Hate and fear aren’t just terrible because of the effect they have on our society—they’re easy, natural even. They’re deeply coded in every one of us, little switches saving us from coiled snakes on branches and the possible diseases brought to our camp by a foreign tribe. In this day and age, however, these once-necessary instincts often cause more trouble than they prevent. Still, it seems that suspicion, animus, and coercive control are an adjacent pandemic running amok all over the globe.

There are examples that, when learned about and kept in mind, offer a different point of view—an inoculation against hate, apathy, and nihilism, if you will. Here are 10 such stories: two jabs and 8 boosters against the darkness.

Happy New Year, Listversians—let’s hope 2022 gives us many more stories like the ones listed here.

Related: 10 Heartwarming Stories To Restore Your Faith In Humanity

10 The Lichfield Legend

“No good deed goes unpunished.” Sardonic cynicism aside, there is a practical method to overcome this possibility—just keep doing the good deed. This seems to be what one absolute gem of a young man in the Midlands of England has decided to do.

Eighteen-year-old Sebbie Hall from Lichfield, Staffordshire, found that the thought of people being unable to communicate during lockdown due to a lack of available tech really bummed him out. His first act of kindness was to donate his iPad to a close friend of his so they could communicate online. This selfless act snowballed, and to date, Sebbie has helped raise around $53,000 for good causes and directly helped around 2,000 people.

There has been an upside for Sebbie, too, aside from the warm glow of helping others; Sebbie has a rare chromosomal alteration that causes physical and learning disabilities—his daily random acts of kindness have boosted his confidence and helped with his verbal communication.^[1]

Some people are just good—and thank goodness for people like Sebbie.

9 Mind-Changer In Chief

People often feel as though they are their opinions, weaving their experience, rationalizations, and second-hand takes into their identity. Extreme, socially gauche/transgressive, and hateful ideologies are often the hardest positions to get away from when one becomes entrenched in such a lifestyle. Such positions, given the social pressure (and even legal status), will create circular logic around the core beliefs to keep individuals “on a side,” so to speak. Cults, for instance, work in a very similar way. That’s what makes Daryl Davis such an exceptional person.

Over the course of the last few decades, Davis has helped reform over 200 KKK members—simply by acknowledging their humanity and showing them that he, in fact, shares that humanity too. And playing a mean piano.

From convincing a “Grand Cyclops” to hand over his robes to working closely with the decentralized social media platform Minds as a consultant on “deradicalization” (as opposed to Twitter, which seems to rely on their executives’ super worldly “experience” in Silicon Valley and Ivy League schools), Davis has dedicated a huge chunk of his life to effecting actual change, not merely virtue signaling.^[2]

8 Lazy Teens? Not So Much

A group of high school kids stop jerking around and band together to do a good deed for someone in need—seems to be a plot from a mid-season episode of an early 1990’s teen sitcom. Thankfully, this kind of stuff does happen IRL…minus the laugh track and attractive 28-year-old woman pretending to be “the nerdy girl” in school.

Students in Bradford, Rhode Island, couldn’t abide the thought of 5-year-old Ryder Killam getting soaked through every school day. You see, little Ryder had to spend about 15 minutes exposed to the elements every morning as he waited for the bus. His dad hitched a patio umbrella at his bus stop, an accouterment that did little to protect Ryder from snow, hail, and rain. Local teens noticed the boy sitting in his wheelchair at the stop every morning (Ryder has spina bifida) and decided to build him a shelter. Ryder now gets to school without sodden clothes and a runny nose, allowing him to focus fully on his studies, really knuckle down, and truly listen to whatever his teacher is droning on about. Well, every story has a downside, I guess.^[3]

7 Generating Not Degradation

This is a nice, short, uplifting entry. Iconic red telephone boxes (and the far less iconic 1980s grey metallic ones) covering the length and breadth of Britain are quickly being repurposed instead of being let to slowly rust and decompose. Some have been turned into comfy little reading rooms for one, mini nightclubs, and even coffee bars. The main repurposing job seems to be defibrillator machine stations, a service that will hopefully save as many lives as the phone boxes did in the pre-cell phone days.

