The concept of paying it forward, performing random acts of kindness for the simple sake of doing so, has been with us for some time. But the idea of seeking out 25 opportunities to make the lives of others just a little bit better is one worth pursuing in 2013.

Provincetown resident Ellen Rousseau decided to take the 25 days leading up to the Christmas that have been coopted by the American advertising machines and devoted herself to performing 25 acts of kindness for those around her. She said her Buddhist beliefs helped inform her decision to do so.

Buddhism is just one of many faiths that espouse the concept of making connections to the world through actions. Most of the world’s religions and beliefs advocate making a difference in the lives of others. Even secularists have adopted the socalled golden rule of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

It is a strikingly simple concept — so simple that perhaps it becomes easy to forget. Fortunately, it is also easy to remember, although sometimes more difficult to manifest in our daily lives.

We seem to encounter so much negativity on a daily basis. Television, the Internet and newspapers are filled with stories about the less savory aspects of mankind. We learn about death and destruction as part of the 24-hour news cycle, sometimes hearing the same bad news repeatedly through different formats until we reach a point of emotional saturation.

This is perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the steady litany of sad news; we become inured to it and we no longer experience the same degree of pathos or empathy that is so crucial to being a part of the world in which we live.

Rousseau’s suggested approach may not stop the bad news from dominating the news, but it could provide a desperately needed bulwark against the seemingly endless onslaught.

Consider for a moment what happens when we are driving in our cars and someone cuts us off in traffic. Perhaps we feel an immediate urge to shout or make an animated gesture in the other car’s general direction.

But even after the initial adrenaline rush of anger passes, the residual resentment of the moment continues to taint our day. And if that one incident is compounded by one or two more slights, whether real or perceived, it can have a sizable impact on how our day progresses.

Our behaviors send out direct and indirect ripples through our world, and if we can acknowledge that one thoughtless act can have a negative impact on our day, why is it so difficult to conceive of the idea that a positive one can have an equal and opposite effect?

Holding a door for someone, offering a kind word or performing a small act of benevolence may cost us little or nothing other than a second or two, but the potential impact of such actions is difficult to measure, especially if they are compounded and reinforced across the span of a day.

That there is evil in our world, we have no doubt. Still, we can be a collective force for goodness that balances and counteracts such misery and sadness.

The small acts we perform may be mere drops in a very big pond, but there is no telling where such ripples will eventually carry all of us.

It is a thought worth considering, not just today, but each and every day in the new year.

— The Cape Cod Times