Two Words

There are two words with which I think more people should become acquainted: Ondinonk and Toshinamu.

“Ondinonk” is the impulse to do something good, especially if there is no chance of recognition or reciprocal response, a very strong altruistic impulse. These are the small impulses, like holding a door open, or sending a donation anonymously, or picking up trash in a park, or some other small good deed. A lot of people practice ondinonk and aren’t aware that they do it. Sometimes, it is a larger thing, like the gentleman who leaped onto the young man who was having a seizure attack on the train tracks and kept the younger man safe with his own body as the train passed over them. That was an act of ondinonk. He didn’t think of rewards for his act, he simply acted when the need was there.

“Toshinamu” is a personal or private dedication to a cause or project, whether it succeeds or not, and whether one receives recognition or not. It is slightly stronger than a vow, not as powerful as an oath. Sandwich Saturdays is one such thing. I make and deliver sandwiches on Saturday mornings for the homeless in a few areas. I’ve been doing this since 1999 – 8 years now. It is a personal dedication. I know other people who do similar things. Not necessarily Sandwich Saturdays, but some cause they have assumed responsibility for helping with – running in a marathon, bringing meals to a shut-in, volunteering as a Pink Lady at the hospital, blessing and cleaning up roadkill, distributing wildflower seeds along roadsides, feeding the fish in a certain lake or birds in the wild, whatever cause they’ve chosen. It doesn’t matter if it’s small or large, what matters is the personal commitment, a commitment that is kept no matter how hard it might become or what other activities might get in the way.

I bet all of y’all practice both of these, and didn’t know that’s what you were doing.

Now, you have words for it.