Now, some teens are intent on destroying them before they get reused (not-the-nice ones-from-Rhode-Island-who-build-bus-shelter-types). Who will win? Do-gooders who enrich our lives, or the memester sprogs who will fill the boxes with expanding builder’s foam or inflatable penises (whose exploits enrich some of our lives)? Let the games begin.^[4]

6 Prayers Answered…Very Quickly

One can understand (and obviously condemn) ideologically possessed asshats who burn down churches and cathedrals. One can even understand a group of edgy goths vandalizing a parish church with some black paint daubing of some sub-Hammer-Horror-movie slogans and symbols.

For lulz.

But who in their right mind would desecrate this charming little chapel in rural West Wales? That’s the thing—nobody with a “right mind” could do such an awful thing.

This wanton vandalism to the beautiful Capel y Grog in Mwnt, Ceredigion, in late 2021 shocked the local community. They quickly went about setting up a fundraising goal of £20k online, hoping they could restore their place of worship.

They hit their target after just three days. Senseless hate will never win against kindness and charity.^[5]

5 One Hell of a Tip

An often-overlooked positive facet of everyday life is good service from those who are paid to provide it. So when you encounter a person in a shop or a restaurant who treats you less like a guest or a customer and more like a friend or a family member, really caring that you “have a nice day,” it can be amazing.

That’s what Dunkin’ Donuts server Ebony Johnson did every single day. In a job that can, if seen as just a means to earn money to live, be a repetitive, unfulfilling drudge, Ebony used her time to spread kindness and enquire and learn about the people she served. To care. And one customer reciprocated in a big way.

Suzanne Burke placed an order at the drive-thru with Ebony every morning. They chatted and became friendly over a three-year period. When Ebony fell on hard times, getting evicted from her home in Mount Healthy, Ohio, Suzanne took the chance to pay her back for the years of friendliness, kindness, and joy that Ebony had provided her. She gave her a tip for the ages. Suzanne organized for Ebony to move into a new, fully furnished home with her three kids in time for Christmas.^[6]

4 Spreading the Luck

Playing the lottery is dumb. Unless you win the jackpot, of course. Unbelievable wealth, however, is often a dangerous thing to foist upon an unwitting individual. Almost nobody strategizes and conducts some financial planning while standing in the queue at the grocery store, ready to buy a ticket. Thus, many winners fall into a cycle of excess and squandering, leaving their mental and physical health in tatters.

You’ve probably heard the story before—young man from rough background wins lottery, spends it all on drugs, parties, and gambling, and *enter terrible outcome to end a sad tale*. You may also think it’s unreasonable to expect that a random, normal person should be expected to become a financial whizz simply because they could find themselves in the 1% (or even in the 1% of the 1%).

Hey, there’s always charity.

In 2018, Barbara Wragg of Sheffield, England, passed away. Nearly two decades earlier, she had won the National Lottery, a jackpot of £7.6 million. Over the period of this sudden wealth, she and her husband gave away around 70% of the winnings. She maintained a humble lifestyle (save a bigger house and a nicer car), using the cash as a buffer rather than a means of buying shiny, fast, or intoxicating things. The rest went to numerous charities.

Among many other causes, Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, the Meningitis Trust, and Help the Aged all benefited from Barbara’s windfall. She also paid for 250 kids from Sheffield’s impoverished inner city to attend the local Christmas pantomime every year. When a group of WWII veterans couldn’t afford to visit Monte Cassino in 2004 for the 60th anniversary of the battle, in came Barbara.

Good things happening to good people will make goodness proliferate: “Winning the lottery changed our lives but not our persons.” May she rest in peace; God knows she deserves it.^[7]

3 The Life Ranger

“I’m the chotto matte man,” retired police officer Yukio Shige told Japan Today in 2014. “Chotto matte” means (roughly) “please wait a moment.” When you consider that this septuagenarian patrols a suicide hotspot on Japan’s coast, this simple, courteous phrase gains a huge weight.

“Please, wait a moment” saves lives. Yukio Shige saves lives.

But it’s more than that; he goes on to extrapolate as to his method in the article. “There’s only one way to deal with this,” Shige emphasizes to Shukan Shincho. “You yourself must help them get back on their feet, work with them to solve their problems. If they’re in debt, I take them to legal aid people; if they’re out of work, I take them to the Hello Work employment agency; if they’re homeless, I take them home with me.” If it’s trouble at work, he goes to the person’s workplace and tries to sort things out.

