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.
I pick up dog poop left by dogs other than mine. And I do it in the name of comnunism and the end of monarchy.
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.
Pick mah nose.
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.
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 ☺️
I donate to charities, mostly ones that pertain to researching serious medical conditions that currently do not have a cure.
If someone’s card declines I act like absolutely nothing happened and let them have their purchase for free. (Inflight drinks and snacks)
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.
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.
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.
Fyi the claw machine is literally a scam. The owner gets to set how often it will give a prize. Skill is essentially not involved at all. You’d do much much better buying a toy at a dollar store and just putting it into the win chute
Epic! That’s so cool
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If I see a freezer / fridge door open in a supermarket, I close it. Not for the supermarket, but for the planet
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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!
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.
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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.
I know a few trails that I’d like to add to Open Street Maps because they’re not included but I don’t know how to do it. Can anyone do it or do I need to be verified in some way first?
that I won’t sit on
Because they’re dirty or something?
I have mapped over 400 benches that I won’t sit on.
Thank you for your service!
Thank you
I need this but for bathrooms, along with a quality ranking
I don’t murder all the time when no one’s around to notice. You’re welcome to everyone.
which roughly translates to good deeds done in secret.
It seems like posting what I do would violate the intent of “intoku” and it would thereby no longer be a “when nobody is watching”.
I’m won’t disclose what I do. However, I’ll say that by not taking credit for any of my positive actions, it lets society take credit for the actions. It means someone doesn’t have to have me or someone like me in their lives, but rather all of us will help you. The person that did the small thing or the hero that saved you from ruin could be right next to you in line at the grocery store. I want everyone to have that feeling that some rando will have your back when you need it in some minor or major way.
The only way that happens is if I never talk about what I do to help. Thats a very small price to pay if it means someone else gets to feel the comfort of knowing others care about them.
I’d say that confessing a good deed anonymously online barely violates the intent of intoku. You don’t really get any credit for it because nobody will remember.
I pick up trash on the trails, creeks and rivers. All my outdoor bags are pre-loaded with rolled up grocery bags. I’m almost always alone, but the lengths I’ll go to to snatch a beer can drives my wife and kids a little nuts.
One time we stopped the canoe under a railroad trestle and the kids saw all the garbage.
“Daddy! Don’t go get all that!” LOL, like it would have fit onboard.
My wife seems to have had a change of heart. Last time we were on the creek she kept pointing out possible litter.
“What is this? Go there.” (Her English is a little strange.)
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.