We often fail to acknowledge the power of our actions. While it is said that a harsh word can wound deeply, a mere smile from someone special can uplift your spirits for a long time. Isn’t that right?

For example, we may feel overjoyed when friends recall the tiniest detail from a discussion we had some time ago. At times, we are unaware of the impression we leave on others’ lives. We will never know when our kindness or a smile may have been of some significance to someone.

Kindness and empathy are both gifts. They possess a power that might not produce immediate results. There will be no rewards, recognition or applause for them, yet there lies immense beauty in them. One day, when we least expect it, kindness may return to us.

Kindness can be anything, even something we might not realise that we did and which influenced someone. It could be a source of hope, strength or even relief from a worry.

Kindness is an attribute of humanity and doesn’t only affect the other person. Every one of us has felt our hearts bursting with happiness and warmth because we did something nice, whether by helping our grandparents with something or cheering someone up when they were feeling low.

Acts of kindness can trigger the release of chemicals in our brains that make us feel good, so it feels natural to want to help other people. Kindness is part of what makes us human; it encourages us to help others and can make us happier, too.

So, we don’t need a round of applause for helping someone or receiving a trophy. All we need is a smile from someone we love, knowing that we have made their day a little better.

In today’s world, each person looks into their phone screen, often distracted from what goes on around them. In such circumstances, people can feel invisible and unnoticed, which is why kindness can give us the feeling that we are seen and appreciated. A small act of kindness can mean a lot. Being kind to one another feels especially meaningful in today’s fast-paced life; we are giving someone a comfortable space to be happy and relax.

We should be mindful of the ‘ripple effect’ of kindness. When we do something nice for somebody, they feel happier and relieved, and they may end up helping others after that. In other words, although we helped one person directly, our kindness can ripple throughout the entire room, school or wherever we might be.

It is equally significant to be kind to ourselves. What do I mean by this? People tend to give their friends an easy pass whenever they make mistakes. For instance, if a friend does poorly in a test, we would console them and cheer them up. But we may become upset with ourselves whenever we do anything wrong. We should be as gentle with ourselves as we are with our friends. Caring for our heart will give us more strength to care for others.

The real worth of people is never determined by how wealthy they are; it is all about how compassionate they are and how much love they spread round them.

Of course, acts of kindness may not gain us fame, but that is their beauty: the best acts of kindness are often the ones that need no recognition.

Published in Dawn, Young World, September 12th, 2026