Are Kindness Incorporators upstanders?
As I begin to do jumping jacks and get excited about explaining what an upstander is (as I just found out!), let me calm down and define what a Kindness Incorporator is!
Kindness Incorporators are people that celebrate kindness whenever they see it, and when they don’t see it – they become that kindness.
When I first heard about the word “upstander” I thought of a snobbish person that just looks down on people and assumes that they are better than the rest. However, I found out that an Upstander is “someone who recognizes when something is wrong and acts to make it right.
That statement sounds so innocent, however, as I listen to powerful stories of kind people such as Stacey Abrams I am inspired to be an upstander and a Kindness Incorporator.
Stacey Abrams dedicated herself to her work for two years to empower people to use their voice and their vote – and it would be nice if she was celebrated- as she definitely stepped in when she believed people's votes and voices were not being heard!
I never thought of a kind person as a person that UPSTANDS. I grew up knowing that kind people are overly generous, empathetic, humble and are usually docile enough to avoid the limelight whenever possible. (Don't forget I grew up in Kenya Ha!)
However, as I read the definition, I realized that every single person I know is a person that recognizes when something is wrong – and the kindness incorporators that I know all speak up when they observe events happening that violate their core values.
Another Kindness Incorporators who lives a kindness-inspired life, and yet is an upstander, is Melinda French Gates.
A philanthropist that has dedicated her life to helping all people lead a healthy, productive life – while especially focusing on women’s and girls’ rights.
I believe most people know the above women – so now my question is – what about the upstanders in your life? Who are the kindness incorporators in your life? They may not grace the social pages or be influencers – however, there are people in your network that may need to be celebrated for the kind things they do daily.
There are also those who step in and UPSTAND by performing kind acts especially when they see unfair advantages! Tell me - who are those people in your life? Do their core values spring into action whenever they recognize something is wrong and swiftly come in to assist?
Let me know below in the comments and let's celebrate them.
Tomorrow - I will introduce Conflict interrupters. Can Conflict Interrupters be Kindness Incorporators as well?
LINKS:
WAKELET: https://wke.lt/w/s/B9iScD