Pay It Forward Day is a global initiative that was celebrated on Friday 28 April. It seeks to make a difference by creating a huge ripple of kindness across the world. This initiative encourages all of us to consider small, practical acts of kindness we can offer to those around us. And as we participate, these acts of kindness generate further acts of kindness. We see this lived out in the film “Pay it Forward”.
What do days or films like this offer our world? An initiative like “Pay it Forward” is a prompt, reminding us of the value of doing things for others around us. We intuitively know that this is a good thing to do, but the busyness of our lives can impact our ability to live these ideals out. Yet there is power in raising our awareness. We can consider for a day how we might reach out to others, which may then encourage us to repeat this for a few more days or weeks. And over time what was once a prompt becomes a ritual or a daily habit. This notion of Pay it Forward is not a new concept. Jesus advocated this when he spoke to his disciples. “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31. Jesus knew that acts of kindness and compassion had a ripple effect and lived this out.
In 2021 Hugh MacKay wrote a book entitled “The Kindness Revolution”. Similar to the “Pay itForward” initiative he wrote about the significance of sharing kindness with every human being. Hugh Mackay expressed in a recent TED talk that there is “one quality we need for preservingsocial cohesion and for promoting social harmony. And that quality is our capacity for compassion.Our capacity to show kindness and respect towards each other.” Mackay went on to express, “All of us are capable of showing kindness, even to total strangers. Even towards people we don’t even like much, towards people we could never agree with. It doesn’t matter. In fact, that’s the real test of whether we understand what compassion is. It’s nothing to do with emotion. It’s nothing to do with affection. It’s to do with being true to our human nature.”
Mackay reminds us that these gestures of kindness are not always easy and they cannot rely onemotion alone. They are choices that we make due to our common humanity, inspired by the example of Jesus and in the hope that we can create a better world for one another. This year the “Pay it Forward” project seeks to inspire 10 million acts of kindness across the world.
On Friday, as we approach “Pay it Forward” we may all like to consider one gesture that could impact someone else’s day. These gestures do not need to be large actions or material items, but rather they are ideally small actions of acknowledgement or appreciation. A smile, a hello in the hallway, a phone call or you may consider picking up an extra coffee for someone with whom you cross paths.

“One kind word can change someone’s entire day!”
Some thoughts to consider:
1. What are some of the barriers in paying it forward?

2. How might you consider paying it forward on this day and beyond?

All the best,
Mr Sam Mattas
Religious Education Coordinator