A deadly rampage of shocking kindness, Mark Morford

[madokie]

I look forward to the day when someone storms into a midnight screening of a sweet romantic comedy and kisses everyone in the audience full on the mouth.

I look forward to the day when a quiet, reclusive loner finally snaps, leaves his tiny apartment and marches onto an elementary school playground in broad daylight and hands every child a bar of dark chocolate, an awesome pop-up version of Leaves of Grass and a $25 gift card for Kiva.org.

Can you imagine the headline when a distraught gunman storms into the government office where his ex-wife works, marches straight up to her desk and dumps his wretched gun collection on the floor, tells her he’s sorry for everything and wishes her a blissful and happy life, just before heading off to Tibet to study transcendental meditation for a year and become a poet?

Yeah, me neither. But I bet it’s happened.

Is this even worth asking? Is it a ponderable we can possibly entertain? Have there been any serious behavioral studies to back it up, any hard data from the CDC or the Journal of Psychiatric Research? Let’s try it anyway:

Read More: http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2012/07/24/a-deadly-rampage/?utm_source=WhatCountsEmail&utm_medium=sfgatenewsletter+Notes%20&%20Errata%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=Notes%20&%20Errata%20Newsletter

[malaise]

1. Profound

He's right

Rec

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Thanks for posting that link. I needed that. Great read to help the soul.

[chervilant]

3. Think what might happen

if we were to turn off the television and the computer, then practice the following random acts of kindness:

learn and implement biointensive gardening in our yards

read to small children

volunteer at a shelter

pick up litter in a public locale

recycle everything

'shop' at thrift stores

pay compliments

help homeless people

provide foster care for abused and neglected children

advocate for the end of radical income inequity

Gosh...I could go on and on. It really ISN'T too late for us to wake up and smell the coffee...

[ananda]

5. Thanks for reminding me..

.. that a lot of people do those wonderful things.

[liberalmuse]

4. I need more Mark Morford in my life!

Thank you for posting this. I had a rough night and this is a soothing balm to my soul.

[tk2kewl]

6. I hate to rain on the parade

but someone in the audience with a CCW would probably shoot the kissing bandit

[Lyric]

7. Or charge them with sexual assault

Which seems even more likely.

[LisaL]

9. Yea, I don't think going to the theater and kissing everyone on the mouth is the "act of kindness."

Most likely that person is going to be arrested and charged with something.

[madokie]

10. You have to have read a lot of Morford to understand what he's saying sometimes

He's about as good with words as anyone I've read.

[dterrell]

8. good news doesn't sell

I'm sure that many random acts of kindness are committed daily, but good news doesn't sell so we rarely hear about them, and the people who commit them don't crave recognition.

[Tikki]

11. It could if each person tried to out do the other...

Just think of the opportunities...


Tikki

[madokie]

12. If I can't or don't do a random act of kindness each day to someone I feel I've wasted a day

After all after that everything else is secondary

[malaise]

13. Here's a great one

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021021781#post4

[Tikki]

14. I make sure I always smile at the young ones....

I grew up without grandparents around and so wanted them.
When an older person looked meanly at me I was crushed.
Now I know it wasn't aimed at me.
But I still try to smile at every young person I see.


Tikki