A friend of mine once gave me a bumper sticker that says:

At the time I saw it as an inspirational message. But the more I thought about it, the more this bumper sticker caused questions in my mind.

I found a response to “random acts of kindness” that expresses my thoughts exactly (source: Aish.com)

For what our society needs more of is not random kindness, but sustained and dependable kindness…Of course a random kindness is better than no kindness at all. But it is the ethical equivalent of sitting down at the piano to bang out “Chopsticks”: quick, easy, and not very serious.

Not only does human society require “sustained and dependable” kindness - as the next step after random kindness - but an individual person who wishes to grow spiritually cannot grow from doing random kindness alone. You can’t grow a house plant if you water it at random intervals - it just won’t grow.

However, for the individual who wishes to grow spiritually - to refine his or her character - there is value in doing random acts of kindness if you do them often. That is to say regularly.

How so?

The great sage, Rabbi Moses Maimonides, answers the age old question:

Is it better to give $1,000 in charity to one person or $1 in charity to 1,000 different people?

He answers (in my own words):
Better to give $1 to one thousand people; for after giving charity 1,000 times, a person is completely transformed.

My own experience in performing random acts of kindness, is that they can lead a person to make kindness a habitual part of his life. And that is the ultimate goal.

I would just note that the Creator has a greater “record” of sustained and dependable kindness compared to His “record” of R.A.K.

Think about it.

1. Designate time at an Old Folks Home
2. Do regular Neighborhood Cleanup
3. Volunteer as a Neighborhood Guardian
4. Volunteer as a Big Brother/Sister
5. Teach Skills for People returning to the Job Market
6. Visit/Call your grandparents every week

1. Leave a Thank You note for the mailman in your mailbox
2. Offer free hugs
   
3. Add money to someone’s parking meter
4. Leave a tip for the flight attendant(s) in the seat-pocket
5. Cut flowers from your garden and leave them in a “Free Flowers” bucket out front
6. After purchasing your groceries, place the coupons from your grocery receipts into the grocery carts on the wait out

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