Acts of kindness

What, in your opinion, is the wish of a patient on the deathbed?

To live a little longer – right?

Yet, an elderly coronavirus patient Suzanne Hoylaerts, 90, in Belgium died after she refused being put on a ventilator. She tested positive for coronavirus and was hospitalised after her condition deteriorated on Mar 20. When she was taken for ventilation she told the doctors "I don't want to use artificial respiration. Save it for younger patients. I already had a good life," She died two days later on Mar 22.

This heart-wrenching incident shows how humanity reigns supreme when we let the stream of love and compassion flow.

In times of crisis, sometimes we may become selfish due to dire necessities. But there are innumerable incidents circulating around, how these trying times have brought out the best in us too.

During the pandemic, the governments of the affected countries and the philanthropists have been doing their due share of work by providing food and shelter to the less fortunate. However, let us instead focus on a series of small, yet significant acts of kindness of individuals and communities from all around the globe.

An article in 'The Lily' published on Mar 26 by 'The Washington Post' drew my attention on the kindness of people during the pandemic which will definitely put a smile on your faces. I am sharing two of those.

Maureen Mccarthy from Connecticut said her friend Heather, who manages a local Starbucks, texted her to know whether she needed some coffee. Maureen said she needed it. Heather promised to drop off the coffee at her home. That afternoon, when Maureen opened the door she found not just coffee, but a 'self-isolation survival kit' complete with activities for the kids, a mini daffodil plant, a bottle of wine, scratch-off lottery tickets and other treats. Maureen said, 'I was so grateful, it felt like a big, warm hug to know that someone had thought about our whole family and was taking care of us."

Tina St. John from Washington says that she had ordered some food to help support local restaurants. She ordered through DoorDash. Unfortunately, no driver showed up at the restaurant for the delivery. She called the restaurant and offered to pay for the food; and have the owner take the food for his own family. She explained that she had ordered it just to support the restaurant. The restaurant owner insisted on bringing the food to her himself.  When she looked through her order, there was something extra. It was sticky rice with sliced mango around it, like a flower. There was a note on the top of the box that said, 'Thank you so much for your support. :)'"

You can imagine the feeling of joy spiralling through Maureen and Tina. How thrilled and inspired they must have been! These acts of kindness will help them to sail through these tiring times of the worst ever pandemic.

In another corner of the world, in Sherpur, Bangladesh a beggar Nasimuddin donated Taka 10,000, to the UNO relief fund to distribute among the jobless poor people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He had saved the money for two years to repair his house. The amount may seem petty, but for Nasimuddin it is a lot. Yet his sense of empathy won over his own need.

Rebecca Mehra, the professional runner from Oregon tweeted on Mar 11 about buying groceries for an elderly couple. She said, as she was walking she heard a woman yell to her from a car. She walked there and found an elderly woman and her husband. The woman opened the window and nearly in tears, said that they were afraid to go in the store. Without a second thought, she took the list and money from them and purchased their groceries.

Inspiring acts of selfless love indeed! These acts of kindness heal the scarred souls; and reaffirm our faith in humanity.

Mehra is one more example of people's acts of kindness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apart from these individual cases, there are hundreds of thousands of volunteer groups working to provide support to those in need. Two New Yorkers gathered 1,300 volunteers in 72 hours and delivered groceries and medicine to the elderly and vulnerable people in the city. According to the BBC, in Canada alone, more than 35 Facebook groups have been created with thousands of members, in something called "care mongering". Thousands of people in the UK, Bangladesh and other virus-affected countries have also joined the local support groups. These groups range from people offering to do grocery runs, distributing food and medicines to the needy, giving advice and keeping each other updated on the latest COVID-19 news.

Social media has been flooded with videos of people on their balconies singing morale-boosting songs in Italy, during the lockdown. These acts of mutual care help in soothing the souls of the grief-stricken neighbourhoods. It gives them the feeling that they are not alone.

Thousands of people are showing their appreciation to the health workers by applauding or placing flowers or baskets of food at their doorsteps. These acts of love and appreciation are indeed great stress relievers for these heroes, battling the virus.

Who says, 'Humanity is lost?' Random acts of kindness are all around us.

Kindness often costs very little, yet its value is immense. There are so many reasons to be stressed and afraid nowadays, but there are lights of hope sparkling from every corner of the world.

As the novel coronavirus spreads to prey, individuals and communities are finding ways to help each other. This pandemic has shown that Humanity reigns in times of crises.

Food satisfies hunger; acts of kindness feed the soul. We need both.

This is a time when we all need to be kind and do our share too. Let us enrich our souls with beautiful acts of generosity.

Let us extend our hands in kindness and unite for a better, beautiful world of harmony and peace for today, tomorrow and forever.