Kindness - #100DayProject - Day 096

Have you ever had someone compliment you out of the blue that made you feel special and loved? Or are you the type of person who immediately wondered what their catch was, why were they complimenting you out of nowhere? I like to think I'm more of the first example, but more often than not I tend to be the reluctant accepter of nice things. I don't think I'm the only one here, but I'm so confused as to why I do it. Why do we second-guess others who are trying to be kind?

So what set off this thinking process today? I spent the day teaching a class on Web 2.0 for my school district when I noticed a strange tweet addressed to me. As we were talking about Twitter (social media being a good example of Web 2.0 - a term I kind of loathe) I noticed I had a notification show up on my phone for the following tweet.

@lars3eb You make my robot face break into a smile. #TheNiceBot

— The NiceBot (@TheNiceBot) July 5, 2016

Are you kidding me? What is this all about? Is this some kind of joke? Who's behind this thing? Sadly, these were some of my initial thoughts about this super nice comment. While I don't understand who is responsible, the more I step back, the more grateful I am for someone creating something so kind in a world where it's the norm to be a jerk online.

Who or what is @TheNiceBot? According to its Twitter bio:

I am The NiceBot. Something mean is posted on Twitter every 60 seconds, so I have been programmed to deliver random niceness every 30 seconds. Have a nice day!

It's also linked to an organization called Champions Against Bullying who are committed to "creating a society where every child has the opportunity to develop, learn and thrive in an environment without fear, without violence and without limitation." On their home page they have a short video PSA that almost made me cry because of its message. Check it out below.

How often do we wait until it's too late to say something kind? Imagine what those kind words could have done for those teens if they had actually heard them instead of just have them be posted after they were gone. I for one think it's time to step up and start sharing more good online and being more kind. It may have taken receiving a compliment from a strange Twitter account to get me on this path, but that's okay as long as I get on the path. Let's all start taking time to be a little more kind online and help those we care about (both online and off) to see just how important and special they are to us.

Thanks for @TheNiceBot and those who created you. Your simple message of kindness has inspired me to be a little kinder, a little more willing to be kind. Here's to helping Champions Against Bullying reach their goal of creating a society where kids can live "without fear, without violence and without limitation." Let's make a difference!