26 Oct Black Lotus: The Internet of Kindness
Step into Kindness.
When Carl Ruse, a survivor of the Bataan Death March (1942) and a Japanese Prisoner of War, died at the age of 89 in 2007, he left his grandson Timothy, a box of old letters, medals, and war relics. When Timothy rummaged through the memorabilia, hoping to discover more stories from the life of a man who had clearly endured some of the most brutal times in history, he stumbled upon two grainy photos.
One was his grandfather’s. A frail, tortured, young man; troubled in body yet indomitable in spirit. A haunting image of savagery that had reduced him to a skeleton frame of merely 80 pounds. The other photo was that of a little, Japanese boy with a solemn and ceremonious boyish countenance.
Timothy traveled to Japan to find the boy. After a desperate search, he received a call from Takeo Nishiwaki, the brother of the little boy in the picture.
Had it not been for that little Japanese boy, Carl might have never made it out alive and Tim would have never been born. Takeo informed Tim that his brother, Fumio Nishiwaki -who had died at the age of thirty due to respiratory disease — was the solemn boy in that grainy photo. Little did he know that an act of kindness on his part had saved a life and etched in history a touching story of compassion.
Fumio risked his life and forged an unlikely friendship with Carl during his final year of back-breaking forced labor at Yokkaichi Ishihara Sangyo prison camp. The boy would sneak in and leave extra food for Carl. But it wasn’t just food that turned around the course of Carl’s life. Fumio provided him something more.
He provided him with hope.
Hope. Kindness. Belief.
In Tim’s words, “I think this boy had an innocence that allowed my grandfather to leave the war where it was when he came home, without the weight of bitterness and hatred that scarred so many other survivors.”
An act of kindness. That’s all it took to turn someone’s world around.
Each day, we are besieged by the terrible news that continuously keeps pounding on our heads, reminding us that life is a catastrophe and doomsday is fast approaching. However, in the midst of this pompous show of a prophecy of disaster, we become blind to the little acts of kindness that silently sprout all around. Worse, we blind ourselves to the innumerable opportunities around us that beckon us to practice kindness.
There is a need, especially in today’s fast-paced world of consumerism and internet trolls, to slow down. To slow down and recognize the random acts of kindness that abound yet remain hidden in the veil of hatred and toxicity that is so zealously perpetuated.
Because sometimes, we do feel, “Maybe, the world isn’t such a bad place after all.”
We need to recognize that no act of kindness is small. Each moment of life demands of us to see ourselves in others, to choose to feel the pain of others and decide to do something about it.
What is Black Lotus?
Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash
Black Lotus is a beautifully crafted app available both on google play store and app store. It provides you with a platform where you can read stories of Random Acts of Kindness (Raks) performed by others, upload your own stories to inspire others and log in your RAKs and easily keep track. In this manner, you can seamlessly integrate kindness into your life and make it a habit!
The app also provides you with a number of guided meditations, chants and articles on peace, forgiveness, gratitude, acceptance and all of the other virtues of life. Providing a game-like approach, it simplifies the process of fostering kindness into our daily lives.
Why Black Lotus?
‘Black is the color which absorbs all colors and Lotus is the symbol of that which is born in mire yet stays gloriously above.’ As an app that is dedicated to promoting the cause of goodness, the name ‘Black Lotus’ aptly captures its vision.
What’s the point of recording our acts of kindness? Isn’t it just another way of fanning our ego?
Let’s look at this from another perspective. We are human beings and at our deepest level, it is stories that drive us. When we share our acts of kindness, we share positivity and inspire others. In a day and age when we are constantly surrounded by toxic news, this definitely serves as a welcome break from the negativity that surrounds us!
Who is behind this movement?
A dedicated team of kind, wonderful and selfless people! Mentored by the renowned Himalayan mystic and author of ‘If Truth Be Told: A monk’s memoir’, Om Swami; the Black Lotus team works tirelessly to build a place centered on the pillars of Kindness and Mindfulness; so that you can easily step into a world of peace!
That’s great! But isn’t it going to cost me an arm and a leg?
Ha! Nope! Black Lotus is an absolutely free app. When I say ABSOLUTELY, I really mean it. No cost, no advertisements, no in-app purchases!
Maybe this resonates with you. Maybe it doesn’t. Either way, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try, right?
Go ahead, don’t hesitate, step into your personal abode of peace.
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