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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017 • WATERLOO CHRONICLE • 9 COMMENT WATERLOO CHRONICLE COMMENT WATERLOO CHRONICLE LETTERS TO THE CHRONICLE It was nine years ago that I arrived home from grocery shop-ping to � nd that someone had left for me a book on the front porch. To this day, I haven't � gured out who's responsible for this unexpected gift, and this act of kindness has made me intrigued ever since. � e book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wres- tling by Bret Hart must have been left for me by someone who knows I am a lifelong fan of wrestling. � e autobiography, which chronicles Hart's strange and often tragic life in wrestling, is a fascinating and inspirational read, so I feel indebted to whoever gave it to me. � ere's something so beautiful about someone doing some- thing nice for another person, like leaving the book for me on my porch without the need for recognition or wanting anything in return. A week before Christmas, I was reminded how acts of kindness among neighbours can really make a differ- ence, as neighbours on two separate occasions plowed the heavy wall of snow at the end of our driveway. Another family in the neighbour- hood recently shared with us their homemade Indian food, which includ- ed the best onion pakoras we've ever had (with deliciously light, crispy, golden brown batter and spicy dip). � en there's the countless readers of the Chronicle who have taken the time to email me to say something I wrote about struck a chord, and the kind people on the street or in the supermarket who tell me they are reg- ular readers of my column. I try to live as though other people come � rst -- not so much subservient, but deferential. Holding a door open for somebody, or allowing someone with only a few items ahead of you in line at the grocery checkout, costs nothing and takes little e� ort. It's a simple thing, but it can really lift others' spirits and change how you feel about yourself. Many years ago, eccentric local writer Mel Taylor handed out $100, in $5 bills, to strangers passing by on King Street as part of a social experiment in kindness. Understandably, many suspected there was a catch, but he was simply giving $5 away, one bill at a time -- no strings attached. Acts of violence I hear about in the news every day. But acts of kindness seem more rare, and I'm certain they make this world a more positive and balanced place. Re-reading Bret Hart's autobiography over the holidays, I was reminded how Hart himself valued the kindness in his super� - cially violent line of work: "For as long as I can remember, my world was � lled with liars and bulls**tters, losers and pretenders, but I also saw the good side of pro wrestling," he said. "To me there is something border- ing on beautiful about a brotherhood of big tough men who pre- tended to hurt one another for a living instead of actually doing it. "Any idiot can hurt someone." And for me, anyone has the capacity to be kind, and it's much more powerful. ••• Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and artist. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hotmail.com. MARSHALL WARD MARSHALL ARTS The attack that took place at a Christmas market in Berlin, Ger-many is an appalling incident. Such a deplorable act warrants con- demnation from all humans alike. Not only is this act inhumane but it also violates the teachings of Islam. It is times like this, the large number of peaceful Muslims of the world, need the support of their fellow human beings to stand united against extremism and to promote harmony. � e holy Qur'an states, "Show kind- ness to parents, and to relatives, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour that is a relative and the neighbour that is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the way- farer." Following this teaching, the Ahmadi- yya Muslim Community has been at the forefront of eradicating extremism and encouraging tolerance and peace world- wide. Our community in Kitchener and Waterloo regularly holds interfaith events as well as workshops to promote the true, peaceful teachings of Islam among members. During the holiday season, we partake by giving back to the local community. We do so by providing Christmas gifts to our neighbours, and to various homeless shelters, as well as by donating food and holding blood drives. While acts of charity and compassion are a requirement of our faith all year long, we do so with even more passion and zeal during this joyous season. As a Muslim, my thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the attack. I pray for (and work towards) a new year full of peace and love for all. Ansa Nargis Kitchener It seemed that with the cease � re in Syria coupled with the reconcilia-tion e� orts of the United States and Japan, the world was moving towards international stability and peace. This is why it is extremely unfortu- nate that we start our new year with the news of this heartbreaking attack on an Istanbul nightclub that took the lives of 39 innocent civilians. I fail to understand the logic and rea- soning of these extremists. How does resorting to violence, and unleashing an onslaught of terror on innocent civilians lead to any solutions? As a global community, we cannot respond to these attacks with further hatred. � is will only further the agenda of these brutes. We need to respond with love, com- passion and peaceful dialogue. My heartfelt prayers go out to the vic- tims, their families and anyone a� ected by this tragedy. Khizar Karim Alliston More veggies less cheese in 2017 What is on your to-do list for 2017? Many of us have � tness goals, as we roll -- literally -- out of the season of perpetual indulgence and into a new year. I've seen a plethora of health-related resolutions pop up on my social media feeds, but my favourite came from my friend Alison, simply stating: "2017. More vegetables. Less cheese." I think this, "more vegetables, less cheese," mantra can be applied to many aspects of my life. I would like to read more newspapers and watch less television news. I've been on a steady diet of CNN since early 2016. I don't think my system can take anymore. It's clogging my cerebral arteries and giving me headaches. Conversely, when I log into the Waterloo Public Library's website and � nd PressReader in the Digital Library, I have immediate and free access to more than 6,000 newspapers and magazines from across the globe. I can read newspapers from across Canada, every day. I can catch up on world news by reading the Washington Post and � e Guardian, whenever I want to. And I can even practice my Italian, by stumbling my way through the dailies from Rome and Naples. Piu verdure, meno formaggio! When I think about other places to apply the vegeta- bles/cheese metaphor, I think of how I choose to spend my money. I � rmly believe that we need to actively participate in building the community we want to live in. For many of us, that includes supporting local not-for-pro� ts through charitable giving. January is a great time to develop a giving strategy for the year, as it allows us to be purposeful about our giving. Start with asking yourself some questions: Who do I want to support? How much can I a� ord to give? My personal philosophy is that giv- ing should cause a little personal discom- fort. That may sound strange at first, but I think that if we stretch our capacity to give -- whether it be time, talent, or money -- it will mean more, in the long run. � ere are ways to aid in that stretch. Many not-for-pro� ts encourage monthly giving. By opting to donate $25 a month to your charity of choice, the end of the year brings a $300 tax receipt. In tactical terms, if those monthly dona- tions went to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region, you would provide 900 healthy meals in our community. � at is a lot of impact for $25 a month. More vegetables, a little less cheese. � at's a plan I can chew on. ••• Karen Scian is the co-founder of the Talent Business Solutions, an educator and a recovering city councillor. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Library Board. You can email her at beinscian@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter @karenscian. BEIN' SCIAN KAREN SCIAN Work to bring peace to the world not hatred Exploring the capacity for everyday kindness Letter policy Letters may be submitted by email to editorial@waterlooch- ronicle.ca, and include the author's full name, place of resi- dence and contact information. Istanbul attack was a� ront to world peace