Inspiring Kindness, Empathy With Spark – TheNigerialawyer

What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? Asked
renowned philosopher, writer and composer, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in
one of his writings while highlighting the importance of the simple
yet impactful act.

According to a health fact sheet produced by the Random Acts of
Kindness Organisation, being altruistic increases one’s oxytocin,
also called the ‘love hormone’, makes one happy, increases lifespan
and stimulates the production of serotonin, a feel-good chemical
that heals one’s wounds, calms down, and makes one happy. The fact
sheet further notes that being involved in acts of kindness
decreases pain as it produces endorphins, the brain’s natural
painkiller, reduces anxiety, stress, depression and blood
pressure.

Jamil Zaki, Professor of Psychology at Stanford University and
Director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab, recently
conducted a series of studies that observed how witnessing kindness
inspires kindness, causing it to spread like a virus. He concluded
that “by emphasising empathy-positive norms, we may be able to
leverage the power of social influence to combat apathy and
conflict in new ways.”

Another study conducted by Oxford University researchers and
which found out that just seven days of small acts of kindness will
make one happier, also attests to the scientific evidence that
altruism is beneficial.

Nigeria’s oldest financial institution, First Bank of Nigeria
Limited, which is this year celebrating its 125th anniversary, has
an initiative aimed at restoring the fading age-long culture of
being one’s brother’s keeper called SPARK. An acronym for Start
Promoting Acts of Random Kindness, the initiative is also to
reawaken the spirit of showing kindness which soci0-economic
circumstances have forced many people to neglect.

The initiative, which is an integral part of its Corporate
Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) Week, saw its
employees and external stakeholders supporting humanitarian causes
through crowdfunding. The staff members and others were encouraged
to make small contributions/donations in aid of people who were in
critical needs.

With the belief that a small act of kindness goes a long way in
changing the world, staffers and other well-meaning Nigerians
warmly embraced the initiative promoting compassion and being
charitable. Through the Bank’s CR&S week people’s lives are
positively impacted. Senior management executives led their
subordinates to distribute essential commodities to orphanages
across the country while old people and people living with
disabilities also benefitted.

Having earlier encouraged its employees who made donations to
also participate in nominating those they thought were deserving of
acts of random kindness nominations based on the criteria of
community/individual’s emotive story and the significance of the
individual/community need, 10 beneficiaries eventually emerged last
year. Among these was Baby Ijeoma, who was in dire need of cardiac
surgery to correct her congenital heart disease and forestall
irreversible and life-threatening complication and who got over
N1.5 million assistance.

Also, Mrs. Mary Pius, a widow with five children and fruits
seller who was unable to send her children to school, received
support while Lawal Seun, a boy and the third child of a blind
woman in Ondo town whose husband abandoned with the four children
some years ago, returned to secondary school courtesy the SPARK
initiative.

As previously done, FirstBank is activating SPARK again this
year with more activities added to bolster the impact of the
CR&S week and to serve as a platform to implore Nigerians about
the long-cherished value of showing empathy and compassion on the
four main areas: Education and Scholarship Fund; Welfare Fund for
Mothers; Welfare Fund for the Old and Disabled, and Orphanage
Support Fund.