Secara parsial, punya adik yang masih abg memang ga melulu ketar-ketir karena takut dia 'icip' hal kotor yang terlihat indah diluar sana, setidaknya saya bisa lihat apa yang dia baca dirumah merefleksikan 'point of view' nya anak remaja yang baru beberapa tahun lalu saya lalui ;D. Bacaan adik ku ini ga jauh berbeda dengan kita generasi yang lahir di tahun 80-an, karena ingin nostalgia dengan majalah yg kerap ku beli ketika smp maka terjelajahilah lembar demi lembar. Saya menemukan beberapa hal baik dari dua lembar paling berbobot dalam majalah itu selain halaman gossip dan fashion (in my point of view). Dalam dua lembar itu saya berhenti dan membaca berkali-kali tentang beberapa gerakan sosial didunia ini yang ternyata sepele tapi berdampak 'magis' dalam membawa kebaikan. Lately we do need all the kindness, because nowdays life's to rude to be true and we need to call the kindness.
Beberapa gerakan dan aksi sosial yang nampaknya kadar kerumitannya rendah tapi level ketidakmauan manusia kota untuk melakukannya tergolong tinggi. Dengan beberapa penggal bolu moka dan secangkir besar teh manis hangat....it's kind of good absorption:reading the headline 'happiness is only real when shared'. Ini saatnya belajar dari seorang Juan Mann, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Marshall Gray & Josh de Jong, Harvey Ball, and Improv Everywhere. Yes, i wanna share 'em, bcoz i just wanna share.
1. Free Hugs Campaign
Sometimes, a hug is all what we need. Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring. In the Spirit of the free hugs campaign, PASS THIS TO A FRIEND and HUG A STRANGER!
How it all started:He'd been living in London when his world turned upside down and he'd had to come home. By the time his plane landed back in Sydney, all he had left was a carry on bag full of clothes and a world of troubles. No one to welcome him back, no place to call home. He was a tourist in his hometown. Standing there in the arrivals terminal, watching other passengers meeting their waiting friends and family, with open arms and smiling faces, hugging and laughing together, he wanted someone out there to be waiting for him. To be happy to see him. To smile at him. To hug him.
So he got some cardboard and a marker and made a sign. He found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words "Free Hugs" on both sides. And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through him. The first person who stopped, tapped him on the shoulder and told him how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. Juan Mann got down on one knee, they put their arms around each other and when they parted, she was smiling. Juan Mann : "Everyone has problems and for sure mine haven't compared. But to see someone who was once frowning, smile even for a moment, is worth it every time".
Memang budaya meluk orang sembarangan bukan kultur orang timur, tapi dengan adanya fakta bahwa pelukan dapat menyembuhkan masalah fisik dan emosional sepertinya sedikit mengubah persepsi kita akan hal yang bukan 'kebiasaan timur', dan wajar bahwa gerakan ini sudah mendunia seperti yang dilakukan saudara-saudara kita di Spanyol, Taiwan, Italia dan Buenos Aires.
2. Pay It Forward
The Pay It Forward Foundation was established in September 2000 by author Catherine Ryan Hyde and others to educate and inspire students to realize that they can change the world, and provide them with opportunities to do so. 
By bringing the author's vision and related materials into classrooms internationally, students and their teachers are encouraged to formulate their own ideas of how they can pay it forward, (www.payitforwardorganization.org). Melakukan hal-hal baik adalah inti dari aksi ini, diadopsi dari novel Catherine Ryan Hyde yang juga difilmkan dengan judul yang sama. Perlu dicatat dalam konsep PIF, setiap kali kita berutang budi pada orang lain maka kita harus meneruskan kebaikan itu kepada orang lain, bukan kepada orang yang sama. "You can never pay back; but you can always pay forward." (Wayne Woodrow Hayes).
3. Random Act of Kindness
Doing the good things without any reasons. Ide aksi ini memang simpel, Marshall Gray & Josh de Jong mengajak orang-orang berbuat kebaikan tanpa perlu ada alasan dan tanpa mengharap imbalan. Random Act of Kindness Day jatuh tiap tanggal 1 September. Saya rasa banyak makna dari aksi ini, kita wajib berkaca tanpa terkecuali capres yang berkutat dengan kampanye pun tak pernah menebar janji manis membawa perubahan dan kebaikan tanpa berharap 'imbalan' rakyat akan memilih. They should join the cause!
