Paper Hearts Are Paying it Forward
Paying it forward doesn’t necessarily mean changing the world. It can mean simply holding the door open for the person walking behind you. It can also mean allowing someone to merge into the dreadful Carrington Road traffic ahead of you (with a SMILE please!). Or, if you’re feeling really generous, secretly pay for the person’s coffee that is standing behind you in line. Little acts of kindness perpetuate further acts of kindness. So why not step up as the originator of a long strand of compassion?
We live in a dog eat dog world, where the aim is to constantly one-up each other and out perform the next candidate. Although there are aspects of our competitive nature that remain important, I believe that we need to take more time to encourage a humanitarian approach in our everyday interactions. We can do so by taking the extra couple of seconds to reflect upon how our own behaviour will affect those surrounding us. Each of us can make a massive difference by making a small selfless effort everyday. I encourage each of you to spread random acts of kindness around the Unitec community today and everyday. Once the process begins, it can grow like wildfire!
Global Pay it Forward day was organised in 2010 with a small international following. There are now 36 participating countries, including New Zealand, who understand the value in spreading the love. The website for this internationally celebrated day welcomes submissions for the most extraordinary acts of paying it forward. Here are a couple of stories:
“One lady contacted a hospital to see if there were any needy families that could use some flights which she wouldn’t be able to use. As a result one family was able to travel across Australia to be with their very sick family member in hospital.”
and
“One boy noticed a car was just about to receive a ticket. He asked his mum if he could top up the parking meter to stop the person getting booked. It saved someone a $79 fine.”
So while we may not be able to single-handedly change the world through our simple acts of kindness, we can certainly make a difference. As one person is affected by compassion, they can then affect two more others, who then affect six more people. So in a way, we are changing the world, our single favours are just a piece of the global puzzle. The Paper Heart Project is a campaign that has been running on campus for the past two weeks that encourages Unitec students, staff, and workers to submit notes of encouragement and inspiration to one another. See page 16 for a collage of some of these messages. To check them all out, log onto the USU facebook, and “Like” us to watch a video of Unitec’s positive letters!
If a friend or stranger does something selflessly kind that you think deserves major recognition, write them into In Unison at www.usu.co.nz/inunison. I will post the Pay It Forward initiatives on facebook for everyone to enjoy!
Our next issue of In Unison is ONLINE! There will be heaps of interactive features. Keep an eye out for the “The Birds and the Bees” issue to drop online on September 5.