By starting off the class with a quote by Elie Wiesel, it was this very introduction which presented the English 10 Honors classes with the famed Make a Difference project so many of us had heard of, either through older siblings or other English teachers from 9th grade who hinted that we take the challenging course as a way to finish our senior projects.
By reading the following quote:
- The only way for us to help ourselves is to help others and to listen to each other’s stories.
we were able to comprehend the first step in the project: make the world a better place, even if in the smallest ways.
However, before diving head first into the project, the class was assigned a small but significant task: perform a random act of kindness, neither too large nor insignificant, with the single goal of making some beneficial difference in the life of a fellow human being, and afterwards, writing a short but heartfelt paragraph on the experience. Mine was as follows…
Acts of Kindness
I have come to learn that any act of kindness, done solely for another person’s happiness in mind, can go a long way. As I often do not help my parents around the house, I took the initiative to wash the dishes one evening, and found my mother shocked at my proposal because it is one of the chores that I least enjoy. However, as I continued to wash the dishes, I noticed that not only did mother become overjoyed by my help, as it now relieved her of about half an hour’s work, but I also felt that I had done something truly worthwhile. It had come to my realization at about that time that Joseph Campbell had been correct in saying, “Follow your bliss,” as it usually causes a ripple-effect for others as well. In order to become a more mature person, I have found that one must encourage others to do the same, whether it be through small generous tasks, or supporting others in prospering.
Though the task I performed may seem trivial at first, the experience was unforgettable in many ways.
