My Tryst with Kindness (Singapore)

Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.

If you ask me what is one action in life I am passionate about, I would say it is to make "Kindness" go viral.

I love what Jay Shetty* is doing to make wisdom go viral. I am inspired to take that learning and make kindness a popular weapon in the world. My dream is to spread it so much that it turns into an integral part of every human being's life.

When we first arrived in Singapore in 2019, I had a certain perception of the country from my previous visit, 8 years ago, as a tourist. After spending a month, I built up even more notions about the people, culture, lifestyle, food and weather. I was comparing every little thing to my life in Dubai and India, though I strongly believe each country is different and has it's own pros and cons. 

All I could do was to make an unconscious list of things I disliked about the place. I could not observe the little acts of kindness and the positive impact of new friends we made at the time.

Kindness Act 1:

2 weeks in Singapore and we were house hunting. We had to finalize a home in another week. Desperate to find the best home that fits our budget & minimal requirements, we spent everyday making trips to different condos and neighbourhoods. It was easy to observe the flaws and difficult to highlight the pros in each.

One such day, on a hot afternoon, the skies turned dark and cloudy in an instant, the rain started pouring down and it felt like a hailstorm. We were new to the weather pattern in Singapore and did not carry umbrellas. We were out in the open among trees and a huge residential street on one side. 10 minutes in and we couldn't find a taxi to get away from the dreadful rain. 

That's when a man called us from behind and handed us a big grandfather umbrella (it had the name of a big brand). The umbrella was enough to hold the 3 of us under it. 

As he walked away, we shouted "Where can we return it to you" and he shouted back "Don't worry. Keep it. I have more". We were speechless. He was an angel, but wasn't dressed like one.

I am not a person who feels comfortable taking a complete stranger's belonging, so I made a note of the house he walked into. When the rain stopped, I made sure I hung the umbrella on his gate and returned it.

That incident made me realize there are angels all around us. All we need to do is to wait for the right time and right place to meet them. One thing I strongly believe in is:

Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.

Have you had a Tryst with kindness? 

I would love to know!

*Jay Shetty- He is a British Indian author, former monk and motivational speaker.