I found a plaque that says “Kindness is Power”. Some people who look at it are confused as if kindness and power cannot be combined in the same sentence. That is not a good sign if they don’t get it. I know you may think this is hokey but I’ll take the chance. I do a kindness for someone every day. I challenge you to try it. Sometimes I’ll come behind someone and pay for their coffee or their breakfast. The reaction is phenomenal. It’s the most fun you can have for $1.50.
Another thing I do consciously is to look into people’s eyes and smile. We all have our stories. We all go through rough times, sometimes terribly painful times and it’s comforting to connect to someone even if they are a stranger. Try it and let me know what happens.
I am a people watcher from way back. Whenever I travel, I bring a book but never read it because I’m watching people interact with others. An airport is such a microcosm. You observe extreme happiness, sadness, boredom, frustration and anger all in one location. One stop shopping.
One other thing I do when I’m feeling sad is after I have bored myself to death thinking about how unhappy I am, I get off my butt and do something for someone else. It always cheers me up and gets me out of the negative thinking loop.
Consider that your smile or our kindness may be the only positive thing that happens to that person all day. You’d be surprised how many people are lonely or sad. See how powerful you are!
I do believe we can take our world back, one kindness at a time. I would love to hear about your experience with kindness either given or received.
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Another great topic Kay.
In my very early formative years, where I believe these attitudes/mechanisms that make a person predisposed to kindness or otherwise, were spent mostly with my close family members who all, without exception were giving, kind, selfless people. I wasn’t really taught the meaning of kindness because it surrounded me on all sides. And it was a natural kindness, devoid of ceremony or obligation; being good to others and sharing what you could afford to share was simply the way to do things, not a preference.
When I started getting older (by then we had relocated to Canada), I came to the realization that this was a much bigger world, always buzzing with activity, people coming and going, a city of strangers as it were. There is a kind of decency and benevolence in this part of the world, but it is ooften subdued by fear, shame and sometimes just plain apathy. Being an openly kind person will get you a variety of results. There are those that will appreciate it of course, but you can also get swarmed by the lepers, or more problematic, resented and viewed with suspicion for not wanting anything in return.
In the end, I’d say kindness is like sugar; the right amount of it can make the world a better place, but you have to be careful not to martyr yourself, because the wretched will eat you alive.
I think you should be kind to me and buy me a coffee at Tim Horton’s on your way into work tomorrow - large caramel anglais si vous plais.