4. World Smile Day
As is well known by now throughout the world Harvey Ball, a commercial artist from Worcester, Massachusetts created the smiley face in 1963. That image went on to become the most recognizable symbol of good will and good cheer on the planet. As the years passed Harvey Ball became concerned about the over-commercialization of his symbol, and how its original meaning and intent had become lost in the constant repetition of the marketplace. Out of that concern came his idea for World Smile Day®. He thought that we, all of us, should devote one day each year to smiles and kind acts throughout that world. The smiley face knows no politics, no geography and no religion. Harvey’s idea was that for at least one day each year, neither should we. He declared that the first Friday in October each year would henceforth be World Smile Day®. The very first World Smile Day® took place in Worcester, MA on October 1, 1999. What a celebration it was! State and local dignitaries gathered and read proclamations in support of the day. Another proclamation recognizing the day was read on the floor of the United States Congress and is now part of the Congressional Record, the reporter of the official proceedings of the US Congress. Thousands of Worcester school children created World Smile Day® cards that were then delivered to area hospitals and nursing homes. The event became national and even international news. The US Postal service came to Worcester that day to unveil its new Smiley Face stamp design. And, the Postal Service issued a special cancellation just for that event. Each year since then the USPS has issued a different cancellation commemorating the day.
In his inaugural address on that very first World Smile Day® Harvey Ball laid the groundwork for that World Smile Day® saying that the smiley face “…just reflects what is inside every one of us – a smile is what we want to see when we look at another human being.” He said, “Sometimes we forget that. Sometimes the world seems big and filled with problems that are too hard to understand much less solve. We start to believe that we are too small to make a difference. But that’s not true. The truth is that every one of us has the ability to make a difference every day.” .in 2008, the Harvey Ball World Smile Foundation has teamed up with the famous Eleni’s Bakery in Manhattan to send packages of smiley cookies to US soldiers serving overseas.
5. High-Five Escalator - Improv Everywhere
Improv Everywhere causes scenes of chaos and joy in public places. Created in August of 2001 by
Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere has executed over 80
missions involving thousands of undercover agents. The group is based in New York City. Agent Lathan gave out 2,000 high fives by standing next to a subway escalator during the morning rush. Five additional agents spread out along the adjacent stairs, holding signs that prepared commuters for the upcoming high five fun. It was awesome watching the reactions of people before, during, and after the high fives. I’d say around 75% of the riders gave Rob a high five.
There were some people who were both listening to music and reading a book who didn’t look up to notice what was going on. A small percentage seemed suspicious of us and elected to keep their hands to themselves. Most people smiled and high fived. Some people kept a straight face during the high five, but then privately smiled to themselves a few moments later. Watching people after they gave a high five was almost more fun. Almost everyone was left with a smile.
Menyebarkan kebaikan memang mudah, mereka semua kepatutan yang wajib ditiru. From silly simple things we can share all the kindness. Inilah (lagi-lagi) kemurahan Allah SWT yang tidak pernah menyulitkan umatNya dalam menebar kebaikan. Im thrilled!
Bukan bermaksud tidak menghargai para perokok di luar sana yang sama sekali belum berempati pada orang disekelilingnya yang tidak merokok, saya benar-benar hilang akal kalau yang melakukan hal ini justru para petinggi negara, pejabat, sarjana, wartawan, dan semua orang yang mengakui dirinya kaum teredukasi. Adalah saat saya bekerja sebagai reporter, kedongkolan mendalam serius saya derita karena decak kagum saya terhadap 'kebodohan permanen' yang teman-teman satu profesi lakukan yaitu merokok sembarangan! memang larangan merokok bukan terdestinasi untuk tidak merokok sama sekali, tapi hanya mengatur tempat merokok...tapi kenapa beberapa oknum ini yang boleh saya tulis adalah rekan kerja saya (yang katanya adalah 'gudang ilmu a.k.a perpustakaan berjalan) yang jelas tahu ada perda Kawasan Dilarang Merokok (KDM) jarang menggubris aturan ini. KDM hanya mengatur bukan melarang merokok sama sekali, koq hal yang sama sekali tidak rumit ini susah diapresiasi ya???
