Random Acts of Kindness Day - Planned Randomness & Official Charity

Today I went to the grocery store, and there were some people there from a community foundation who gave me a free copy of the local newspaper - The Waterloo Region Record.  Today, they informed me, was "Random Act of Kindness Day."  (My wife is currently enjoying the newspaper.)

There was one item I couldn't find, so I went to the grocery store down the road.  More people from the same group were there and offered me another newspaper.  I kindly thanked them and told them I had already received one.  They then offered me a coupon for a free coffee and some tickets for free access to the local pool and skate rink. I thankfully accepted both, and went to pick up my free coffee.

The acts were nice gestures and I am thankful for the free things they gave me.  However, at one point it did occur to me - how random are these acts of kindness if a group has planned and organized them, with sponsors and all?

Of course, the whole point was to generate truly random acts of kindness, simply using this planned activity to bring attention to the idea on this one day.  On the cards and book marks that they gave with the free gifts, there is a request for the person who receives it to offer a (small) random act of kindness with someone else on the same day - saying hello, opening a door, etc.

I did my few little random acts of kindness today.  But really they were things I do just about every day anyway - and things that people do for me.

So, was this planned event by this foundation necessary or useful?  Did someone out there today start a personal habit or "domino effect" of random kindness because of it?  I'd hope so, considering the time, effort and money they and others spent on it.

In relation to this, there are two conclusions I have come to:

1. "Planned randomness" is only useful it inspires true randomness.  This may also be said of official charity, which is most useful if it inspires personal charity on a local, person to person level.
2. If a good thing is happening, no matter how over-planned it may seem, let it be.  It is a good thing after all.  I felt good to get that free coffee.  My wife is enjoying the newspaper.  Hopefully this winter I'll get a chance to go skating with my sons.  It may not be the ideal way acts of charity should happen, but it is still in the end a good thing.

Do a random act of kindness for someone today.  A real one. Something above and beyond what you would normally do.  This will accomplish 2 things; it will eliminate the need for events like this one and at the same time it will make the people planning and carrying out this event happy to see such things are happening more.