A Random Act of Kindness
Posted on Mar 12, 2008 under Inspired Actions |Let me take you back to grade school. Imagine all the kids in your class laughing you just because you look different and speak differently. That was what happened to me after my family and I first immigrated to the U.S. The worst thing was that two of the few African-American kids in the school, Marcus and Jamel, joined them. Actually, they were the worst. I thought, of all people, they should have understood what I was going through! But no. Marcus and Jamel were two of the first African Americans whom I had contact with in my life. The verbal attacks were hurtful, and I found my younger self gradually formed not-so-good opinions about African Americans as a whole. Oh, how impressionable young minds can be!
Fast forward to my freshman year at UC-Berkeley. One time I was riding the bus to get to some destination in Oakland. I was panicking because I was afraid that I was going to get lost. I looked down at my map, looked out the window, looked down at my map, looked out the window … I was a nervous wreck! Sitting across from me on the seat was an African-American woman in her fifties. She saw this restless munchkin in front of her and started talking to me, asking where I was headed and if she could help me in any way. She calmed me down with her gentle and quiet disposition. She was so down-to-earth and helpful. She was probably the first African American who was genuinely kind to me. After that encounter I found that those old misconceptions that I had as a child about African Americans started to melt away.
Isn’t it amazing that a mere few minutes of genuine connection between two strangers can dissolve years of misunderstanding? A random act of kindness can profoundly change someone’s mind. She definitely changed my mind.