The Unseen Power of Good Deeds

“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see,”said Mark Twain. When we reflect on this, we realise how true it is. Actsof kindness, generosity, strength, and integrity never go unrewarded.Behavioural scientists have found that when we approach others withgoodness, our bodies release oxytocin, often referred to as the “hormone ofcompassion.” This hormone fosters bonding and embodies the essence ofgoodness in our relationships.

Human beings are kinder to each other when they feel safe and secure.However, with the rise of aggression in our culture, the threat ofterrorism, the increase of stress in our schools and in our workplace, wefind ourselves in a position of fear which creates anxiety, resulting indistorted thinking. These recent changes in our culture have promoted alack of good will toward others and fostered more self-absorption and lessoutward giving. It seems that today there are no takers for acts ofkindness, truthfulness and simplicity, as a result of this, those who dogood are often left deserted. On the other hand, the clever and shrewdsteal the show. It’s very sad that the world today is more conducive tothose who are manipulative and practical and those who chase rewards than

those toiling hard with faith in the return of good actions. In such ascenario then, what is the point of being good in a mad, bad, sad world?because every good anyway gets ‘lost’, as many of us have come to believe.Just like everything becomes dark at night and a lone flower in a thickjungle remains unseen, the little goodness flickering here and there in theworld seems to be of no use.

History presents us with innumerable examples of times when the bad seemedto be all pervasive, when powerful conquerors looted and trapped the massesin an undignified life. And yet, from these very masses emerged a smallcourageous group of awakened people who led a revolution against injusticeand finally turned the tables on their oppressors. But of course, all actsof goodness do not amount to a revolution, for they do not always aim toblow strong winds of change. But nevertheless, they work like a cool breezein a hot desert, or a drizzle on parched land. All of us have had an experience where we had lost all hope in everything and everyone around us.Our faith had worn thin and we thought there was nothing left in life. Andthen one act of kindness by someone somewhere ignited a ray of hope; itbecame the last straw that we clung to until the scene changed for thebetter. So, what we need to understand is that, no goodness is reallywasted. It may go unheeded at times and could be overpowered by negativeforces, but is never wasted, for sure. We all know the story of the littlebird that filled her beak with water from a pond and headed for the woodsthat were on fire. While she was at it, a spectator asked the tiny creaturewhat was the point of her efforts, for the small droplets would not dousethe huge flames. She quipped, “When I die, and my life’s record is beingread out, my name will appear in the list of those who tried to put out theflames, and not among those who sparked it or did nothing about it.” Wemust remember that there is a law of cause and effect that guides every actin the universe. And what a person does unto anyone, he does unto himself.So, while a negative action piles debt on a person, a positive act is an investment for a good future. And unless one has unshakeable faith in thesanctity of this law, one would be forced to succumb to the prevailinghostile environment.

If goodness can survive through troubled times, it can be sure to bloomfully when favourable circumstances arrive. So, an honest person must holdon to his virtue with courage and patience in testing times. He mustempower himself with the unflinching hope that as night is followed by day, better times will inevitably follow, it is just a matter of time before theclouds will give way to clearer skies. So, keep the faith until the new dayarrives.