Random acts of kindness are no replacement for consistent acts of justice. I recently wrote this on Twitter and Facebook and later followed it up with a short article.
Upon reading that initial sentence, a friend said, “I think I agree, but am not sure what you mean by consistent acts of justice. Can you give an example?”
This was my reply:
Random act of kindness
You find a hundred dollar bill blowing about in the street, with no owner in sight. You go up to a homeless disabled person who sleeps under newspapers, and give them the money.
Consistent acts of justice
You become a lobbyist for housing for disabled people, to get laws passed and budget allocated to provide housing in the community rather than in institutions. You speak to politicians to get tax money rather than charity donations to fund this. You work with businesses to establish work-from-home programmes suitable for disabled people.
A random act of kindness can make someone’s day, and sometimes even change lives.
Consistent acts of justice transform society.