It’s not just about taking the time to consider waiting for a moment; Shige himself takes the time to actively help desperate individuals. Yukio Shige himself practices what he preaches—”Chotto Matte.” He’s willing to take the time too. He has a team of volunteers that patrol the Tojinbo Cliffs and runs a small hostel nearby. By 2017, it was estimated that 500 lives had been saved by his efforts. By now, many more will have been saved.^[8]

This is a man who holds that life is precious despite the inevitable suffering that occurs during its course.

Arigato gozaimasu, Shige-san

2 Olympic Silver, Kindness Gold

When Olympic athlete Maria Anrejczyk heard of a family who was struggling to raise funds to save their baby, she knew what to do. The Polish javelin chucker grew worried that the family of baby Milosz Malysa wouldn’t hit their goal of 1.5 million zlotych, the amount needed to get the infant life-saving heart surgery in Barcelona, Spain.

In an act of sheer selflessness, the athlete auctioned her Olympic silver medal. Half of the total goal had been reached already, and time was running out for baby Milosz. At the last moment, Polish supermarket chain Zabka offered the outlying amount for the medal. Milosz went on to get his surgery and, moreover, Maria got to keep her medal after all!^[9]

Maria added: “I will be eternally grateful. I have no words to express how happy I am.”

1 Mending Deep Scars

A man who spent a year in prison on a false charge proved himself a hero in 2020. After a jury finally acquitted Daylan McLee of pointing a gun at an officer during a traffic stop in Pennsylvania, he harbored some animus for law enforcement. Who could blame him? This didn’t stop McLee from saving a police officer’s life by pulling him from a burning squad car.

He could have stood and watched; he could have filmed it and posted it online. He could have just called for the emergency services and gone about his day. But Daylan stepped up, put his past experiences aside, and did as good a deed a person can do. Daylan McLee shows us that when we are willing to recognize the basic humanity inherent in all our fellow men, hate cannot prevail.

“I want people to start looking at people as Americans, and not, you know, ‘he’s white, he’s black, he’s Asian’—we’re people, and when we start realizing that, things should get better”—Daylan McLee, 2020. ^[10]

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Some might look at paying it forward as a trivial or insignificant act, but gestures of kindness can create changes that last a lifetime. It’s often said that a hero’s strength isn’t measured by the size of their muscles but by the size of their heart.

The true test for each and every person on the planet is seeing if they will help someone else without the thought of receiving anything in return. The ability to help someone who can do nothing for themselves is the epitome of human kindness. Kindness is contagious, and here are 10 acts of kindness that were repaid exponentially.

Related: 10 Heartwarming Times Thieves Had Second Thoughts

10 Welcome Wounded Warrior

When a service dog was operating in an armed forces division, he was wounded in action. After undergoing extensive procedures to revive the exemplary pup, he exits the hospital alongside his commanding officer and owner. He is greeted by his fellow officers in uniform, lining the halls and walkways on either side. Even on the drive home, there are police cars and fire trucks all honking their horns and blaring sirens.

And when they pull up to the house, an even bigger hero’s welcome is waiting for him where it appears the whole town gathered to greet him and applaud his brave return. Welcome home, little pup, and thank you for your service.

9 Honoring Healthcare Heroes

It’s no secret that recent and current events have impacted quite literally every person on the planet. And no one has been more impacted or at risk than healthcare workers. Nurses, doctors, surgeons, and administrators risked their own health to provide the help that others desperately needed. Loved ones began spreading the word on social media, and displays of appreciation were organized to applaud these tireless workers.

The gratitude that unfurled was seen on a global scale. From towering apartment complexes flashing lights to NATO seamen clapping underwater, the cheers were heard around the globe. They boosted healthcare heroes with the vote of confidence and courage to keep going and keep helping the world.

8 A Samaritan Shoebox

A teenager from Idaho donated a shoebox of gifts when he was around seven years old. Eleven years later, he received a friend request from a woman in the Philippines. He discarded the request, positive that he didn’t know anyone there, and continued on with his life.

Sometime later, he received the friend request again and accepted just to see what was going on. The girl introduced herself, saying she had been the recipient of the shoebox. She proved she was telling the truth by recalling the photo of the boy he had included. The pair stayed in touch, and he even saved up money to fly out and meet her.

