“I see you. I see what you have done for me. You have
been kind to me. I know it takes work to be kind. I feel special that you did
the work of being kind to me. I am grateful.”
-- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Is kindness a
lost virtue? In the world today, we are bombarded with images of our fellow man
ignoring the opportunity to be kind. From turning away from someone in need
and glancing at the ground to avoid eye contact, to
teaching our kids to dislike certain things just because we may have been
taught to dislike them. So often we put blinders on when the chance for a
kind act presents itself. Let’s hope it is not a lost virtue, but one that is
just lying dormant waiting for the right time to re-emerge.
Kindness can take effort. You begin by observing things outside of yourself. Recognize and
acknowledge the opportunity to be kind. Then you can put the kindness into action by acting in a kind way or saying a kind word. When it comes to people who are different from you, be it in a cultural, political or religious way, the effort to be kind could be an
even greater challenge, but often times with greater efforts come greater
rewards.
If we begin to
make the effort, no matter who the recipient of our kindness is, our example of
kindness will cause a snowball effect. That person, wanting to pay it forward, may begin to put
forth the effort in their life and so on. I remember hearing a story about this huge church in South Florida, they decided to do an experiment where you would go to a drive through, or a restaurant, or even a grocery store, and pay for the person behind you. You would hear stories from all over the city of how this would start a trend. Everyone began to pay it forward and show kindness to the person behind them. That person getting the idea from the previous. In some instances it went on all day. In others, lives were changed. People were changed. All because of one seemingly small act of kindness. If feels good when someone does something kind to you, and it feels even better when you get the opportunity to spread that kindness to someone else. Show kindness and watch the miracles that come of it. You life and your mind set can be changed and your soul can be healed.
