As the coronavirus pandemic grows throughout Australia, the news has been pretty disheartening to say the least. But in the middle of all of the negative stories, a Twitter movement has successfully been able to restore my faith in humanity.
I present to you: #viralkindness.
It’s a simple concept, but if we all get involved, it could make a huge difference during this coronavirus self-isolation.
Thanks to Paul Trueman‘s “clever, lovely copywriting friend Becky” we’ve got a handle little card to give to your neighbours to share kindness and offer a helping hand.
My clever, lovely copywriting friend Becky wanted to give people a way to share kindness, rather than their fears (and anything else) so she came up with this card. Please feel free to share and print, for anyone in your street or community. #viralkindness pic.twitter.com/Cwjd2tDmtD
— Paul Trueman (@paulwtrueman) March 13, 2020
32-year-old Becky Wass is a copywriter from Cornwall, who just wanted to help out amid the coronavirus outbreak.
“After weeks of news about the coronavirus, I felt as I’m sure many people did, very scared and helpless. Jon and I were talking about how it must feel if you are at risk or can’t leave the house,” she told HuffPost. “We wanted to do something to help, but without making things worse.”
While some of us have been stockpiling toilet paper, Becky decided to come up with this incredible initiative to make the world a little bit brighter.
Basically, you print out the card (or just write the info on a scrap piece of paper because who the fuck owns a printer) and slip it into the letterboxes of your neighbours.
Self-isolating can make it really difficult to perform basic life tasks (like going to the post office, picking up a script or buying groceries), so the #viralkindness movement aims to help those in need by performing those simple tasks.
Let’s face it, you’re probably already going to the grocery store, so why not see if the sweet old lady next door needs you to pick up a bag of pasta for her? Not only do you get to share the kindness and get some good karma, but it could also help you to get to know your neighbours (which is always a bonus).
Even if they’re prepared with groceries and supplies, even offering a friendly phone call could really brighten their day.
If we end up going into a lockdown, we’re all going to get awfully lonely. This is the perfect time to reach out to the people you care about (from a safe distance or over the phone) and reconnect.
Coronavirus has brought a plethora of negativity into our world, and after the summer of bushfires and flooding we’ve already endured, I think we could all benefit from a little #viralkindness.
