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With the holiday season in mind and winter break just around the corner, I’ve heard a lot of talk about charity and giving. 
“It’s better to give than to receive,” and “the holiday season isn’t just about opening presents, it’s about opening our hearts.” Yeah yeah yeah. We’re all aware that we are supposed to feel more motivated to “give back” during the Holidays, what with the trademarked “Season of Giving” and all that time off work. (And let’s be honest, the end of the year is practically earmarked for giving.) Still, with the reiteration of those, pardon me, stale sayings, many of us are moved. Moved to spend a day volunteering or even to simply pass up the opportunity to honk at a moronic driver with whom we’re sharing the road. We do all want to effect change in the lives of others and make a difference in the world. Right?
Here’s something interesting though. It may be easier than we think to change the world for the better. Well, actually, IT IS EASY, according to scientists and scholars.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100308151049.htm
I came across this article recently on ScienceDaily.com (Yes, I’m that girl) which states that new lab evidence proves that “Acts of Kindness” are contagious. Lab Evidence! Yes, well anyway, apparently when one person performs an ‘act of kindness’, that ‘act of kindness’ spreads to other people and can be traced to three degrees of separation. It argues that “paying it forward” is not only a great idea, but that cascading ‘acts of kindness’ are what connect us with others; they’re the glue of our social networks. In short, ‘Acts of kindness’ rely on human connections, and human social networks would not endure without them. I found this to be super cool. 
Here’s an example. I’m standing outside of BookEnds’ office on Sepulveda Boulevard. Scientifically speaking, if I run after a woman on the street because she dropped her sunglasses, the woman will then kindly hold the door for the gentleman entering Baja Bud’s behind her, who will in turn pay a compliment to the family behind him in line, and the flattered parent of the family will then thank the cashier with an extra tip. And in a quick five minutes, four more people have been swooped up in my contagious transmission of kindness.
While science is awesome, we don’t really need lab evidence nor scholars to tell us how contagious ‘acts of kindness’ truly are. I received a letter in the mail last week from a 3rd grade student recipient who recently participated in a BookEnds delivery. After making friends with and being read to by a generous kid who simply brought books for him, Allen said, “I’m grateful for the books because our school has no money to get books because of the economy, but you guys did it from the bottom of your heart. You made me want to send books to little children when I grow up, and you inspired me to be thankful for the books I have. Thank you very much!”
Gretchen Schroeder
BookEnds Program Manager