The friends fell in love and were married in 2014, and instead of asking for gifts, they asked each guest to bring a shoebox for Samaritan’s Purse to be donated. They have since made it a tradition to contribute each year to the charity that connected them so long ago.

7 Waitress with a Will

A diner waitress dealt with unpleasant customers all the time, but one man, in particular, was especially harsh. He was a diner regular. And by regular, I mean he regularly complained about the food, the service, the decor, just about anything and everything. But this waitress continued to serve the older man with a smile. She was kind and took his order despite his attitude and did what she could to improve his experience, even if he would never admit it.

One day, the waitress read in the newspaper that the regular customer had passed away. The man’s lawyer showed up the next day and stated that he included her in his will. The lawyer proceeded to produce fifty-thousand dollars and keys to a car. The waitress had just earned the tip of a lifetime, proving kindness doesn’t stop even when others are rude.

6 Walking for a Win

There are many different ways to show kindness. Sometimes acts of kindness include just showing up. Others include showing up to work on time. It’s an act of courtesy when others rely on you, even if it means waking up before sunrise and walking for miles.

That’s what one employee did to become the company’s most loyal, dependable, and hard-working car salesman. And when his employer found out, they gave him a car of his own so he would never have to wake up early or walk to work again. 

5 The GISHWHES Phenomenon

Before becoming an actor starring in CW’s Supernatural, Misha Collins grew up in a somewhat nomadic lifestyle with his mother and younger brother. He knew how to hitchhike and steal food by the time he was in kindergarten. But sleeping in tents and growing up poor didn’t make him poor in heart. Once he came into some money, he founded GISHWHES—the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen.

Over tens of thousands of participants pledge to complete random acts of kindness ranging from everyday activities to some obscure gesture of kindness. Even NASA has participated all the way from space!

GISHWHES holds a Guinness world record of being the largest scavenger hunt, and all proceeds go directly to the Random Acts charity.

4 Paratrooper Pizza Party

A retired paratrooper lived next door to a family where the father was deployed overseas. In typical fatherly fashion, this neighbor helped the family by mowing their lawn every Saturday. Life can be difficult, whether you’re in the military or not, but for those who are and for those whose loved ones serve, it can be an added layer of challenges to life’s demands.

And no one understands the sacrifices military families make better than this neighbor. This kind paratrooper even had pizza delivered to the family’s house when he knew the mother was at her wit’s end raising the couple’s four daughters. Even he would rather be dropped from an airplane rather than face ravenous hormonal girls. Pizza truly does make everything better.

3 I Scream, You Cry

When a group of kids wanted ice cream from a local shop, the clerk counted their coins, but they didn’t have enough. The shop owner told them the cheapest thing they could purchase with their dollar, and the kids agreed. She started to complete their order and gave them each a dollar in return. She figured they needed it more than her small business did.

Then, the kids gave her a one hundred dollar bill. That’s right, a Benjamin Franklin special. 

The owner refused, wondering if it was even their money to give since they couldn’t pay for the ice cream until she realized that they had slipped her a note, thanking her for her kindness. The store owner broke down in tears, and the kids went on their way with the ice cream.

2 Cookies for Toothpaste

A homeless man asked for money, but the man he asked wanted to know what it would be used for. He replied that he thought about buying a box of cookies since he saw a coupon on it for toothpaste. Stunned by his honesty for not stealing the package of treats, he gave the man a hundred-dollar bill and asked him to come back with the change.

A few minutes later, the homeless man returned with his single package of cookies, and the gentleman let him keep the change, saying it was his now. The drifter began crying and said that he was planning to open a bank account and would put the money in there for safekeeping.

It doesn’t take much to make someone’s day or even turn their life around.

1 The Dancing Delivery Driver

Truck drivers are the backbone of the 21st century, especially during the holiday season. When one worker delivered a package to a house in the suburbs, a sign on the door invited him to play a game. All they asked was for the driver to do a dance, and he would get a gift.

At first, the driver didn’t want to, but the owner insisted. Once they performed a small rendition of the Cabbage Patch, the house owner directed the driver to look behind them at the gate surrounding their yard. On the pillar of the fence was a gift-wrapped box.

The driver took it off the column and unwrapped the present to find five different gift cards over one hundred dollars each. The driver couldn’t believe it was all for themselves, but the owner just wanted to show their appreciation for their hard work, long hours, and even their little dance.