The Japanese have this term “intoku (陰徳)” which roughly translates to good deeds done in secret. What are some examples of intoku in your own life? Doesn’t matter even if it’s something minor like picking up trash.

  • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I don’t think it counts as “nobody watching” since many people saw it technically, but I will often pull over to ask if people on the side of the highway need help as long as I’m not running late for something.

    I helped a Hispanic guy recently change his tire since he apparently misplaced his lug nut wrench and he had a blowout. I let him use mine and I topped off the air in his spare that was a little low. Took me a little while to figure out what he needed since he didn’t speak a word of English and I failed Spanish 3 times, but we got there using Google translate, hand signals and grunts haha.

    I do it because I hope that if one day I was stranded on the side of the road (and somehow without all the tools I always carry around) that someone would be nice enough to stop and offer assistance.

    Be the change you want to see in the world n all that.

  • ace_garp@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    Last week I pulled a piece of shredded truck tyre off the road.

    It was a remote 110km/h road, on a corner down a hill.

    I saw a road-train pulled over on the opposite side of the road, and then 30 seconds later we passed the chunk of tyre in the middle of the opposite side of the road.

    Pulled the car over, put on my hi-vis vest from the back door, and walked back 300m to pick up the 5kg-1m long tyre chunk and throw it off the road. (Its very still and quiet, you can listen out for any traffic before stepping on the road)

    I’ve stopped previously on a remote dirt road to throw a tyre off from a lane, 5 years ago.

    It is just something you would not want to see, coming around a corner at speed. They can damage cars, cause people to swerve, etc. Not fun.

  • Plum@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I preload one or two gumball machines with quarters at the laundromat for nosy bored kids stuck there with their parent. I was that bored kid once, and now I’m at a place where I can give back a bit… I’ll also try to win toys at the claw machine and leave them in the bottom, but the success rate is bad.

  • ReiRose@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    If someone’s card declines I act like absolutely nothing happened and let them have their purchase for free. (Inflight drinks and snacks)

    • happysplinter@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      This is beautiful. I always bring candy for flight staff when I’m on a plane. Not an unseen kindness, but it makes everyone happier.

  • Bleeping Lobster@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago
    • If I see a freezer / fridge door open in a supermarket, I close it. Not for the supermarket, but for the planet

    • as someone who stacked shelves as a teen, if I take an item and it leaves a gap, I pull the next one forward so the employee doesn’t have to keep fussing over the manager’s demand for it to be lined up

    • my dad lives in a bungalow, on a small cul de sac of other bungalows. Sheltered housing for old folks. Litter often gets blown in and collects, I’ll pick it up every couple of weeks. Also cleared their paths / sprinkled salt when It snowed

    • when old people are in the way, I don’t crowd up behind them. I’ll take a few steps back and wait so they don’t feel pressured

    • if there’s an item in the road that could damage someone’s car, I’ll wait until it’s safe then remove the item

    • if I see someone was down voted just for sharing their opinion (assumedly because the down voter is too childish to withstand an opposing opinion), I make sure to up vote it in an attempt to restore balance. Even if I don’t agree with said opinion (obviously this doesn’t apply to hateful rhetoric etc)

    Prob a ton of other little things I can’t remember. Thanks for making this post!

    • Schal330@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      I’m so glad I’m not the only one that upvotes people being down voted for their opinion - provided it isn’t hurtful to others. I don’t want to find myself in an echo chamber, so I feel it’s important for other opinions to be thrown into the ring.

      • Bleeping Lobster@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Exactly. And usually if I am replying to another comment later, I can see that balance has been restored by others doing the same :)

  • Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    3 days ago

    There’s an outdoor cabinet in my neighborhood that is used as a food bank. I fill it to the brim weekly with shelf-stable food. I was formerly homeless and know what it’s like to go hungry, and I work hard to ensure that no one in my neighborhood has to go to bed hungry.

  • Ludrol@szmer.info
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    4 days ago

    Contributing to open street map. I have mapped over 400 benches that I won’t sit on.

    I just like an idea that someday someone will ask a map “where is a closest bench?” And it will just show it.

    Most things I don’t help in secret tho.

  • cheers_queers@lemm.ee
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    3 days ago

    one time years ago i paid for the guy behind me at McDonald’s. he then proceeded to follow me all the way home to thank me. i haven’t done it again. lpt: if someone does that for you, just fuckin pay it forward so you don’t scare the crap out of a 21 year old.

    now I’m a school custodian and i go out of my way in little ways, like watering/turning plants in the classrooms, etc. I’m not sure if they notice but it makes me feel good ☺️

  • antlion@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    3 days ago

    On hiking trails, I move rocks and branches, and fix drainage at water bars. Tiny improvements which make the trail easier for all who follow.

    In my neighborhood, I pick up trash. Usually I go until I have filled a grocery bag, about 30 minutes. Though people do notice it so it’s only partly secret/anonymous.

  • Opinionhaver@feddit.ukOP
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    4 days ago

    In my case, a lot of it comes from my mountain biking hobby. I like doing unauthorized trail maintenance - sawing fallen trees off the path, laying logs over streams and mud pits so I (and others) can cross with dry feet. In winter, I sometimes ride the same trail back and forth multiple times so my fatbike tires can flatten the snow, which then freezes overnight into a perfect surface for dog walkers to walk on.

    In my job, I occasionally spend my own time improving something beyond what the customer is paying me for.

    At my gym, I always fill the water bucket in the sauna for the next person.

    Once I also bought the supplies and fixed a hole in a fence that’s meant to keep moose and deer from walking onto the highway.

  • MajorHavoc@programming.dev
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    3 days ago

    Maybe doesn’t count for this thread, but I love donating supplies to local school rooms, because I sometimes get hand-drawn thank-you cards.

    I’ve put those hand-drawn thank-yous in a drawer to be specially part of my kid’s inheritance - as a reminder for them of what really matters in life.