Rise Above, what one can do when bullied” and the new Archie character, Scarlet, thinks autistically. I chose Scarlet’s first story to spark the conversation on inclusion – she wants friends, kindness and to be included.
Fictional or real, male or female, young or old – this is what we all want and what we deserve. Join me in Kindness Works every day of one’s life.