HOLIDAY 2016
This story has been read and passed around the internet, with many people really enjoying and sharing it's silly but powerful idea:
What if we became...
KINDNESS ZOMBIES?
I initially wrote it to help a friend of mine, and this year’s version is for Beth Smith:
I hope you enjoy it, donate to help Beth, and share it with your friends and family!
The Kindness Virus
by John “Bones” Rodriguez
DEDICATION TO BETH SMITH
Beth was recently diagnosed with an aggressive and invasive form of breast cancer. She's gearing up for the fight of her life, especially as her income will be cut back while she's in treatment. Join us in supporting Beth, Riley, and their kids.
ACHOO!
Get away!
That person didn't sneeze into their elbow like they were supposed to! That means the sickness will spread- because it's a virus!
A virus- one of the scariest things on the news:
The Bird-Flu, The Swine Flu, SARS, whatever.
VIRUS!
A virus spreads from person to person, and infects whoever catches it. The person might get symptoms immediately, or the virus may germinate for days or weeks before the symptoms appear... but they will appear!
I'm a big Star trek fan, and in Star Trek, all viruses happen FAST- I mean, they gotta catch it, learn about it, and cure it all within 40 minutes!
If you watch the latest ZOMBIE movies, a zombie virus can spread through an entire city, state, and country within an hour or two!
And usually, it's because of some terrible accident that went WRONG…
But what if we released a virus on purpose-
a virus that spread KINDNESS?
- A virus that made people nice.
- A virus that made people thoughtful.
- A virus people enjoyed catching and spreading?
Wouldn't that be GREAT?
PATIENT ZERO
The thing is- a virus always has to start someplace, and with someone:
“Patient Zero.”
Someone has to be the first person infected, and the first one has to spread it to others. Without Patient Zero, the virus never even gets started.
- But what if we could control who Patient Zero is?
- What if it were an easy thing to become?
- What if YOU could just choose to start the virus?
SPREADING THE VIRUS
In a pandemic virus movie, or in a zombie movie, the spreading is hard to stop. Once the virus is loosened, the heroes have to work together against the clock to save the human race before the virus spreads too far.
- But what if we were trying to spread the virus?
- What if the virus died without our help to spread?
- What if the heroes infected people on purpose?
KINDNESS
Kindness is defined as:
“The quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.” also “An instance of kind behavior”.
- What if we spread KINDNESS like a virus?
- What if we could catch “Friendliness” from others?
- What if we came down with the “Considerates”
How would that affect your life, and the world?
Can you imagine it? How would that feel?
Wouldn't you like to be a HERO in that story?
ME TOO!!
Let's see how we can do that...
CATCH IT!
I've got an idea- let's play a game of “tag”, where you start out as “It” and spread the “Kindness Virus” to people all throughout the day.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
You wake up, and choose to be “Patient Zero” for the day. You look at yourself in the mirror, and you choose to see the symptoms:
〉 Your eyes are wide open
〉 Your mouth is curled up at the corners
〉 Your teeth are showing
〉 And you have a pathological need to be “Friendly, Generous, and Considerate”
SPREAD IT!
Like a generous zombie with a mindless, compulsive instinct, you instantly do something nice for the first person you see!
〉 You flash a big smile and a “Good morning!”
〉 You attack them with a hug!
〉 You pucker your lips, and give them a Huge Kiss- RIGHT IN THE BRAAIIINNNNN!
Maybe that's too much, and maybe you're scared your infection will kill them if they get too much at once, so you give them a smaller dose:
〉 You bring someone coffee!
〉 You buy them flowers!
〉 You pay the toll for the person behind you!
〉 You pass out dollar-bills in the street!
But that's just the beginning of your infection.
As the HERO of this pandemic disaster movie, not only are you Patient Zero, but you're also the LEADER of your pack of “Kindness Virus Zombies”!
First YOU do something nice for someone, and then that person (unbeknownst to them), is infected with good feelings... but it may not be enough to spread the virus.
They may be immune; maybe they developed a resistance to it because of how lousy their attitude is.
Perhaps they're in so much denial that it even happened, that they locked themselves up in a restaurant with a shotgun and ammunition to isolate themselves from the sickness... but we'll get them eventually.
Because you have continued to infect more people with your Kindness Virus, and some of them will be extremely susceptible.
The virus will multiply in their system, and before they realize it, they will feel COMPELLED to do something “kind” for someone else:
〉 They might hold a door open
〉 They might carry someone's bags
〉 They might let them cut in line
Who knows what kind of madness you will have started!?!?!
And then it spreads... person to person... neighbor to neighbor, parent to child... child to sibling!
Yes! That's how insidious the Kindness Virus is- it might even affect THE CHILDREN!
And sooner or later, the infection comes back around to you... but it's stronger.
It has mutated!
What started out as a simple act of Kindness has traveled the world and gone from host body to host body until it grows and becomes marches in the streets for the equality among all types of people.
Until it becomes a movement to feed the poor and heal the sick.
Until it becomes a new view on life as we finally recognize the truth:
That we are all ONE:
Created by each other, for each other, and we are all part of each other.
Soon, the Kindness Virus takes over the world, the Galaxy, and the Universe until we look back, and see that the Kindness Virus is where we all came from, where we all started, and where we will all end up.
The Kindness Virus is a Living Thing, and we are all an integral part of it's life and it's growth.
And it can start with a small, unlikely, and seemingly insignificant part of it all....
YOU!
Thank You For Your Kindness!
Can I Ask A Favor- A “Kindness”?
Recently, a friend of mine was diagnosed with an extremely invasive form of breast cancer. Obviously, this is very difficult, and she could use some kindness and some support, so I'm hoping you'll help her:
If you enjoyed this short report at all, and would like to start the KINDNESS VIRUS right now, I’d like to recommend that you take a second and donate to her family as they prepare for a very tough fight:
Please feel free to email me and let me know how you enjoyed this short story. I look forward to meeting you either in person, by phone, online- or by whatever the heck they come up with next!
Let Your Light So Shine Before Men-
Bones Rodriguez
P.S.- Don't forget to visit:
PLEASE SHARE THIS!