25 Ways to Help a
Fellow Human Being Today
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be
happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama
Too often the trend in our society is for people to be separated from
either other, to be cut off from the great mass of humanity, and in doing so
to be dehumanized a little bit more with each step.
Cars have taken us off the streets, where we used to greet each other and
stop to chat. Cubicles have taken away a bit of the humanity in working, as
have factories and even computers to some extent. Television has planted us
firmly in our living rooms, instead of out with other people. Even movie
theaters, where many people get together, cut us off from true conversation
because we’re staring at a big screen.
And while I’m not railing against any of these inventions (except perhaps
the cubicle), what we must guard against is the tendency of that
individuality to have us focused on ourselves to the exclusion of our fellow
human beings. The tendency towards selfishness rather than giving, on helping
ourselves rather than helping our brothers and sisters in humanity.
I’m not saying we’re all like that, but it can happen, if we’re not
careful.
So strike back against the selfishness and greed of our modern
world, and help out a fellow human being today. Not next month, but today.
Helping a fellow human being, while it can be inconvenient, has a few
humble advantages:
- It makes you feel
better about yourself;
- It connects you with
another person, at least for a moment, if not for life;
- It improves the life
of another, at least a little;
- It makes the world a
better place, one little step at a time;
- And if that kindness
is passed on, it can multiply, and multipy.
So take just a few minutes today, and do a kindness for another person. It
can be something small, or the start of something big. Ask them to pay it
forward. Put a smile on someone’s face.
Don’t know where to start? Here’s an extremely incomplete list, just to
get you thinking — I’m sure you can come up with thousands more if you think
about it.
- Smile and be friendly. Sometimes a simple
little thing like this can put a smile and warm feeling in someone
else’s heart, and make their day a little better. They might then do the
same for others.
- Call a charity to
volunteer.
You don’t have to go to a soup kitchen today. Just look up the number,
make the call, and make an appointment to volunteer sometime in the next
month. It can be whatever charity you like. Volunteering is one of the
most amazing things you can do.
- Donate something you
don’t use.
Or a whole box of somethings. Drop them off at a charity — others can
put your clutter to good use.
- Make a donation. There are lots of
ways to donate to charities online, or in your local community. Instead
of buying yourself a new gadget or outfit, spend that money in a more
positive way.
- Redirect gifts. Instead of having
people give you birthday or Christmas gifts, ask them to donate gifts or
money to a certain charity.
- Stop to help. The next time you
see someone pulled over with a flat tire, or somehow in need of help,
stop and ask how you can help. Sometimes all they need is a push, or the
use of your cell phone.
- Teach. Take the time to
teach someone a skill you know. This could be teaching your grandma to
use email, teaching your child to ride a bike, teaching your co-worker a
valuable computer skill, teaching your spouse how to clean the darn
toilet. OK, that last one doesn’t count.
- Comfort someone in
grief. Often a hug, a helpful hand, a kind word, a listening ear, will
go a long way when someone has lost a loved one or suffered some similar
loss or tragedy.
- Help them take action. If someone in grief
seems to be lost and doesn’t know what to do, help them do something. It
could be making funeral arrangements, it could be making a doctor’s
appointment, it could be making phone calls. Don’t do it all yourself —
let them take action too, because it helps in the healing process.
- Buy food for a
homeless person. Cash is often a bad idea if it’s going to be used
for drugs, but buying a sandwich and chips or something like that is a
good gesture. Be respectful and friendly.
- Lend your ear. Often someone who is
sad, depressed, angry, or frustrated just needs someone who will listen.
Venting and talking through an issue is a huge help.
- Help someone on the
edge.
If someone is suicidal, urge them to get help. If they don’t, call a
suicide hotline or doctor yourself to get advice.
- Help someone get
active.
A person in your life who wants to get healthy might need a helping hand
— offer to go walking or running together, to join a gym together. Once
they get started, it can have profound effects.
- Do a chore. Something small or
big, like cleaning up or washing a car or doing the dishes or cutting a
lawn.
- Give a massage. Only when
appropriate of course. But a massage can go a long way to making someone
feel better.
- Send a nice email. Just a quick note
telling someone how much you appreciate them, or how proud you are of
them, or just saying thank you for something they did.
- Show appreciation,
publicly.
Praising someone on a blog, in front of coworkers, in front of family,
or in some other public way, is a great way to make them feel better
about themselves.
- Donate food. Clean out your
cupboard of canned goods, or buy a couple bags of groceries, and donate
them to a homeless shelter.
- Just be there. When someone you
know is in need, sometimes it’s just good to be there. Sit with them.
Talk. Help out if you can.
- Be patient. Sometimes people can
have difficulty understanding things, or learning to do something right.
Learn to be patient with them.
- Tutor a child. This might be
difficult to do today, but often parents can’t afford to hire a tutor
for their child in need of help. Call a school and volunteer your
tutoring services.
- Create a care package. Soup, reading
material, tea, chocolate ... anything you think the person might need or
enjoy. Good for someone who is sick or otherwise in need of a
pick-me-up.
- Lend your voice. Often the powerless,
the homeless, the neglected in our world need someone to speak up for
them. You don’t have to take on that cause by yourself, but join others
in signing a petition, speaking up a a council meeting, writing letters,
and otherwise making a need heard.
- Offer to babysit. Sometimes parents
need a break. If a friend or other loved one in your life doesn’t get
that chance very often, call them and offer to babysit sometime. Set up
an appointment. It can make a big difference.
- Love. Simply finding ways
to express your love to others, whether it be your partner, child, other
family member, friend, co-worker, or a complete stranger ... just
express your love. A hug, a kind word, spending time, showing little
kindnesses, being friendly ... it all matters more than you know.
How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
- William Shakespeare
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