Do you remember what life was like before email? You know, back in the days when, if you lived more than a few miles from a friend or loved one, you had to communicate by taking the time to write them a hand-written letter and put it in the mail for delivery? If you ask me, the world could use more of this-- personal interaction driven by a desire to spread kindness and express care. Thanks to my new friend Nivendra in Sri Lanka, in the course of the past 10 months, more than 1,000 people in Australia, Singapore, Pakistan, Ireland, India, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, England, New Zealand, Germany, France and the United States! |
We've had more than 150 common letter requests come our way this year, and besides these common requests, the coordinators in each country get their own requests internally as well. We get letter requests from all corners of the world on our Facebook page and then we have these requests available at our gatherings every month and letters are written for those requests. The letters are then collected by the coordinators and posted to the intended recipients as a gift. The entire project is generosity funded, which means, we do not raise funds and it thrives on volunteerism. This is what makes it beautiful and special."
This year in Sri Lanka, Nivendra has already hosted ten letter writing gatherings-- and now communities of letter writers have sprung up in Dubai, Bangalore, Sydney and Singapore! Group events have taken place in Qatar and Chennai as well, and a new group is expected soon in Saudi Arabia. Talk about the power of one person's idea to take off and change the world-- literally!
What most touched me about this group is the way these kind souls have touched lives. Nivendra told me of a woman who had a serious accident and needed some encouragement and motivation... of a husband who requested letters of support for his wife who was suffering from post-partum depression... of a medical student who was stressed with the demands of coursework and was thinking about giving up. In each of these cases, the simple act of receiving a bundle of supportive notes helped change these peoples' outlooks.
We bear witness to human lives while we write letters. We bear witness to suffering, but also to great strength and resilience. Hence it is not merely an exercise of writing letters and posting them, it is so much more meaningful. ' Letter Earthlings' is a space where we can tap into our reservoirs of love and kindness and give without strings attached. Empathy and support are demonstrated through the letters our community members write each month,and the one of the important factors that sustains the project is the lives that are being touched by each letter written."
Or, do you have your own idea to spread inspiration and kindness but you're unsure of how to get started? Check out this great advice from Nivendra!
I brought Letter Earthlings to life, simply through the power of community and maybe social media. Social media is a valuable tool to use to get ideas to germinate and take shape. I founded Letter Earthlings, but I don't call it mine, because it belongs everywhere, to everyone. It is an Eco-system of kindness. It always helps to dream and to dream big, when you want to give life to your ideas. If you have a clear intention, then the rest evolves organically. The intention matters."