"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" attributed to peace activist Anne Herbert.
This is my plan to raise funds for the Buwan Kothi International Trust as part of its New Year for Good fundraising campaign.
According to Wikipedia, "a random act of kindness is a purportedly selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases even an animal. There will generally be no reason other than to make people smile, or be happier."
The problem is with the "random" part of this. Doing something nice for a complete stranger means never knowing whether you've really been helpful or just a bit of a pain in the behind. In order for an act to be truly kind, rather than merely a vehicle for your own self-congratulation, there needs to be a reasonable presumption that it will actually help - by knowing something about that person. To be honest, wondering why someone inexplicably did something for you, however nice, is a bit unnerving.
So during 2009, I'll try and undertake 30 targeted acts of kindness, for my friends and family.
Moreover, if someone can actually tell me what constitutes a "senseless acts of beauty", I'll have a go at one of those too.
So - I'm think I'm pretty good at writing stuff, so if you'd like your CV brushed up or something edited, I may be able to help. My "inner geek" provides a fair knowledge on sorting out IT problems, so that may be an area where I can be useful. Or organising things. Or sorting out finances.
I want your suggestions. They don't have to be big. They just have to make you happy.
This is still about supporting a charity that is important to me, so I'd like you to sponsor me. Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Buwan Kothi International Trust gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor me now!
UPDATE
Random Act - check out Mike Marqusee's new website at www.mikemarqusee.com
